Leaving Bowling Green on April 29 with a full charge—thanks to the Destination Charger we enjoyed during our visit to Mammoth Cave—we headed north and west through Kentucky, Indiana, and, briefly, Illinois to the next stop on our electric road trip to all 51 National Parks in the Lower 48 states, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
The Gateway Arch was completed in 1965. It was a National Monument until 2018, when it became a National Park. It is the smallest National Park by area—at only 91 acres—but the Arch is the largest monument in the Western Hemisphere, measuring 630 feet high and wide.
The Gateway Arch was completed in 1965. It was a National Monument until 2018, when it became a National Park. It is the smallest National Park by area—at only 91 acres—but the Arch is the largest monument in the Western Hemisphere, measuring 630 feet high and wide. The park accommodates more than 2 million visitors per year.
Although not a typical National Park, the Gateway Arch served as an appropriate transition for our journey from the eastern parks to the Great National Parks of the west.
Although not a typical National Park, the Gateway Arch served as an appropriate transition for our journey from the eastern parks to the Great National Parks of the west. And the history of St. Louis as a key transportation hub on the Mississippi River and as the gateway to western expansion is what justified its designation as a National Park.
Prior to the construction of the Arch, the area had been designated the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935. This area along the banks of the Mississippi River is the location of the original buildings when St. Louis was first established as a trading outpost by the French in 1764.
The Arch is large enough to accommodate a tram to the top—a unique transportation mode that is a combination of an elevator and a ferris wheel. The ride up is a fun experience, and the views at the top are great.
The Arch is large enough to accommodate a tram to the top—a unique transportation mode that is a combination of an elevator and a ferris wheel. The ride up is a fun experience, and the views at the top are great.
The Arch is an amazing architectural and engineering feat, and its design, dating from the 1960s, is quite modern in appearance and has stood the test of time well.
The Arch is an amazing architectural and engineering feat, and its design, dating from the 1960s, is quite modern in appearance and has stood the test of time well. The Arch is designed to withstand earthquakes and lightening strikes and can sway up to 18 inches in each direction in high winds.
In all, the Gateway Arch is a fun spot for a half-day visit and a symbolic transition point for a trip to the western United States.
Lodging
For our visit to the Gateway Arch, we elected to tour the park after arriving in the mid-afternoon and then spend the night at a hotel in St Louis.
Given the short amount of time needed to tour the Arch, another option would be to continue on afterward and stay outside the city.
Our hotel in St. Louis, the Hampton Inn-St. Louis Arch, was our first bad lodging experience.
Our hotel in St. Louis, the Hampton Inn-St. Louis Arch, was our first bad lodging experience.
The hotel is well located—a few minutes walk to the Arch, just a few blocks down 4th Street. It also had a good charging set-up, with a Tesla Destination Charger and a Level 2 charger in a protected parking garage.
Unfortunately, this Hampton Inn does not meet the usual standards of its parent Hilton brand. The rooms need modernization, and the one we initially received had a bad odor. The hotel representatives changed our room, but the manager on duty was rude, and the second room also smelled. The furniture in the room was sticky, indicating poor cleaning, and the bed linens didn’t fit the mattress. We couldn’t wait to leave the next morning.
Other options to consider in St. Louis with Destination Chargers are the Four Seasons Hotel, the Hotel St. Louis, and the Magnolia Hotel. The Hyatt Regency on Chestnut Street, even closer to the Arch with a direct view of the park, has a 14-50 outlet that can be used for charging with a Mobile Connector.
For our one night in St. Louis we found a good dinner restaurant, the Sugarfire Smoke House, just a few blocks from the hotel. The restaurant serves BBQ meals cafeteria style, with an informal atmosphere. Unfortunately, they had run out of ribs by the time we arrived, but the cheeseburger and everything else we ordered were excellent.
Charging
Charging was again uneventful for our travel to Gateway Arch National Park. We left Kentucky and Mammoth Cave in the morning with a full battery thanks to the Destination Charger at the Courtyard by Marriott in Bowling Green. On the way, we stopped for lunch and Supercharging at Mt. Vernon, Illinois. As always, eating our lunch took longer than the charging.
As always, eating our lunch took longer than the charging.
The Supercharging gave us plenty of range to drive to St. Louis, where our hotel had two Destination Chargers to give us another free full “tank” for our departure the next morning.
There are also three Tesla Superchargers on the highways leading into and out of St. Louis, so there were plenty of charging options. But as noted in previous articles, Destination Chargers at hotels, whenever available, are always the preferred choice because they are typically free, save time by charging overnight rather than during the day, and allow a full charge when needed.
Destination Charger at Courtyard by Marriott, Bowling Green, KY
Supercharging at Mt. Vernon, IL (54 kWh @ $0.41) $22.14
Destination Charger at Hampton Inn-St. Louis Arch
Total Supercharging for the trip $217.78
Hiking Trails and Other Activities in the Parks
Other than the tour of the Arch, there’s not much else to do at Gateway Arch National Park at the time of our visit. The park encompasses 91 acres, and the landscaped grounds are worth a stroll to get different vantage points on the Arch and the Mississippi River. The park also includes the Old Courtyard where the initial Dred Scott trials occurred, but it was close for renovations at the time of our visit.
Strolling the grounds around the Arch —
Total Hiking Miles for the trip 60.7 miles
Impressions
Gateway Arch is a beautiful and amazing piece of architecture and engineering, one that looks modern even a half century after its conceptualization and construction. The landscaped grounds make for a pleasurable stroll and some great photo opportunities, and it’s well worth a half day to tour the Visitor Center and ride the tram to the top of the Arch.
Visit Duration: This is a “drive-by” National Park, one that can be covered in a partial day. We spent about a half hour touring the grounds and taking photos of the Arch. The trip up to the top of the Arch takes another hour, allowing another hour or two for the exhibits in the Visitor Center, which explain the history of St. Louis as the key gateway in the opening of the west to settlement as well as the construction of the Arch. There is also a movie, which we missed due to the late-afternoon timing of our tickets to the top.
Another historic landmark, across the street from the Arch, is the Old Courthouse, site of the first two trials in the Dred Scott case in 1847 and 1850. Unfortunately, during our visit, the courthouse was closed for renovations.
On the morning of April 30, we left St. Louis and the Gateway Arch, heading south and west through Missouri and Arkansas for our next National Park, Hot Springs.