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| The Gateway Arch rises 630 feet above the Mississippi River. NPS photo. |
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| Gateway Arch Trail map. Click for larger photo. |
Gateway Arch Trail, which runs about a mile in length, takes you around and to the top of the arch, helps you learn about how Thomas Jefferson and pioneers shaped the West’s history, and lets you see where slave Dred Scott sued to gain his freedom. Formerly known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the site became America's 60th national park in February 2018.
The greatest challenge facing Gateway Arch visitors is the lack of onsite parking at the park. Fortunately, there are several downtown parking garages as well as a bus service to the park; the National Park Service's website for Gateway Arch includes links to current parking maps and bus schedules.
Among the best spots to begin the hike is the Riverboat/Arch Bus Drop-Off. This allows you to start on the arch’s east side with the Mississippi River behind you, so that you enter St. Louis and the West just as so many pioneers and settlers did.
From the drop-off, head west up the Grand Staircase. Three tiers of broad steps bring you ever closer to the arch as heading up the riverbank. The 91 acres that the Gateway Arch stands upon are where St. Louis’s first buildings were erected during the mid-1700s.
Gateway Arch
Indeed, the Gateway Arch’s location is apt. For many pioneers, St. Louis was the gateway to the West. Lewis and Clark’s famous Corps of Discovery started in 1804 by heading up the Missouri River just a few miles north of the city to explore the Louisiana Purchase, and after reaching the Pacific Ocean, the expedition returned to St. Louis in 1805.
Give yourself some time to appreciate the majesty of the arch by first walking around its base. Begin by going counterclockwise on a pedestrian loop immediately southeast of it. Upon completing the loop, head along the arch's open base and then do the pedestrian loop counterclockwise to the northeast of it.
The nation’s tallest monument, the Gateway Arch is a steel catenary arch, meaning it’s more pointed than curved. That style was common in cathedrals and Gothic architecture, though medieval designers could only dream of constructing a structure as tall as the Gateway Arch, which rises 630 feet high.
Designed by architect Eero Saarinen, the Gateway Arch was erected between 1963 and 1965 with the first tram to the top opening in 1967, all for $13 million. The arch is as wide as it is tall, and the legs are 54 feet wide at the base then narrow to 17 feet at the arch. Those dimensions, as well as being clad in stainless steel, give the arch its sleek-looking modern design.
Tram to the top
Just before completing the second pedestrian loop, go right/southwest onto an intersecting walkway. This takes you to the arch's front; as reaching the crossing over Interstate 44, turn left/south and then left/east to the arch entrance.
Tickets can be purchased at the west entrance, and from there you’ll walk underground to the arch’s legs where you’ll get a tram ride to the top. Also beneath the surface is the impressive new Museum at the Gateway Arch, completed in July 2018. Set aside time to explore the museum before heading up the arch.
It’s a four-minute journey to the top via a tram, which consists of eight pods that each hold five passengers. The tram rotates 155 degrees as heading up the leg. Unfortunately, hikers can't take the 1076 steps of the arch's stairs, which is set aside for maintenance.
At the top, you’ll depart the tram and be treated to a view of the area from 63 stories high. On a clear day, you can see up to 30 miles away. Each side of the viewing area sports sixteen windows that 7 x 27 inches, which at the time of the arch's construction, was the largest window that could be placed or the arch would become unstable. There are no restrooms, snack bar or restaurant at the arch’s top
The lines and tram ride up and down, and viewing takes about 45 minutes tops. Once the tram brings you to the exit, you'll depart the arch through one of its legs. To avoid going over the part of the trail that you’ve already walked, take the tram down the south leg if possible. From there, follow the pedestrian walkway west, as if heading back to the arch entrance.
Old Courthouse
Once there, take the pedestrian walkway west over I-44 and along Market Street. You'll first pass Luther Ely Smith Square.
Next, cross South Fourth Street to the Old Courthouse. Built in 1839, the courthouse’s design is classic mid-19th century federal architecture, and its dome is similar to that on the U.S. Capitol.
Here in 1847, the slave Dred Scott sued for his and his wife Harriet’s freedom; the U.S. Supreme Court later ruled against them saying that African-Americans were not citizens and had no right to sue. Then in 1873, St. Louis suffragette Virginia Minor filed a civil suit here calling for women’s right to vote. The suit was denied but is considered a key moment in the suffrage movement. Tours and exhibit galleries at the Old Courthouse discuss the architecture, Dred Scott, women’s suffrage, and more.
The walk can be extended by heading west of the Old Courthouse through Kiener Plaza Park, Regions Bank plaza, Citygarden Sculpture Park, and then the Serra Sculpture Park. This can add about a third of a mile round trip to the hike.
