Beautiful view from the highest peak at Gateway arch national park
The lift trail! A ranger can guide you to it!
I hear there’s some real steep elevation with that trail.
It’s nearly straight vertical! I don’t mean to brag but I did this trail in flip flops and didn’t even break a sweat.
Yeah, but you don’t see much along the way.
Is that East St. Louis? Breathtaking!
Pardon me, I wonder if you could tell me how to get back on the expressway?
F*** yo mama!
Thank you very much
Are you in the Commodores?
We can’t turn our backs to the plight of the inner city.
Roll em up
Roll em up
East St. Louis isn’t breathtaking until you make a wrong turn, and start to get carjacked….
Yeah, I saw a guy in a wheelchair get beat up one time there when we drove over to try and get people to buy us beer when we were underage. We were not that bright back then.
Roll ‘em up!
East St Louis is only breath taking when it is your last breath. Never go there
The only city more shitty than St Louis is East St Louis
My grandfather lived in St Louis so we would go there every summer, so I have fond memories. He died decades ago, so I haven't been there in a long time though...
With all that Missouri does have to offer with wilderness, it will never not be funny that the Gateway Arch was granted National Park status instead of anywhere else within the state.
Ah who needs the ozarks /s
Love Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
Me too. It’s so beautiful. We did the Buffalo this year, but will try to do the Current next year again.
Lol. Is that a direct quote from the Congressional session that established the Arch as a National Park?
I love that you can't see the Gateway Arch National Park in a photo from the highest point in the Gateway Arch National Park.
was just about to ask if I was laughing with or at
As the president took away status from Bears Ears
Gorgeous. I thought Indiana Dunes NP was the only national park where you could see a factory!
We need more factories in national parks!! I say build the countries biggest manufacturing park RIGHT in the middle of gates of the arctic!
How about a major mining road right through Gates of the Arctic wilderness, to industrialize the Kobuk Valley?
Think of the value!! Who doesn’t love the idea of “Concrete Alaska”??
I say PAVE EVERY INCH OF ALASKA!
Thats not enough we must do more!!
Come now, Lowell National Historic Park is a factory. Several factories in fact!
Just Stunning! -
I love the way you captured the river as it meanders through the heart of the city like a silver ribbon threading its way through an industrial quilt. Its waters move with a languid elegance, reflecting the ever-changing Arch in the crystal blue skies above.
Gorgeous pic! Love the view of the casino, so much wastewater coming out into the Mississippi, I bet.
You can really see the despair oozing out of the casino, it’s such an incredible sight.
You can smell the sawing of someone’s left kidney that they just gambled away
On par with Glacier
Almost has the same amount of glaciers as Glacier at this point.
25?
In my opinion, I think this is more scenic and beautiful compared to glacier
Did you use your "America the Beautiful" pass?
It doesn’t work there he used the “America The Unfortunate” pass
You betcha!
Well…. It’s… a view.
Do a cannonball!
I still need to show my wife how fun it is to go up that weirdly-shifting elevator.
I did that elevator forty years ago and it still gives me the creeps
I went up as a solo rider and got put with a random family of 4 a while back. It's a bit awkward getting packed in that tight with strangers.
This was my exact experience on the way up. Family of 4 with two kids and the kids got scared and started screaming
Knee to knee with strangers in that little egg. 🥴 It was me and my two kids with a big strange man. Lol
I will never understand why they made that idiotic monument a National Park.
I actually asked one of the park rangers why this was designated a park and he said that they actually went to congress saying it should be classified a monument but they were overruled lol
I think a lot of them get pushed through in spending bills. Presumably some senator from Missouri had an interest in doing so. I mean in all honesty it probably does increase tourism in some capacity. As there are many people that try to visit every national park.
Roy Blunt. He’s the one. I love visiting, however it really fits more as a national monument or a national historic park vs a national park. All politics.
I kind of feel the same way about Cuyahoga.
Cuyahoga has more to offer than this dumb thing.
Cuyahoga is actually really good i love that place.. out of every national park i have been too only this and voyageurs i couldn’t understand why they were parks
At least with Voyageurs, there isn't really any other park where the primary draw and scenery are the freshwater lakes (not counting Crater Lake as it's a caldera filled with water, thus making it its own thing. Not considering Lake Clark too as the lake itself isn't really the main draw for visiting that park.) Voyageurs NP and the greater extent of northern MN actually make up the largest contiguous wilderness area in the US east of the Rocky Mountains. I'd say it's more deserving of NP status than something like Indiana Dunes.
Thats supposed to be the Everglades that has the largest wilderness. I actually disagree i think indiana dunes was actually better.. because at least it has something rare which is oak savannah paul douglas (miller woods trail) in indiana dunes is actually my favorite trail in the Midwest my top 10 in the usa believe it or not! Voyagerus is too inaccessible and too much of a rip off for tourists for scenery you can just go and see voyagerus like scenery anywhere in the us it isn’t that special in my opinion there was certainly some moments! But i never like a park where you have to REALLY look for its beauty.. and believe it or not cuyahoga hot springs and indiana dunes (though a close call there) you don’t have to REALLY look.. voyagerus and biscayne you have to do this and when you find it its still really a let down
I like near cuyahoga and was excited to camp there only to find out they don’t have camping????? Wtf
Yeah it’s a shame but remember it’s a very small park! However if you wanted to camp i recommend stow park (i think it’s called?) i stayed there and it was nice! But if you live really close i would just go home haha!
