Gateway Arch National Park

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The last time I visited Gateway Arch National Park was in 2013, on the way home from the Grand Canyon, and at that time it wasn't a National Park; rather, it was simply known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Here is the post on the Gateway Arch from my travel blog for that trip. The Gateway Arch commemorates St. Louis' role in the westward expansion of the U.S. in the 1800s. The Arch itself, designed by Eero Saarinen, was built between 1963 and 1965, and is made of stainless steel on the outside, carbon steel on the inside, and concrete in the middle. The Arch has foundations sunk 60 feet into the ground, and is built to withstand earthquakes and high winds; it sways up to 1 inch in a 20 mph wind, and is built to sway up to 18 inches.

After our visit in 2013, the National Park Service embarked on a five-year, $380 million renovation, and the Park was completely transformed with a new visitor center, museum and underground complex. Indeed, I tried to find the parking garage I parked at in 2013 and it was gone - replaced by a new grassy above-ground park which is connected to the St. Louis light rail line in the adjacent Eads Bridge.

I arrived at about 1:45 and spent about an hour at the Park, visiting the new underground museum, with six themed exhibit areas, and browsing the underground store. Gateway Arch is the 10th National Park I have visited on this epic 3-week road trip, and, having abandoned my plan to visit the new New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia, Gateway Arch will be the last National Park that I visit as well.



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