Carondelet Park, St. Louis City

Location: 3900 Holly Hills Dr, St. Louis, MO 63116

Amenities: playground, picnic shelter, trails, swimming (YMCA Rec Plex), restroom, ninja course, lake stocked with fish

Website: http://stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/parks/parks/view-park.cfm?parkID=5

Playground ground cover: poured rubber & wood chips

This park is huge—it's the city's third largest. There are two large lakes you can fish in, as well as a boathouse with a large pier and boat dock. The playground is fairly large and has two large play structures and a swing area. There are four sling swings and two expression swings. I didn't go in the bathrooms, but they are close by. The playground was redone in late 2024 and there are lots of benches around. 

The restroom building

The lake is stocked with fish

This park is large, so the easiest way to find the playground is to go to Loughborough and Trainor Ct. 

4 sling swings and 2 expression swings

There are 2 play structures, one for kids over 5 and one for kids under 5. The smaller playground has drums, maze boards, stepping stones, a rock wall, a metal slide, a plastic slide, and several activity boards. 

The larger playground has slides, a tunnel,  activity boards, a rock wall, stepping stones, 

drums, and bars and poles for climbing. 

Des Peres Park, Des Peres

Location: 12325 Manchester Rd., Des Peres, MO 63131

Amenities: 

• 3 Baseball / Softball Fields (April - July)
• Bike / Jogging Trail (one mile, half mile, and quarter mile tracks)
• Reservable Gazebo
• Lake / Fishing (2 acres, lake stocked with blue gill, bass, and catfish)
• 6 Lighted Tennis Courts
• 3 Lighted Pickleball Courts
• 1 Multi-Purpose Court
• Nature Area
• Parcourse Fitness Trail
• Reservable Picnic Pavilion with Grill (Reservable April - November)
• Picnic Sites
• Play Fountain (Memorial Day-Labor Day, controls by bathroom entrance)
• 2 Playgrounds (tot playground and 5-12 year-old playground)
• Rest Rooms (year-round)
• Shuffleboard Courts
• 2 Soccer Fields (Second week in August - Second week in November)

Website: http://www.desperesmo.org/87/Des-Peres-Park

Playground ground cover: Rubber mats, poured rubber, and astroturf

Des Peres Park has 2 very nice playgrounds fairly close to each other. One is designed for younger children, and the other is for kids 5 and up.  The larger playground has several slides, a climbing wall, a zip line, a pretend window, maze boards, ramps, and a splash pad (seasonal).  The button to turn on the splash pad is by the restrooms - there is no sign to direct you to the button. There's also a great little trail that goes around a lake, with a wooden boardwalk. There are usually ducks and geese to watch in the lake.

The tot playground was replaced in 2024. It has many wonderful features including a we-go-round (modified merry-go-round for kids of all abilities), a roller slide, astroturf hills, and more!

These astroturf bumps are fun!

This webbed structure is cool with lots of options for climbing.

There are 2 sling swings, an ADA swing, and 2 baby swings.

The play structure has a gear board, a bubble window, slides, a small rock wall, a steering wheel, a tic-tac-toe board, and lots of bars and poles. 

The larger playground for kids over 5 has a large play structure with slides, tunnels, maze boards, ramps, drums, and lots of bars and poles for climbing. 

Overhead photos from their website