I loved Voyageurs (and Indiana Dunes as someone else mentioned). Voyageurs is stunning, imho. Where else can you kayak to an island to camp and have it all to yourself in pristine wilderness?
I feel they are all beautiful and worth preserving for future generations for different but equally important reasons. As screwed up as this country is, I do feel our NPS is one of the best decisions.
The camping part i agree with big time but boundary waters is the same thing and apparently most say it’s better.. there’s a certain section of voyagerus on the map i saw i really wish i could’ve seen but no tours go there that might’ve changed my mind. But really this park has the #1 most lame history and the scenery is just nice.. from round bear though the view is GODLY. As for your last statement i cannot agree with you more and as usual with this country make a good decision and then milk and neglect it to death.. like a once good band with consistent poor choices cough cough queensryche
You hit the nail on the head about the neglect. That backlog is insane. You also make an interesting point between the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs. That’s how I feel about Arches or Zion (which are amazing but insanely crowded) vs Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. I’ll take GSENM any day- I hope they never turn it into a full fledged NP. It’s absolutely stunning with a fraction of the crowds. People often sleep on National Monuments- they are some of the best kept secrets of the NPS.
I hope not either but i doubt it would be a park considering they have public roads all over the place.. and also again i SO agree with the monuments.. however i want to extend that and say ALL non national park sites are underrated.. maybe not the trails but places like minuteman in mass or fort smith in kansas fort independence in north dakota.. these places are so badass and i am super glad they are protected as i love them as well! Also a criminally underrated monument.. effigy mounds my top 5 favorite monuments in the us!
10/10 Effigy Mounds. Iowa is such a sleeper but beautiful state with some amazing areas. I could talk all day about these places. Thanks for the conversation!
True- but if you look at the NPS definition of “National Park,” it’s kind of like a square peg in a round hole.
I don’t discount what it has to offer and the work it’s done to preserve the valley. It was an ecological disaster in the 1960s. Hell, the Cuyahoga River would randomly catch on fire in the 1960s it was so bad.
That's fair. I'm sure there's plenty of very similar places (hell even the black river, rocky river, vermilion river nearby) that are very similar to CVNP in terms of real significance.
That said, even though it isn't in the same vein as many other NPs, that doesn't mean that it can't be significant in its own way. I think it's recovery from the industrial era that dominated the region is significant and as someone from the area, it serves as a model for what can happen with similarly impacted areas if the right things happen and they're taken care of.
Absolutely agree!
Why do you call it an idiotic monument? I think as a monument it's pretty good. It's just not a good national park.
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If you could redesign it, what would you do different?
Also, i think the suburban exodus had other motivators.
Yeah, there's a lot to say about STL and the Arch but it's not what killed down-town or caused the suburban exodus. Unfortunately, from what I can tell, that was mostly white-flight which then became a feedback loop where businesses and institutions moved to the county or at least away from down-town. There's been some attempts to fix that but it more often than not becomes a bourgeoisie gentrification as opposed to genuine up-lift of the city residents and infrastructure.
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What is it that you’ve grown to love about Saint Louis over the past, what, 2 years or whenever your post-Covid timeframe began? Maybe thinking about those things will help you be less mad about everything.
Here’s a thread about what was there before the Arch, and what was there before that, and before that.
The whole manifest destiny thing is pretty problematic, no?
The mesuem under the arch talks about that. I do think there are some individual things within Manifest destiny worth celebrating. Specifically the struggle the settlers did go through, the grit, determination, and vast distance. All that said, the displaced and killed the Natives and committed genocide. So it's problematic. The arch however represents the discovery, the more pure questing desire to go into what was once the unknown and build something more. Again, the museum underneath does a good job undercutting the surface level celebrations with the sobering truth without complete taking away from everything and leaving only guilt. After all, something good did come from it all.
Add to the issues with Native peoples, the arch also displaced thousands of poor black people. Many of the city fathers that championed the project were avowed white supremacists, and not one person of color was hired on the project. Y’all can downvote me all you want, but that arch is a monument to subjugating people of color. Facts.
What a load of shit.
American History is filled with uncomfortable truths. Looks like a hit a nerve.
The history of the world is filled with uncomfortable truths. So what.
You said my comment was a load of shit when it is objectively true. Either you are mad at being reminded that our country was made in the corpses of people of color or you are ignorant.
We know the majority demographic that goes to national parks, they don't care unfortunately.
Hey buddy watch what you say about the Arch, that's our idiotic monument ur talking about
Yeah, sorry. I imagine living in Misery must be well miserable.
Right up there with the view from Angel’s Landing.
Oh please angels landing is nothing compared to this bucket of magnificence!
Can I drive to the top?
Do you have a 4x4?
I made my own Killdozer
If you have magnetized shoes you can hike to the top!
