Valley Park: Trails, Water and Railroad History

Valley Park combines waterside landscapes with unusually tangible railroad history. For your travel planning, this means you can choose from a variety of experiences: You can plan a paved route along the Meramec Greenway, explore parks and bodies of water, or discover historic sites such as the Frisco Hotel and the Valley Park Elevator. The town’s history also reaches back to the summer resorts and clubhouses along the Meramec River, which residents of St. Louis once visited for recreation and relaxation.

Meramec Greenway, Simpson Lake and Parks

The 3.6-mile paved Meramec Greenway runs between Greentree Park in Kirkwood and the Arnold’s Grove Trailhead on the levee in the City of Valley Park. The trail length is a specific factor in planning your day and makes the Greenway an experience in its own right, regardless of whether you are primarily looking for exercise or riverside scenery.

The Arnold’s Grove Trailhead is located on the Valley Park levee and can be reached from Meramec Station Road. Simpson Park offers 206 acres of parkland. The Blue Heron Trail runs around the 72-acre Simpson Lake, adding a lake to the water-related scenery. The parks in Valley Park also offer an archery range and a boat ramp to the Meramec River. Boats can be used at Meramec Landing.

For families with different interests, this selection may influence the choice of a vacation rental or vacation home: Do you want to plan a 3.6-mile route, explore the Blue Heron Trail at Simpson Lake, or make a waterside activity the main focus? This allows you to choose accommodation based on your preferred travel theme without having to combine individual experiences into one unified itinerary.

Water Access and Directions to Meramec Landing

Meramec Landing is located off Highway 141, north of I-44. From Highway 141, follow Marshall Road and then Cal Hedrick Way to the boat ramp. These named roads provide a specific framework for navigation when you want to combine your stay with the Meramec River and boating. This means that the key consideration when choosing accommodation is which of the documented landscape and historical experiences you want to make the focus of your trip.

Railroad History in the Townscape

The Frisco Hotel was built in 1880 to house railroad workers who were working on laying the railroad line. The Whittle Shortline Railroad Shop is located in the Frisco Hotel. Frisco Park is also home to the original Frisco caboose No. 398 from 1935, which originated in Valley Park, Missouri.

Further details make the connection to the railroad vivid: Some planters in Frisco Park date from 1913 and originally belonged to the Old Frisco Railroad Depot in Valley Park, Missouri. The Valley Park Elevator was built in 1887 and is the last grain silo in Saint Louis County. Travelers looking for more than just landscapes, including local industrial and transportation history, will find several distinct points of interest here.

Sacred Heart Church and Historical Orientation

Sacred Heart Church is a Saint Louis County landmark dating from 1907–1908. The RCIA team (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) conducts a tour of the church every year. For visitors interested in religious architectural history, this offering adds another historical focus to the railroad sites.

Valley Park is therefore suitable as a destination for a variety of travel days: water and paved trails, parkland and lakeshores stand alongside notable evidence of railroad history and the town’s development. When searching for a vacation rental or vacation home, you can first decide whether the focus should be on landscapes, boating, trails or cultural history. The right accommodation choice can then follow the desired rhythm of your trip.

If you would like to expand your travel planning beyond Valley Park, you can find more places here: Concord Township, Eureka, Chesterfield, Ferguson, Fenton, Edmundson, Green Park and Maryland Heights.

For the broader travel overview: St Louis.