National parks in Missouri

Missouri's National Park Service units fall into two distinct personalities that, taken together, make the state quietly worth the effort for anyone willing to look past the obvious. The Ozark National Scenic Riverways anchors the southeast, offering some of the most immersive float-and-camp wilderness in the entire NPS system. The historic trails, the Lewis and Clark, Oregon, and California National Historic Trails, trace the great westward migrations across the state and remind visitors that Missouri spent a long time serving as America's launching pad. Between those two poles sit smaller, rarely crowded sites that reward patience. Wilson's Creek National Battlefield tells a serious but accessible Civil War story. George Washington Carver National Monument offers a moving biographical portrait. Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site sits tucked into suburban St. Louis. Gateway Arch draws the crowds, as it always has, but Missouri as a whole suits the traveler who values depth over spectacle and feels just as comfortable on a canoe as on a city riverfront.