Find Your Place Outside This June
June has a way of drawing people outdoors. Longer evenings, warmer mornings, and parks full of movement and activity invite us to get outside, explore, and reconnect with the world around us. It feels fitting, then that June is recognized as the Great Outdoors Month, a time to celebrate many ways parks, trails, rivers, and green spaces bring people together. Here at Five Rivers MetroParks, we have a place for you in the outdoors.
For some people, the outdoors looks like a peaceful walk on one of our Heart Healthy Trails. For others, it looks like muddy shoes after a volunteer project, kayaking on the river, time spent in the gardens, or an evening concert at RiverScape MetroPark. Some connect with nature through movement and adventure, while others find it through creativity, volunteering, learning, or simply spending time outside with the people they care about. However you choose to connect with the outdoors this season, we're glad you're here.
During both Pride Month and Immigrant Heritage Month, Great Outdoors Month serves as a meaningful reminder that parks, trails, rivers, and green spaces are for everyone.
As author and botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer reminds us, "All flourishing is mutual." Time outside has a way of reminding us that we are connected not only to nature, but to one another. Parks become places where memories are made, friendships grow, and communities gather. In a busy season filled with movement and activity, those shared outdoor experiences help strengthen the relationships, care and sense of belonging that allow communities to flourish together.
Great Outdoors Month Highlights
Summer Sounds & Community Gatherings
Celebrate summer outdoors with free concerts, Music Bingo, Paint-A-Park, and community events happening across the MetroParks all month long. Join us for June's Summer Music Series on Friday, June 5 from 7-9pm with the 70s+80s Rock Concert with Cassette Junkies at RiverScape MetroPark.
Explore the Outdoors
 Whether you prefer peaceful trails, paddling on the river, or trying something completely new, June is full of opportunities to get outside and explore. Join the 2026 MetroParks Trails Challenge, try kayaking or paddlesports, reserve a campsite, or discover a new favorite trail this summer. Don't forget to use your volunteer discount on MetroParks programs and routine rentals!
Dig In This Summer
Get your hands dirty and help care for the parks through gardening and trail maintenance opportunities across the MetroParks.
- Join our friendly gardening teams on weekdays at Aullwood Garden, Carriage Hill, Cox Arboretum, Possum Creek, RiverScape or Wegerzyn Gardens and help keep these spaces vibrant and welcoming for all.
- Prefer the trails? Volunteer with trail maintenance crews on weekdays at Germantown/Twin Creek, Huffman/MoMBA, or Englewood MetroParks and help care for the outdoor spaces that thousands of visitors enjoy each year. Or support this year's TVT Challenge on June 6 at Germantown MetroPark. Volunteers are still needed to support our hiker aid stations, registration, and sustainability.
- Looking for something messy and memorable? Join us for Mud Day on June 27, a playful celebration of connecting kids to nature through mud pools, games, crafts, and outdoor fun at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark. Volunteers are needed to help with setup, teardown, and activity support throughout the event. 
Step Outside With UsThere are countless ways to connect with the MetroParks this summer.
Explore available volunteer opportunities on Get Connected, browse upcoming programs and events, or gather friends, family, neighbors, or coworkers for a group volunteer experience. However, you choose to spend time outside this season, thank you for being part of a community that helps keep our parks accessible, inclusive, and full of life
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