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Route 66 State Park

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Park Information

Travel through history on The Mother Road at Route 66 State Park. Route 66 captured Americans’ imagination and exposed millions of citizens to small towns and different cultures across the country. Sample a slice of that at Route 66 State Park’s visitor center, which has displays showcasing the road. The visitor center is the former Bridgehead Inn, a 1935 roadhouse that sat on the original Route 66. The park’s location, close to metro St. Louis provides visitors with a quick getaway to nature. More than 40 types of birds have been identified in the park and picnic sites are sprinkled throughout the park.

Park Hours

Park Grounds
7 a.m. to one-half hour after sunset, daily, year-round
Gates open and close at these times.

Boat Launch hours

7 a.m. to one-half hour after sunset, daily, year-round
Gates open and close at these times.

Visitor Center hours

  • March through November
    9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. daily
    Cosed Thanksgiving day
  • December through February
    Closed
Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites
May 23, 2013
Fifty years ago, if you had arrived at the natural tunnel in Bennett Spring State Park, you would have seen a lake. Around 1964, a dam created from gravel and silt and reinforced with rebar and concrete blocked the upstream entrance of the natural tunnel. There is no record of how long the resulting lake lasted, but historical accounts state the dam failed after heavy rains, leaving only the portion of the structure seen today at the end of the trail. Walk the Natural Tunnel Trail today and imagine what it would have been like 50 years ago. For more information about this trail, other trails at the park, and all the other things you can do at Bennett Spring State Park, visit mostateparks.com.