National Parks Not Top 10 (But Still Great) - No. 13
Discovering the Beauty of America's National (and other) Parks
This next National Park is an icon to the American Midwest.
My family and I have visited this site several times, which was upgraded to a bonafide National Park in 2018, one of our nation’s newest. Originally called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, this site is now called …
Gateway Arch National Park
Celebrating our nation’s “manifest destiny” “from sea to shining sea,” the St. Louis Gateway Arch is a stainless steel icon that towers 630 feet above the Mighty Mississippi River and downtown St. Louis, Missouri.
One word describes the magnificent monument to our nation’s expansion — UNIQUE. Once you see this place, you won’t soon forget it!
Scenery:
The rankings for this national park start off slowly, because the scenery is not the draw for this park. Coming in at only 1.5 stars, Gateway Arch National Park will have to make up some ground later in these rankings. That said, there is a nice park in the vicinity — Forest Park — and you can also ride a tram to the top of the Arch to see the St. Louis skyline below.
Variety:
There’s just one main draw to this National Park, a giant steel structure that you can ride to the top of, learn a little bit about our nation’s history (such as Lewis and Clark and the Louisiana Purchase) in the museum at the bottom, and well, that’s about it. Not a ton of variety, but the uniqueness of this National Park boosts this category enough to at least earn 2.5 stars in this category.
Wildlife:
You might run into a few squirrels, songbirds, and quite a few pesky geese, but that’s about it. Only .5 stars in this category.
Hang on, better ratings for this park are coming!
Camping/Lodging:
This National Park doesn’t have campgrounds, but there are plenty of nice hotels in the area. 2.5 stars.
Other Amenities/Recreation Opportunities:
This is where this National Park shines! St. Louis is an awesome city, with plenty of fun things to do, many of them FREE!
Be sure to check out:
The St. Louis Science Center (FREE)
The Nationally Renowned St. Louis Zoo (often cited as one of the top 3 zoos in the country) (FREE)
The St. Louis Art Museum (FREE)
Grant’s Farm
The Ulysses S. Grant National Historical Site (FREE)
The St. Louis Cardinals MLB Team
Note: Even though a lot of places in St. Louis are free, you generally have to pay for parking, which still can add up pretty quickly, so plan accordingly.
For this category, Gateway Arch National Park gets 4.0 stars.
Here’s a link to the historic moment we got to witness that night — Albert Pujols’ return to St. Louis after departing to play for the Angels — We got to be there in person! (He got a standing ovation, and to this day it was one of my all-time favorite sports moments).
Accessibility:
This one is easy. You can fly right into the major airport in St. Louis.
St. Louis, MO - You’re right there!
Kansas City, MO - 3.5 hours west
Memphis, TN - 4 hours south
Springfield, IL - 1.5 hours north
For accessibility, this park gets a perfect 5.0 stars!
Personal Experience:
I’m giving this National Park bonus points in this category. We just absolutely love the city of St. Louis! It’s one of my favorites as far as big cities are concerned. I spent some time living there briefly as a kid, my family and I have always been Cardinals fans, and there are just so many fun things to do in this city.
Even though Gateway Arch N.P. itself isn’t the most impressive of National Parks by any means, the fun that can be had around it boosts this National Park considerable on our rating system, enough to come in at number 13 on our list of favorites.
For this category, Gateway Arch gets 7.5 stars.
Overall Rating:
Overall, Gateway Arch comes in at 3.31 stars. Not bad for a familiar friend in a favorite city of ours!
Gateway Arch National Park — Our No. 13 Favorite National Park!
Until next time,
Keep exploring, friends!
— Chase