For as long as anyone alive can remember, River Des Peres has had very little going for it as an actual body of water. An overgrown storm drain, the river is often cited as an object lesson in poor urban planning and water pollution. But by turning lemons into lemonade, city planners used the stinky waterway as the crown jewel in the River Des Peres Trail, allowing cyclists and pedestrians to enjoy some of the parks and greenways that bound the banks. The 6.5-mile trail is the perfect length for novice cyclists, and the paved paths never get too steep or too swift.