Gateway Arch National Park

Gateway Arch is the smallest of the National Parks. It's an urban park in St. Louis and its main feature is the arch itself. The park is a memorial to Thomas Jefferson's role in opening the West, to the pioneers who helped shape its history, and to Dred Scott who sued for his freedom in the Old Courthouse.

This was a good opportunity for an urban vacation for us. We flew to St Louis from Phoenix after hiking and backpacking Saguaro, so the luxuries of an urban environment were enjoyable. We ate at restaurants and stayed in The Casino Queen across the Mississippi where we had an excellent view of the Arch from our hotel room. I enjoyed playing video poker in the casino but ultimately had a losing night.

You can get tickets to ride up inside the arch where you get a view of St Louis from high above. The park itself is so small that the only wildlife we encountered were ducks. Overall, it was worth seeing but I wouldn't recommend spending more than a day here.