Springfield Parks, Greenways, and Outdoor Spaces
4/26/16

Tonight we visited three parks, a community center, and walked on two trails in southwest Springfield.


#77. Chesterfield Family Center 2511 W. Republic Rd.
This community center and park are on Republic Rd. west of Kansas Expy. I had never been inside before but Charlie had. This facility has an indoor aquatic center with a 100 foot slide, a climbing wall, indoor track, exercise machines, gym and community rooms. We walked in and looked at the pool and gym.

#78. Chesterfield Park 2511 W. Republic Rd.
This 40 acre park has a 1/2 mile track, picnic pavilion, a playground and contains the Chesterfield Family Center. We had been here once before to run the track. We walked around the track and walked just under a mile inside and out spending about thirty minutes.

#79. Hartman Park 4001 S. Hemlock Ave
This 5 acre park is in southwest Springfield just north of Republic Rd. We did not know this small neighborhood park was here. The address is Hemlock Ave. but Hemlock just dead ends at the park and you can't really get into the park from Hemlock Ave. unless you walk through the edge of someone's yard. The park sign is at the corner of Maplewood St. and Aspen Ave. and there also access and the best place to park where El Castille St. dead ends on the north side of the park. There are basketball courts, benches, swings, and a small slide. We walked around for  5 or 6 minutes.

#80. Wilson's Creek Linear Trail/Wilson's Creek Greenway Trail
This paved trail begins at Rutledge-Wilson Farm Park and runs conjointly with South Creek Greenway Trail(#14.) in the segment we walked tonight. We parked at the trailhead at Rountree and Farm Rd. 168 and walked south all the way to Republic Rd. This was the first time we walked this portion of the trail. There is an interesting old cemetery with tombstones from the 1870s to the early 1900s along the trail. We walked back along the Volunteer Nature Trail which is connected to this trail and runs along Wilson's Creek. We spent about 45 minutes and walked 1 1/2 miles total.

#81. Volunteer Nature Trail Republic Rd. and FF
This 1 mile wood chip trail runs along Wilson's Creek and shares the trailhead with South Creek Trail/Wilson's Creek trail. We had never been on this trail before and it was a little hard to find. The Greenways map at the trailhead had the trail labeled but the trail is not labeled on the map on Ozarks Greenways website or listed separately in the trails section but is described under the South Creek Greenway listing. The trail is listed on the Springfield-Greene County Parks website but is not labeled on the parks map. It was a really nice walk along the creek with rushing water and lots of blooming plants.

#82. Wilson's Creek School-Park 4035 W. Weaver Rd.
We had never been here before and there does not seem to be a separate park, just the school grounds. There is a 1/4 mile track, soccer and baseball fields, basketball courts and playground equipment. We walked about 1/3 mile spending about 10 minutes.


We checked six more facilities off the list tonight leaving us an even 20 left to explore. Grouping the remaining parks geographically, it looks like we have five areas left. Tonight we spent about 2 hours and walked about 3 miles.