🌊 Lakes & rivers

Gateway Arch National Park

St. Louis, MO · Gateway to the West, Missouri

About

Gateway Arch is the most unusual national park in the country, a single 630-foot stainless-steel curve on the St. Louis riverfront that doubles as the nation's tallest monument. Ride the tram up inside one leg to an observation deck for a long look over the Mississippi River and the city, then walk the riverside grounds and the museum tracing America's westward expansion. At about 91 acres it is the smallest national park, easily seen in a day.

Highlights

Eero Saarinen's 630-foot stainless-steel arch, the tallest U.S. monumentTram ride to the top observation deck overlooking the Mississippi RiverMuseum at the Gateway Arch on Westward Expansion beneath the monumentSmallest national park in the system, set on the St. Louis riverfrontRiverside grounds and views toward the Old Courthouse

Getting there

Gateway Arch National Park, 11 North 4th Street, St. Louis, MO 63102

Related places

Everglades National Park Lakes & rivers

Everglades National Park

Homestead, FL · The Everglades

Everglades National Park protects 1.5 million acres of subtropical wilderness at the southern tip of Florida, the largest such ecosystem in North America. It is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to manatees, wading birds, and the elusive Florida panther. Visitors can walk the famed Anhinga Trail, paddle mangrove waterways, or take an airboat-free ranger tour through the 'River of Grass.'

Dry Tortugas National Park Lakes & rivers

Dry Tortugas National Park

Key West, FL · Florida Keys

Located almost 70 miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico, Dry Tortugas National Park is a remote cluster of seven small islands reachable only by ferry or seaplane. Its centerpiece is Fort Jefferson, one of the nation's largest 19th-century masonry forts, surrounded by crystal-clear waters renowned for snorkeling, coral reefs, and shipwrecks. The park is also a haven for nesting seabirds and migratory birds.

Myakka River State Park Lakes & rivers

Myakka River State Park

Sarasota, FL · Tampa Bay

One of Florida's oldest and largest state parks, Myakka spreads 37,000 acres of wetlands, prairies, and hammocks along the slow Myakka River east of Sarasota. Climb the canopy walkway, the first public treetop trail in North America, suspended 25 feet up with a tower above the oaks, then board one of the giant airboats for an alligator-lined cruise on Upper Myakka Lake. Winter brings cooler air and crowds of wading birds.

Part of these collections

Curated guides that feature Gateway Arch National Park.