By state · MO

National Parks in Missouri.

Missouri's NPS network at a glance — units, designations, visit totals, and what shapes the visiting season.

By Nicholas Major · Last updated

Missouri's NPS flagship is Gateway Arch National Park (St. Louis) — the country's smallest National Park by acreage but one of its most iconic landmarks, with a tram ride to the top of the 630-foot arch and the Museum at the Gateway Arch in the underground complex. Other Missouri units include Wilson's Creek National Battlefield (the first major Civil War engagement west of the Mississippi), the Ozark National Scenic Riverways (the country's first national park unit established to protect a wild river system), Harry S Truman National Historic Site (Independence), Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site (St. Louis), George Washington Carver National Monument (Diamond), and segments of multiple national trails. St. Louis Lambert (STL) and Kansas City (MCI) anchor different parts of the network. Gateway Arch operates year-round; Ozark Riverways is a paddle-and-camp destination best May through October.

Every NPS unit in Missouri.

Missouri's 14 NPS units: 7 National Historic Trails · 2 National Historic Sites · 1 National Monument · 1 National Park · 1 National Scenic Riverways · 1 National Historical Park · 1 National Battlefield. Combined 5-year-average annual visits: 3,703,142 (multi-state units count their full visits in every state they touch — see methodology). The most-visited unit is Gateway Arch National Park at about 1.99M annual visits.

UnitDesignation5-yr avg visitsBusiest month
Gateway Arch National Park National ParkJEFF 1,991,754 July
Ozark National Scenic Riverways National Scenic RiverwaysOZAR 1,282,966 July
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield National BattlefieldWICR 319,858 August
Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site National Historic SiteULSG 35,088 July
George Washington Carver National Monument National MonumentGWCA 32,598 March
Harry S Truman National Historic Site National Historic SiteHSTR 20,669 July
Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park National Historical ParkSTGE 20,209 August
Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail National Historic TrailBUOV
California National Historic Trail National Historic TrailCALI
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail National Historic TrailLECL
Oregon National Historic Trail National Historic TrailOREG
Pony Express National Historic Trail National Historic TrailPOEX
Santa Fe National Historic Trail National Historic TrailSAFE
Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail National Historic TrailTRTE

Methodology

Unit list and per-unit visit counts come from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025. The "5-year average visits" column is the mean of 2021-2025 Recreation Visits. Multi-state NPS units (Yellowstone, Death Valley, Great Smoky Mountains and others) are listed under every state they touch; the per-unit visit count is the unit's total, not a per-state share. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.

Independence

Independent site. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Data comes from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025; editorial analysis is ours. The NPS Arrowhead and other NPS marks are not used.

Last updated · 2026-05-19