We visited our second national park this weekend. We took a day trip to Gateway Arch National Park in St Louis, Missouri. The younger girls got to add a stamp to their Junior Ranger National Park Passport Book . They also completed the Gateway Arch Junior Ranger program and received their Junior Ranger Badges. The older boys enjoyed exploring the museum and hiking down by the river.
Junior Ranger Guide
We studied about Gateway Arch before we went because they wanted to participate in the National Parks Junior Ranger program. I found this list of all of the Junior Ranger Park Programs here. The girls filled out this National Park Research Paper and Gateway Arch Brochure. We used The National Parks Encyclopedia by Allison Lassieur for help along with Gateway Arch National Park website.
We were not able to print out the Junior Ranger packet ahead of time, so we picked one up at the front desk of the visitor center. You can get the Junior Ranger book for the Arch at the Visitor Center, and the book for the Old Court House once you enter the Court House. We looked at the Arch book while we were waiting for our turn on the tram to the top of the Arch.
We arrived at the Gateway Arch first thing in the morning, we knew we could explore it all in just one day since it is the smallest National Park. We planed to visit the Gateway Arch museum, the Old Courthouse, a Riverboat ride, and of course a tram ride up to the top of the Arch. The Junior Ranger book is laid out so that you can fill it out as you walk though the museum. We filled out page 1 while waiting for our tram ride, it is all about the Osage American Indians.
Next we visited the Gateway Arch museum. Pages 2 through 7 are laid out so that you can fill them out as you walk though each time period of the museum. While you are at the tram entrance you can see the brick mural and fill out page 8. Page 9 is a list of people whom you can locate as you walk through the museum as well.
We filled out page 10 after our walk down to the Riverboat. Then we returned our books to the visitor center and the Park Ranger helped the girls say the Junior Ranger Oath, then she gave them each a badge. Then they got to stamp their Junior Ranger National Park Passport Books.
The Junior Range book for the Courthouse is a bit to advanced for my young girls, so we will have to come back in a couple of years to get that one.
Tram Ride to the Top of the Arch
Right after we picked up our Junior Ranger books, we bought out tram tickets to ride to the top of the Arch. We rode in a tiny 5 seat pod that took 4 minutes to travel the 630 feet up to the top. The Tram System was specially made with a mix of elevator, escalator, and Ferris wheel science.
Once we were at the top, we had about 10 minutes to look out of the windows. We saw the Mississippi River, the River boat, Busch Stadium where the Cardinals play, the Old Courthouse, and much more.
Gateway Arch Museum
The Gateway Arch is sometimes called the Gateway to the West, because it was built to commemorate Thomas Jefferson’s vision to explore and settle from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.
The museum had several hands on exhibits for the girls to try out. You walk through each time period as you move through the museum. It starts at 1764 to today.
Even the boys found something to do in the museum. They spent over half an hour on this puzzle, and they finally solved it.
Riverboat Ride
Then we walked down to the river and discovered that they don’t have riverboat rides in the winter.
So we just played by the water and hiked around the Arch. The kids had fun tossing rocks into the river and leaning against the Arch.
We were able to see the riverboat from out of the Arch window.
Old Courthouse
We decided to skip the Old Courthouse since the girls are still so young, but we plan to go back when they are older. The Old Courthouse is where Dred and Harriet Scott sued for their freedom in 1847 and 1850.
We did see the Old Courthouse from the windows in the top of the Arch though.
The circle at the bottom of this picture is the entrance to the visitor center and the museum (they are both underground).
Here are some of our other National Park Adventures:
