Explore
Signal Hill Outdoor Classroom
Belleville – St. Clair County | 5 acres
Type: Public Garden and Park
Owned by: City of Belleville, Managed by HeartLands Conservancy
Hours: Open Sunrise to Sunset
Location and Directions: Located to the S/SE of Signal Hill Park on the West Belleville Trail. The closest address is 22 Signal Park Lane, Belleville, IL 62223. Parking is located on Signal Park Lane on the NE side of the street next to the bike trail.
Facilities: No restrooms available. Drinking fountain available (owned and managed by Belleville Parks and Recreation). Benches, small pavilion, and a short wooden boardwalk across the wetland. Walking paths are non-paved. The entire site is available for exploration.
Regulations: Open sunrise to sunset 7 days a week, unless posted otherwise. Dogs allowed on leashes.
HeartLands Conservancy reserves the right to photograph or video visitors and program participants for promotional use, and usage of our properties implies consent.
Overview
The Signal Hill Outdoor Classroom is a small park and exploratory garden that also serves as an outdoor classroom for Signal Hill School and Blessed Sacrament School. The site is home to a former lake called Peterson’s Pond. The drained pond now serves as a wetland. HeartLands Conservancy and volunteers have been working to transform the site into a showcase of native plants and pollinators since 2016.
Funding from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, Illinois American Water Environmental Grant, Cliffbar Family Foundation, the Realtors Association of Southwestern Illinois (RASI), and Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery, in addition to many other contributors, have made this project possible.