Can you share the AllTrails link? From Alaska but I’d love to drive down just for this!
Views rivaling Glacier and Banff!
Really makes you feel small and question what life is really all about doesn't it?
I love the Arch and enjoy seeing it every day. While I whole-heartedly agree that it shouldn’t be an NP all the hate makes me a little sad. It really is a magnificent structure even if it’s just … an arch.
I don't think anyone truly hates it. It's just a weird national park. But everyone here is just clowning on it.
I always thought it was handle to one day yeet St. Louis in the cosmos?
Man, I hope so. Goodbye, Earth.
I’m whelmed, but not overly.
Lovely east St. Louis
Lmaooooo East St. Louis. At least that casino is gone. They do have a nice Mississippi River overlook over there now.
The casino is still there. It's just not on a boat anymore.
Ohh I had to zoom in. My bad. It looks rough. Lol
It's not bad. In fact, it's a great place to park for free to take Metrolink into town. It's patrolled.
Puts Arches park to shame.
if you can recommend any backcountry hikes hmu
The best 3.8 star Draft Kings casino in all the land.
Love the Cargill plant and the casino. A+
Wow 😍 thank god those pictures of crappy Glacier are gone THIS is why i follow national parks!!!
It was much nicer when the view included the floating McDonalds. That was the appeal of the arch, first park and hope your car doesn’t slide into the Mississippi, then go up the arch, next eat at the floating McDonalds, finally be really quiet as your dad maneuvers over the bricks and up away from the river.
Eat your heart out, top of Half Dome.
Well … it’s a view.
That’s for sure.
"Next vacation I'm taking you to see The Ruins."
"Where? Athens? Rome?"
"Even better. East St. Louis."
I have to be honest… this “park” does not do anything to inspire me to take a trip. Am I missing something?
ETA - nevermind. Read the comments. Not missing anything.
Go and see it yourself 😍 if you are there at night you get to watch all the animals “come out” and they interact with you with their “almost” understandable english!
The museum underneath is decent. The view of the city out the other side is “better” (city hall, ballpark, etc.), though still a cityscape. Best & most unique part of the visit is the ride up the arch in little, round space pods. Well worth the admission fee if you’re passing through the area.
The majesty!
That green space is a park with a cool tower you can go up and get a pic looking across the river at the Arch. Great for a morning shot when the sun is right.
I can see my house…. In Milwaukee
Hey Dad, what river is this?! Well Rusty thats the Mississippi..the mighty Mississip.. heh heh.... the ole miss.. the old man... Deeeeep Riverrrrrr
Where did the Casino Queen go?!
Such unspoiled beauty!
And this is why I went to Ozark National Scenic Riverways instead when I passed through Missouri lol
Man there’s a lot to take in here. We’ve got a bedraggled casino, a factory, some train tracks, an industrial beach, some parking lots, a concrete scar of an interstate, and miles and miles of gray ragged trees on flat ground. It leaves you speechless.
I have 0 desire to see this.
So much flatness. I don't think people really appreciate how rare it is to find someplace that flat.
If you're ever in Central Florida, visit sugar loaf mountain or do the hot air balloon at Disney springs. Florida is flatness on a new level.
I’ve biked up Sugar Loaf doing the Horrible Hundred.
2/7 - do not recommend.
So let’s say you get in an epic battle with a monster at the top. Do you think it would be possible to fall into the Mississippi from the top?
Gosh it has improved since my last visit in the 90’s! I guess I need to go back
We did a dinner on the riverboat there. Absolutely amazing and fun. The kids and wife loved it
Probably the best national park in the country. The Grand Tetons got nothing on Gateway Arch!
I love the evenings when the shadow is on the water.
Ah, industry.
Stunning
I think the fountain in East St. Louis has the right idea in tying the two sides together. The grain elevators in front of it ruins the whole thing though.
They're shutting that fountain down soon
Hahaha oh yes. I can just see the glory and majesty......
Mcdonalds in wv ?
Wow /s
Yes, beautiful indeed…
“Well Harry, I know you’ve never been on top of the arch but have you ever been underneath it?” Richie Ashburn to Harry Kalas.
Did you know that in this pic is the (not currently activated) tallest fountain in the U.S.? Gateway Geyser is 630 feet tall (for comparison, old faithful is only 100-180 feet tall)
Do you recommend any good spots to set up camp on your journey up to the peak?
/S ?
I was taught “how to drive a squad car” in the casino parking lot.
When I was 8 and my sister was 5 we went there, the entire drive down from Bloomington, IL (where we were staying with family) my dad was telling us to look for the green live in the river. We were convinced that the green line that separated states on the road maps was painted in the middle of the Mississippi River. Boy were we disappointed.
Turn around and look at beautiful downtown St Louis!
Magnificent!
Beautiful view of a factory, casino and ugly shoreline.
I can even see some wildlife
How that was sarcasm because that view is terrible. A cestpool more like it
Why did you not take a picture on the other side which shows the state capital?
I wanted to get the natural beauty instead of the city.
Because THIS is the view we paid for!
Is this a joke?
No, it's an arch.
What trail did you take to get to that peak?