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Hey there,

I'm steph,

Family Journey

My husband, Mark, and I are college sweethearts living in St. Louis. We have 4 daughters, ages ranging from 6 years old to 4 months old. We’ve always been drawn to the outdoors, but even more so when our second daughter, Holly, was born in 2019.


Holly was born 3 months early, and at just 2 pounds, she was tiny but mighty. We spent 58 days in the NICU and after countless blood draws, picc lines, IVs and surgery, she survived and showed the world that she can do anything. She left the hospital with leg braces on, and when Holly started walking, her medical team recommended trying uneven surfaces to build muscle strength. This timing coincided with the start of the pandemic and playgrounds were closed. So, I started taking my kids hiking on a trail each day when Mark started working remotely from home.

Our Family Journey
Family Journey
Our Family Journey
What was first out of necessity to get out of the house to help give Mark peace and quiet to work, turned into an astonishment of all of these amazing trails so close to us that I never knew were there. Not only that, but we saw a huge increase in balance and stability in Holly. Little by little, we started discovering more, some just minutes away from where we lived. On the weekends, Mark and I started taking our girls primitive tent camping and we relished in this undistracted time together. Safe to say, we were falling even more in love with St. Louis and Missouri.

The outdoors has been so healing for Holly and our family, not to mention, fun! Holly graduated one year earlier than expected for her NICU follow-up program and has continued to take on trails like a champ! I had postpartum depression resulting from NICU trauma, and the outdoors (in addition to therapy and medication) helped me find more peace and joy each day.

Our Family Journey

My friends started calling me the “park lady” and encouraged me to start an Instagram page in August 2020. The past 4 years since Explore STL Parks has been born has been such a wonderful experience of exploring more of this beautiful area, not to mention having 80K new friends!! 

 

Since the onset of the pandemic, our family has visited over 220 different parks and hiked over 275 trails. Our family adventures have grown to include tent camping, primitive camping, backpacking and bikepacking. I cohost weekly parent/kid hikes around St. Louis to build community and instill confidence to explore the outdoors together. It has been such a blessing to connect with other families in St. Louis! 

 

Thank you for taking the time to be here and thanks for supporting our family on this journey. I hope that this website can help other families find new spots to experience together. I have wanted to create this website for quite awhile now to have a space to more easily access and outline our trail and park reviews. I hope to inspire other families to explore outside together in all weather. You don’t have to leave the state, or even the city, to find nature. The outdoors is for everyone and beauty can be found everywhere. 

testimonials

Our Trail Buddies

I write a newsletter of fun places and things to do in STL for some colleagues. The idea behind the newsletter is to give people family activities to do during their free time. Explore STL Parks has been so helpful for this! I use the trails and activities on this page for inspiration for every newsletter.
Nicole
Nature group with Steph has been a highlight of my life. We started going when my children were 2.5 and 3 months. Each week was a great and encouraging time to venture out of my comfort zone. The group helped me to find lots of places that I later ventured to on my own! I'm a STL native and Steph manages to find trails, parks, and playgrounds I've never been to!
Emalie
As a STL transplant with a toddler in tow, Explore STL Parks has been an invaluable resource for finding local parks, playgrounds, hiking trails, splash pads, and so much more! I always feel much more at ease going to a new park on my own knowing it has been vetted and recommended by another mom. Our family has checked out numerous playgrounds and hiking trails in and around St. Louis thanks to Steph's page, and we have enjoyed every one!
Kelsey
I’m so glad that I found Explore STL Parks! Through Steph, I’ve discovered fun hikes in the St. Louis area. I also used her suggestions in Branson & Kauai! I look forward to the group hikes and I have met some new friends. Steph’s energy is contagious and she gives me confidence to try new things with the whole family.
Julie
Through the free weekly hikes, we’ve connected with many fellow outdoor enthusiasts. While we primarily enjoy hiking and backpacking, this community has also encouraged us to uncover hidden gems and local parks, thanks to the helpful posts from Explore STL Parks.
Zuhra
I’m a nanny, and your page has given me new places to explore with kids.
Jenna
I appreciate Steph’s vulnerability and sharing her experiences with postpartum depression and PTSD. It helps me to know that I’m not the only one. She helped me discover the healing forces of nature. Now I can’t go without hiking. Love exploring her recommended hikes!
Julie
When I was new to St. Louis, your page was an amazing resource! It helped me find things to do with my kids that I knew they would like! I still refer back to it when trying to find something to do!
Sam

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