National park tips: Ride a tram to the top of St. Louis’ 630-foot Gateway Arch

If you head to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis this year, you might find scaffolding underneath that gorgeous 630-foot-high silver frame. The National Park Service and local leaders are working on $250 million in upgrades to weave together the arch, the Mississippi River, new landscaping and the downtown area.

The good news is that the trams to the top (which are inside the arch) reopened earlier this year. The revamped visitor center and museum of Gateway Arch – Jefferson National Expansion Memorial are to reopen in 2017.

In honor of this year’s National Park Service centennial, the Travel section is posting 100 park travel ideas and tips based on trips staff travel writer Christopher Reynolds has taken, along with photo-op advice from Times photographer Mark Boster. We’ll post one per day through Dec. 31.

Follow Reynolds on Twitter: @MrCSReynolds

See travel videos by Reynolds from around the world.

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