Bangert Island
Park
204 acres4.6 mi of trail
Slough LoopKurtz LoopSandy LinkRiver Link
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lindenwood Neighborhood Historic District · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in St. Charles
St. Charles has 11 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Bangert Island (4.6 mi), Frontier Park (1.2 mi), Eco Park (1.1 mi). 5% of St. Charles’ land is conserved, about 790 acres. 73% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns · #65 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
790 acres · of 25.2 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,084 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
73%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
24 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 22 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
22
1 beach · 2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does St. Charles have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, St. Charles is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns, #65 of 247 in Missouri. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of St. Charles’ overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MO town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · MO 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,084 acres) · MO 11 · U.S. 13BParks close to home73% of residents within a half mile of a park · MO 74% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 64%
LessMore
Missouri towns of 2,500+ (247)Ahead of 74%
Few Missouri towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so St. Charles’ 5% is ahead of 83% of Missouri towns, while its trails per square mile lead 63% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be B. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Bangert Island, with 4.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 19 parks & preserves
Bangert Island204 acres · 4.6 mi of trail
DirectionsFrontier Park45 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsEco Park33 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsST Charles Ecopark20 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMcNair Park92 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBlanchette Park51 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBoone's Lick Park23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFox Hill Park25 acres
DirectionsJaycee Park14 acres
DirectionsSchaefer Park8 acres
DirectionsVogt Brothers Park6 acres
DirectionsNew Town Park4 acres · The New Town at St. Charles
DirectionsPundmann Nature Reserve2 acres
Island District Quay2 acres · The New Town at St. Charles
New Town Pickleball1 acres
New Town Center1 acres · The New Town at St. Charles
DirectionsIsland Quadrangle1 acres · The New Town at St. Charles
Kister Park1 acres
DirectionsRector Green1 acres · The New Town at St. Charles
Who protects it
790 conserved acres
5% of St. Charles’ land. Who manages St. Charles’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city665 ac
Regional agency98 ac
State parks5 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2 ac
Not recorded22 ac
Local Park · 763 acLocal Recreation Area · 21 acState Park · 5 acConservation Easement · 2 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fountain Lakes Park Local Park | Town or city | 161 | Open |
| St Louis Youth Soccer Association Fields Local Park | Regional agency | 98 | Open |
| Mcnair Park Local Park | Town or city | 92 | Open |
| Wapelhorst Park Local Park | Town or city | 69 | Open |
| St Charles Soccer Complex Local Park | Town or city | 58 | Open |
| Blanchette Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Frontier Park Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Bales Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Point Dusable Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Fox Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
34 places to go in St. Charles
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in St. Charles
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in St. Charles
Jaycee Park playgroundIn Jaycee Park
DirectionsPlus 16 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in St. Charles
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in St. Charles
Blanchette LandingIn Eco Park
DirectionsLewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center
DirectionsScenic views in St. Charles
6 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in St. Charles
5 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in St. Charles
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 22 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.6 miUnpaved · 3.7 mi
Fountain Lakes Trail1.2 mi
Slough Loop1.0 mi
Kurtz Loop0.8 mi
Sandy Link0.5 mi
Sand Trail0.4 mi
River Link0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Arpent LakelakeBeach LakelakeBig LakelakeCharlestowne CanalpondFountain Lakes PondpondFront LakelakeGateway LakelakeGrand CanallakeHafers LakeKluesner LakelakeMain CanallakeMoore LakelakeNew Town Back CanalpondNew Town Back LakelakePirogue LakelakeSkate Park LakelakeSuntan LakelakeSuntan Lake NorthlakeTiber LakelakeTower Line PondpondWest LakelakeMissouri River
Biking & sports
24 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
22 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
28Baseball
28Pickleball
24Tennis
20Soccer
4Football
4Softball
3Beach volleyball
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →15 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
First Missouri State Capitol BuildingsBuilding · listed 1969
About itStone RowBuilding · listed 1969
About itSt. Charles Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1970
About itNewbill-McElhiney HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itDr. John H. Stumberg HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itLindenwood HallBuilding · listed 1978
About itMarten-Becker HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itOld City HallBuilding · listed 1980
About itAfrican ChurchBuilding · listed 1980
About itSamuel Stewart Watson HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itSt. Charles Odd Fellows HallBuilding · listed 1987
About itFrenchtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1991
About it3 more on the History page.
When to get out
The walking year in St. Charles
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 45 | 56 | 67 | 76 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 80 | 69 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in St. Charles →
Next door
St. Charles and its neighbors
St. Charles has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Charles | 5% | 0.4 | 15 | 73% | B |
| St. Peters | 9% | 0.2 | 23 | 86% | B+ |
| Bridgeton | 2% | 0.3 | 19 | 95% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in St. Charles
Where can I hike in St. Charles?
The longest trail networks: Bangert Island, 4.6 miles; Frontier Park, 1.2 miles; Eco Park, 1.1 miles; ST Charles Ecopark, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of St. Charles is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Missouri town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on St. Charles’ trails?
Bangert Island and Frontier Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in St. Charles?
24 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes, 22 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near St. Charles?
9,821 acres of parks and open public land lie inside St. Charles or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,084 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does St. Charles have?
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #65 of 247 in Missouri. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from St. Charles neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →