The NPS Wellness Challenge at Gateway Arch National Park

The Gateway Arch, famous worldwide for its architecture and engineering, commemorates westward expansion and acknowledges its impact on Indigenous peoples and the environment. It stands in a 91-acre urban national park in downtown St. Louis — one of the few urban national parks west of the Mississippi — whose grounds are an oasis in the middle of the city.

The park is one of seven in Missouri taking part in the NPS Wellness Challenge, which offers physical, mental and learning challenges for your health and well-being. Rest beneath an architectural wonder and take a breath; wander the paths of the Explorer's Garden; learn something new about history.

How to take part

Pick a category and complete its three challenges. Then download that category's digital badge to share, or get a rubber stamp for your NPS Wellness Challenge Guide or Passport book in the Visitor Center lobby. A short survey earns a Wellness Challenge Completion Certificate for the park.

Physical wellness

Walk, run, bike or roll along the park's paved paths, stairs and ramps — every challenge is designed to be fun and accessible.

1. Rise to the West — climb the Grand Staircase, or take the gently sloping ramps, to the top for a sweeping view of the Mississippi.
2. Carve Your Own Path — explore the five miles of paved trails on the Arch grounds.
3. Move Along the Mississippi River — travel the historic St. Louis Riverfront Trail.

Learning wellness

These challenges centre on St. Louis's place in stories of exploration, innovation and confrontation. Feeding your brain matters as much as moving your body.

1. Report for Duty — the Junior Ranger programme, designed for ages 5 to 12 but open to all, about the people, places and events of St. Louis history and westward expansion in the 1800s.
2. See Monument to the Dream — an award-winning film about building the Arch.
3. Explore the Museum at the Gateway Arch — 200 years of the history of westward expansion, with a focus on St. Louis's central role.

Mental wellness

Sometimes you just need to pause, reflect and unplug — five minutes by the reflection ponds on a lunch break, or an afternoon on a blanket watching clouds with family and friends. Being outdoors offers an escape from everyday stress and a calm place to think.

1. A View From the Top — the tram ride is part of the adventure, and the top of America's tallest monument has stunning views.
2. A Moment of Reflection — sit by the reflection ponds north and south of the Arch and take in the place with all five senses.
3. Explore with Lewis and Clark — stroll the paved paths of the Explorer's Garden in the North Gateway area, planted with species that Native Americans used and that Lewis and Clark described in their expedition journals.

The challenge aims to build lasting habits of personal wellness. The Park Service's Healthy Parks Healthy People programme holds that every park, urban or wild, supports physical, mental and spiritual health, social well-being and a sustainable planet.

Accessibility

• The Visitor Center, facing Fourth Street, is accessible, with an accessible restroom and drinking fountains. Vehicles with disability plates or placards can park free in any street parking space.
• The park brochure is available in text-only and audio-described versions on the park website and through the UniDescription app.
• Give two weeks' notice to request an ASL interpreter.

Sources

• National Park Service, Gateway Arch National Park, "NPS Wellness Challenge at Gateway Arch." https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/nps-wellness-challenge-at-gateway-arch.htm
• More: the NPS Wellness Challenge in Missouri; accessibility at Gateway Arch.
• Images: National Park Service.
• Rewritten in hubnx's own words.