Work continues on the three Forest Park lakes on the eastern edge nearest Kingshighway.
We stopped by for a walk around Jefferson and Bowl Lakes to check out the progress. There is also work on Round Lake just to the north, but we will cover that work in future posts.
On our visit, the water was flowing down the rock falls just west of Kingshighway into Bowl Lake which sits just east of the planetarium. The rebuilt stone bridge dating back to 1916 leads you toward a new “education pavilion” as you approach the lake.
Many landscaping installations have taken place to add interest around the water and better manage water overflow and runoff. The remediation areas were planted with grasses that will soak up water. The edges have some hellebore and other species.
Like most of the work Forest Park Forever does, it will look amazing once it has some time to mature.
The lake was drained and dredged to prepare for these phases.
The lake is charming, surrounded by mature bald cypress, river birch and other trees. The older growth trees are being cared for and the knees of the cypress form a beautiful boundary on the shores.
The handsome new education pavilion, awaiting way finding information, provides a beautiful spot to take in the cypress trees, plants and wildlife.
This part of the park is relatively new to us, so we were thrilled to find a new spot to picnic and enjoy birds and other wildlife.
Walking north, across Clayton Avenue, you come to the Rudolf L. Wise & Mary France Wise falls.
Water flows over a series of rocks, providing a beautiful sound and settling for a walk around Jefferson Lake.
The pavilion along Clayton Avenue is flanked by massive fleur de lis planters, many new trees and plantings to control erosion and “no mow” areas nearest the water.
It has incredible views of the Central West End neighborhood.
The walkway snakes north between the lake, the new trees and water runoff areas that will look amazing once the plantings are allowed to mature.
The star of the show for us was the boardwalk that takes you into the lake. The lack of railing or walls made for an incredibly freeing, peaceful walk with amazing views. The turtles were swimming right up to the boardwalk.
What an amazing addition to the park.
The walkway continues to the north, past Steinberg Ice Rink, which is undergoing a massive renovation.
We will cover the northern section of Jefferson Lake and its connection to Round Lake in a future post when it’s a bit warmer, sunnier and the plantings have some time to mature.
Forest Park continues to amaze us.
