Ray M. Schon Park — Attraction in Glen Carbon

Beautiful and well-maintained park with a great playground area and walking trail that connects to the Madison County Transit trail system. Of note, the park is fairly new (4-ish years at this writing) so expect very little shade as the trees are growing. I have two recommendations for the park managers. 1. More trash cans are needed along the walking trail. There are dog waste stations at two ends and these are equipped with bag dispensers which is an awesome way to get dog owners to pick up after their pets. However, as was my experience, you might be carrying that bag of waste the entire length of the trail looking for a trash can. I did. A lot of folks might find that a deterrent. 2. There are 8-10 nice benches thoughtfully spaced along the length of the trail, but oddly they are right up at the edge of the concrete path where in many cases there is a small shade tree just 10 feet off the path. Some benches in shade would be a terrific alternative...

The park is nice. What is not nice is so many people have let their dogs use the bathroom and didn't clean up after them. I took my sister there to walk our dogs, and I was so frustrated and embarrassed that every time our dogs wanted to walk in the gras, we had to pull them back because there was dog feces there. If you bring an animal there or anywhere - you are responsible for them. Dollar tree has poop bags so there...

There is plenty of parking and bathrooms near the parking lot. The playground is in nice condition. Hopefully in the future the city will add additional playground structures. The paths are paved around the pond that also offers covered pavilions. You can walk with a stroller, allow little kids to ride bikes or scooters, or walk your dogs. This is a great addition to...