Your guide to the Missouri National Parks

Explore everything the Missouri national parks have to offer with give you a chance to see most of the state. You’ll need a few days to visit every park site because of the distance between them.

Kansas City

Head a few miles east of Kansas City to the Harry S Truman National Historic Site in Independence. You can also drive out to the Truman Farm in Grandview.

Bonus stamps: The Oregon, California, and Santa Fe, and Mormon Trails all started in the Kansas City area. You can find trail stamps at the Harry S Truman Site, the National Frontier Trails Museum (also in Independence), and the Trailside Center (in Kansas City). And be sure to get your Pony Express trail stamps at the Alexander Majors House in Kansas City and the Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph.

St. Louis

Head to downtown Saint Louis to spend some time at the Gateway Arch National Park. Explore the museum, or ride to the top of the Arch for great views of the Mississippi River. And be sure to head over to East Saint Louis for even better view of the Arch and Saint Louis. From there, head south to the Grantville area to tour the Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site.

Bonus stamp: Keep an eye out for the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail stamp at the Gateway Arch.

Joplin / Springfield

You’ll find Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield a few miles southeast of Springfield. Grab a meal at Lambert’s Cafe to go and head about an hour away to the George Washington Carver National Monument in nearby Diamond. If you’re staying in the Kansas City area, you take visit both of these sites and Fort Scott National Historic Site in Kansas in one day.

Southeast Missouri

Your final stop will be the Ozark National Scenic Riverway. The park covers a lot of area, and you can find in the main Visitor’s Center in Van Buren. It’s also a similar distance between Springfield and Saint Louis, so you can detour or take a day trip to visit from the other park sites.

Have you visited any of the Missouri National Parks?