Visiting Gateway Arch National Park

When you’re in St Louis, you can’t miss out on a chance to visit the worlds largest arch! Did you know the St Louis arch, known as the Gateway arch, is the tallest structure in Missouri? The St Louis arch is also the tallest man-made monument in the US. Visitors can ride to the top of the 630 ft. tall stainless steel masterpiece, built in the 1960s. To top it all off, the Gateway Arch is a National Park. I have been on a quest to see all the National Parks, and I was super excited to be able to check this one of my list during a visit this summer to St Louis. Read on to find out all about visiting Gateway Arch National Park.

Logistics for visiting the Arch

The Gateway Arch underwent a massive $176 million expansion in 2018, so if you visited in the past it is probably very different from what you experienced before. Part of the expansion included building a park that stretches over the interstate, connecting visitors to downtown St Louis. There is also not a dedicated parking garage for the arch. Visitors can park downtown, or like we did, next to the river.

You no longer enter the arch through the “legs” but through the west entrance, and you walk through the park a bit to get to the entrance. We were a little lost when we arrived, but there were signs, arrows, and friendly park rangers pointing the way.

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Facts about the Gateway Arch

Did you know the Gateway Arch is the smallest National Park in the United States? It is also the most urban National Park, sitting on 193 acres of protected land sit along the Mississippi River. It was built as a tribute to where the adventures of Lewis & Clark began, and the expansion of the United States. From the top you have a great view of St. Louis, the mighty Mississippi River and beyond.

In 1947, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Association held a contest. This contest was to create a structure that would commemorate Thomas Jefferson and the expansion into western America. The winner of the contest was Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen. Saarinen unfortunately died in 1961 before he ever saw construction of the arch began. (Side note fun fact: Eero was the son of Eliel Saarinen, who was director at the Cranbrook Center in Bloomfield, Michigan which I also visited this summer- read about it in this blog post. Another fun fact- Eliel Saarinen also entered the contest and was originally told he won). Construction began on February 12, 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965, with the trams being added in 1967-68. The stainless-steel faced arch spans 630 feet between its triangular legs, and soars 630 feet into the air.

Did you know the two legs were built separately? If their measurements were off even a fraction of an inch they would not have been able to connect it at the top. Not a single person died during the construction, though insurance companies predicted 13 construction workers would. The arch is also built to withstand earthquakes and high winds. Though it is safe to visit, no presidents are allowed to enter (secret service won’t allow it). However, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who signed the order for the construction, visited the arch in 1967 to give a speech and rode to the top after it closed.

Times and tickets for visiting the Arch

The gateway arch is open in the summer from 9 AM to 8 PM and in the winter from 9 AM to 6 PM. The park grounds however are open from 5 AM to 11 PM year round. It’s also important to note that the last tram leaves one hour prior to closing.

Another option for visitors of the gateway arch is a walking tour with a park ranger. Walking tours are available through Labor Day and are free.

Entering Gateway Arch

Entering Gateway Arch National Park is free, though tickets are required to ride a tram to the top. Regardless, visitors must pass through metal detectors and head through the stainless-steel hallways to access the museum exhibits or tram. Tommy and I had our tickets in advance and were running late because we were having fun that day visiting some of the other amazing sites in St Louis. However, when we arrived we were told our tickets were actually okay to be used for up to a few hours after the designated time. What a relief!

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Riding to the top of the Gateway Arch

The ride to the top of the St Louis arch is definitely interesting and not for those who have any sort of claustrophobia. Visitors may ride up either leg, and there are queues for both. Naturally, we chose the one that was the shortest. After arriving we were given a number. Next, there was a brief movie about the history of the westward expansion. After the movie, we were told to stand next to the door with our corresponding number. The skinny doors opened and we entered the bright white orbs. Each orb seats up to five people. Luckily, because of Covid social distancing, Tommy and I had an orb to ourselves. I cannot imagine how tight it would be with five larger people.

It is a four minute ride to the top and as the orbs ascend you can hear them clicking up towards then top, and feel and hear the mechanic sounds as they right themselves (you are going up an arch after all). You can see a bit of what it is like in the video below. The designer of the trams, Dick Bowser, worked for an elevator company and didn’t even have a college degree. He designed the trams in just two weeks, combining the concepts of an elevator and ferris wheel.

From the top of the Gateway Arch

The views at the top are not expansive- the windows are actually quite small- but it is definitely very cool to be up there and therefore I think it was worth it. Watch the video below to get a feel for what it is like from inside the arch. From one side you can see the Mississippi river, and the other side allows you a view of the downtown St Louis. Allow about 45 to 60 minutes for your complete tram ride to the top experience. Once you get to the top, visitors are limited to 10 minutes of viewing, which is really more than enough.

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Gateway Arch National Park Museum

Even if you don’t go to the top of the arch it’s worth it to visit the museum, which is free for visitors. In the museum you can read the stories of explorers, pioneers, Native Americans and other people who made America of today possible. The galleries cover things such as colonial St Louis, Jefferson’s vision, manifest destiny, the riverfront era, and the building of the gateway arch.

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And no national park or museum would be complete without a large gift shop. Make sure to your National Park book stamped while you are there.

Others things to see…

While you are visiting the Gateway Arch, make a stop at the Old Courthouse, site of the Dred Scott case in 1847. It is also where Virginia Minor’s case for women’s right to vote in the 1870s was held. Unfortunately, the Old Courthouse is currently closed for renovation. Now I how another reason to make another trip to St Louis in the future.

Also on the grounds of the Gateway National Park- the Old Cathedral. Named the Basilica of St Louis, King of France. What a name right? This cathedral is one of the most historic sites in St Louis, dating back to 1764 (before the Louisiana Purchase), when St. Louis founders Pierre Laclede and August Chouteau dedicated a parcel of land to the people of St Louis. This building is the 4th on this site.

Thanks for reading my post about visiting Gateway Arch National Park. If you are interested in hearing more about National Parks, check out some of my other posts, and especially this one about the best things to do in St. Louis, Missouri. As always, I appreciate your comments and suggestions for other road trips. Keep adventuring!

-Catching Katie