Sunset Park: Paved Paths Along the Missouri River in North St. Louis County

In 1961, Joseph and Marie Desloge — part of a wealthy family with Missouri connections — donated nearly 27 acres of their land to the City of Florissant under the condition that it be used only for recreation. That donation would mark the first piece of what would become the 108-acre Sunset Park. Today, that park offers a view of the Missouri River, which cuts between St. Louis and St. Charles counties.

Getting There

Sunset Park (Google Maps link) is located at 2300 Sunset Park Drive in Florissant, Missouri. For most people, the best way to get there is to take Shackleford Road to Sunset Park Drive, located between Hazelwood Northwest Middle School and a local Walgreens. If you’re coming from outside Florissant, taking I-270 to McDonnell Blvd. northbound is the most straightforward route, since McDonnell turns into Howdershell Road which turns into Shackleford Road.

Parking

There is plenty of paved parking throughout Sunset Park, all of it free. This park is rarely busy, even during weekends, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a spot.

Costs and Considerations

The park is by and large paved, but it is also sloped in places, so be mindful of that if you choose to walk or bike here.

As a public park, most things here are free, except for the lodge, which is closed to the public except by rental.

Things to Do

The park is divided into two sections, the upper park and the lower park.

The upper park features an open grassy space, a few picnic tables, restrooms, and the entrance to the main paved park trail.

The upper park is also home to the Behlmann-Zykan Nature Lodge, which can be rented for events. In addition, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, there is also a paved path, the Sunset Greenway, leading out of the upper park. It runs 3.9 miles from Sunset Park to the St. Ferdinand Shrine in Old Town Florissant.

The lower park descends along Sunset Park Drive before ending in a loop. On a hilltop here you can find a rentable pavilion with a barbecue pit.

The primary walking path in the park is a trail — I can’t find any official name for the trail, but some sites call it the Sunset Riverside Trail — beginning next to the restrooms in the upper park. It weaves down along a series of switchbacks before leveling out and cutting along the Missouri River just north of the lower park. It’s a straightline trail, not a loop, so to get back to your car you’ll need to return the way you came. By our estimates, it’s around 2 miles roundtrip.

The trail is surrounded by trees, with occasional breaks on the north side where you’ll catch sight of the Missouri River. It’s a shaded walk, a nice plus on hot sunny days, but it can also get a little humid in the wooded canopy.

There’s a connector running from the riverside trail back up to the lower park. It’s identifiable by the gravel trail headed north right next to a park bench. As you ascend, the gravel gives way to broken pavement, eventually emerging just below the hilltop where the pavilion is. The whole walk up the connector and from the lower part to the upper part is all fairly steep, so if you’re looking for some cardio with some leg burn to boot, this is for you.

The paved trail ends on the west end of the park, turning into a series of unpaved trails that wind further along the riverside. We weren’t able to fully explore the unpaved section on account of incoming inclement weather, but it seems to wind in the direction of the local water company plant. We don’t know how far it goes, though.

Our Thoughts

Sunset Park is a pretty space that offers some nice views of the Missouri River, with the shores of St. Charles County in the background. The upper and lower parks have their amenities that we appreciate, including a large grassy space near the entrance and a scenic trail. The inclines do make this one a little less accessible, so if you have mobility issues this might not be the ideal space, not even to use the pavilion. Beyond that, though, it’s actually a pretty nice naturescape in the middle of suburban North County.