A lot of us have been hit hard by the COVID-19 virus. Restaurants, gyms, and storefronts are limiting hours and services. Schools are taking extended breaks. Events are cancelling at a staggering pace — including our own Gateway Outdoor Expo + Summit on March 27-28. It seems like the walls are closing in, figuratively and literally.

There’s never been a better time to reconnect with the outdoors. Even with area state parks systems closing or cancelling park-hosted events and programs (see below), you can still go outside and exercise. Jog around the neighborhood, take your kids birding, try your first mountain bike ride, or grab a buddy and go for a canoe paddle.

Being physically active supports your immune system, reduces your risk of chronic illness, and improves your mental health. These are facts we’ve long endorsed at Terrain Magazine, and we’ll be doing our best in the days ahead to keep you up to date on news and options to take advantage of these benefits.

Keep reading for park and recreational facility openings and closings, as well as for updates from our outdoor community partners and friends, who are being impacted heavily and could use your support. This is an evolving document, and we will update it as things change, so check back any time you need a dose of the outdoors!

Parks and recreational facilities that are open:

Arkansas State Parks – Open, with some limiting of access and services; welcome centers, heritage museums, and public spaces are closed

Carondelet Park (St. Louis) – All roads inside the park are closed to vehicular traffic until at least April 22

Fairground Park (St. Louis) – All roads inside the park are closed to vehicular traffic until at least April 22

Forest Park (St. Louis) – Open with the following road closures: Government Drive from Wells Drive to Washington Drive; Fine Arts Drive from Government Drive to Lagoon Drive; and Lagoon Drive from Fine Arts Drive to DeBaliviere Circle

Great Rivers Greenway – Many greenways are fully open, but others are partially or fully closed; see here for current greenway status

Missouri State Parks – Open, with the exception of those parks listed under the next subhead; however, all park and historic site programs and events have been postponed or canceled through April 30; public facilities and amenities closed

O’Fallon Park (St. Louis) – All roads inside the park are closed to vehicular traffic until at least April 22

Shawnee National Forest – Open, including campgrounds, trails, developed recreation sites, general forest areas, and picnic sites

St. Charles County Parks – Open, but all park programs and events have been postponed or canceled through April 3; public facilities and amenities closed

St. Joe State Park (MO) – Open; off-road vehicle riding area closed

Wildwood (MO) Parks – Open, but parking lots at trailheads are closed

Willmore Park (St. Louis) – All roads inside the park are closed to vehicular traffic until at least April 22

World Bird Sanctuary – Open, but certain special events and programming has been postponed

Parks and recreational facilities that are closed:

Castlewood State Park (MO) – Closed until further notice

Climb So iLL – Has announced temporarily closure the Power Plant until further notice

CycleBar Chesterfield – Closed, with a reopen date currently planned for April 1

Elephant Rocks State Park (MO) – Closed until further notice

Endangered Wolf Center – Closed to the public until further notice; all public and private events, as well as educational programs, are postponed

Go Ape – Closed until further notice

Illinois State Parks and Wildlife Areas – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced the closure of all state parks, fish and wildlife areas, recreational areas, and historic sites

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism – Certain facilities and nature centers have been closed or had their programs temporarily suspended

Missouri Botanical Garden – All Garden-owned locations, including the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House and Shaw Nature Reserve, are closed until at least April 3

Oklahoma State Parks – Lodges, nature centers, group camps/dining halls, and community buildings are closed to future visits through at least April 15

Ramp Riders – Closed to the public until further notice

St. Louis County Parks – Closed until at least April 22

St. Louis Zoo – Closed to the public until further notice; all public and private events as well as educational programs are canceled until further notice

Upper Limits – All Upper Limits locations (including The Boardroom) are temporarily closed

Watkins Woolen Mill Historic Site and State Park (MO) – Closed until further notice

Weston Bend State Park (MO) – Closed until further notice

Events that have been canceled or postponed:

Gateway Off-Road Cyclists (GORC) – Canceled its trail build and group events through at least April 7

Gateway Outdoor Expo + Summit – Canceled its original dates of March 27-28 and looking at alternate dates

Indian Camp Creek Challenge – Race has been postponed to August 22-23

Ozark Trail Association – Has postponed all upcoming events through April 30

St. Louis Earth Day Festival – Canceled its original dates and hosting a Virtual Earth Day Festival on April 18-26; looking to reschedule

United Federation of Dirt (UFD) – UFD East XC Series will NOT have any events in April or May; at this time, all races in June and later months are scheduled to take place

Updates from community partners and friends:

Alpine Shop – Most locations are open but operating on shortened hours (the Chesterfield location is temporarily closed until further notice); all in-store clinics are canceled through May 10; also offering curbside service for customers

Bicycle World – Temporarily closed until further notice

Big River Running – Offering free same-day delivery as well as curbside pick-up and shipping of products

Big Shark Bicycle Company – Offering curbside pickup/drop-off for bike service, home delivery and collection for service, and in

Bike Stop Café – Open, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as on-site bike service, repair and rental; curbside pickup and delivery are available

Bike Surgeon – Store is open, but for the foreseeable future all “group rides” have been suspended; is publishing “Social Distance” ride routes that they encourage you to do

Billy Goat Bicycle Company – Open, but cancelling its group activities and rides

Cursed Bikes & Coffee – Showroom closed, offering curbside drop-off and pickup for bike repairs and service

Fleet Feet – Showrooms closed; offering contactless curbside pickup

Granada Cyclery – Open offering curbside drop-off and pickup for bike repairs and service.

Maplewood Bicycle – Temporarily closed

Mike’s Bikes STL – Operating under shortened hours and offering curbside drop-off and/or pickup for bike service

Mountain Bike Shed – Open by appointment only

New Balance St. Louis – Showroom is closed to the public; open for business via phone and email

Pedego St. Louis – Temporarily limiting store hours and will not be renting bikes during this period

REI St. Louis – Closed through at least March 27, including the cancellation or postponement of all in-store classes and clinics

Revolution Cycles – Open, offering curbside drop-off and pickup for bike repairs and service.

Running Niche – Closed for in-store shopping; available 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday to take and ship orders via phone, email, or online (will ship same day via USPS at no charge)

RunWell – Closed for in-store shopping but offering curbside pickup or delivery of online purchases; also offering personal shopping appointments

South Side Cyclery – Open, offering curbside drop-off and pickup for bike repairs and service.

Swim Bike Run Chesterfield – Maintaining minimum basic operations; offering contactless curbside service and bike pickups and drop-offs

The Cyclery & Fitness Center – The Shiloh and Edwardsville (Ill.) locations are offering contactless curbside service for sales and repairs; the Alton location is temporarily closed until further notice

The Hub Bicycle Company – Open, offering curbside drop-off and pickup for bike repairs and service.

The Touring Cyclist – Operating under shortened hours and offering curbside drop-off and/or pickup for bike service; additionally, will not be excepting cash

Trailhead Bicycles – Operating at regular hours and also offering pickup/drop-off services, appointments for repairs, and the scheduling of bike purchases

Trek Bicycle Arnold – Offering one-on-one shopping by appointment and curbside pickup and delivery at the store; everything in the store is also available for order online

Trek Bicycle St. Louis – Offering one-on-one shopping by appointment and curbside pickup and delivery at the store; everything in the store is also available for order online