Encouraging families to explore outside together,

Explore St. Louis Parks

one park at a time!

parks / trails / adventure

You don’t have to
go far to explore

and the best part... your kids can come too.

St. Louis is full of hidden gems just waiting to be discovered!

Come along with my family as we explore more of Missouri, the Midwest and beyond! My hope is to show you what beauty there is just right outside your doors.

Let me show you all of the family-friendly trails, parks, playgrounds, attractions, lodging, etc, because exploring doesn’t end when you have kids…it is just the beginning.

Who’s ready to go on an adventure?

Explore St. Louis Parks

Hey there,

I'm steph,

I’m an elementary school teacher turned stay-at-home mom, but I’m rarely home. I'd rather be outside exploring!
I’m a Wisconsin native and have lived in Missouri for over a decade now.
My husband and I have hiked with our 4 daughters on over 250 Midwest trails since the onset of the pandemic.
I hope to encourage families to see all of the beauty that St. Louis and Missouri have to offer!
I believe it is a childhood rite of passage to learn how to sleep through the sound of a tent zipper.

Explore St. Louis Parks

Are you ready for an adventure?

Summer in Branson

We headed to Branson for a long weekend and it was such a great trip! There is something so magical about this area. This was our family’s first time visiting

Family Adventure Camp at Summit

We experienced the most magical week at Family Adventure Camp at Summit Bechtel Reserve (click here for my 10% discount code). Mark and I loaded our four daughters up in

The Four Best NW Arkansas Bike Trails

We recently took our 4 daughters on a 55-mile bike adventure in Northwest Arkansas. Starting in Fayetteville, we rode north to Springdale and then ended in Bentonville. It was an

Northwest Arkansas Biking Adventure

Our family loaded up our bikes and drove to NW Arkansas for an awesome biking adventure! We started in Fayetteville and rode the Razorback Greenway to Springdale and ended in

6 Best Family Hikes in Illinois

I continue to be amazed by all the beauty just outside of our doors. We’ve been exploring more of Illinois the past couple of years and I’m hooked by the family-friendly

A Weekend in Overland Park

We explored Overland Park and had such a great time. It is just 3.5 hours from St. Louis. Below is our itinerary! It was very family-friendly (my kids are aged

I’m an elementary school teacher turned stay-at-home mom, but I’m rarely home. I'd rather be outside exploring!
I’m a Wisconsin native and have lived in Missouri for over a decade now.
My husband and I have hiked with our 4 daughters on over 250 Midwest trails since the onset of the pandemic.
I hope to encourage families to see all of the beauty that St. Louis and Missouri have to offer!
I believe it is a childhood rite of passage to learn how to sleep through a tent zipper.

Who's Talking About Explore STL Parks

Explore STL Parks on Meet St. Louis Podcast

When Steph Hampton started hiking with her kids, she never imagined she’d create an entire community of people who just want to get outside and explore. But that’s exactly what has happened. Her friends called her the park lady, now she inspires thousands to explore St. Louis and beyond. Her Instagram is Explore STL Parks, and she vividly remembers hitting 100 followers. Now she’s at almost 100K. We sat down with Steph, a mom of four, to talk about getting outdoors, the vast number of parks to explore in Missouri and Illinois and how to get over the fear or apprehension of taking your kids on a hike. You can learn more about the parks we discuss in this episode and how to join the family hiking group by heading to Steph’s Instagram page, @explorestlparks

Encouraging families to explore outside together,

Explore St. Louis Parks

one park at a time!

You don’t have to
go far to explore

and the best part... your kids can come too.

Hey there,

I'm steph,

Explore St. Louis Parks