route 66 state park

Most historic sites in Missouri are insulated by the passage of many years. The Route 66 State Park is an exception. This park was created on the land that was once Times Beach, which had dioxin exposure because of contaminated oil being sprayed on the dirt roads of the village for dust control. The site, along with Love Canal in New York, was one of the nation’s worst environmental disasters. As a result, the entire town of 2,000+ was relocated and the site remediated by the EPA in the 1980’s. There are still some remnants of the town – curbs, foundations, etc. – and it’s not unusual to have history buffs and joggers sharing the same space.The park name evokes the past, although there are no obvious signs of Route 66 anywhere except for the visitor’s center, east of the park on the other side of the river. Today the site is a park for biking or walking with lots of parking, picnic sites, clean rest rooms and a playground. It’s one of the few parks in the area that is almost exclusively flat, making it perfect for the non-competitive hiker or biker. The road on the main trail is a one-way loop, 2 miles long that is marked for cars in the center with bikers, hikers and joggers on either side in striped lanes. This is a very sensible way to allocate space and resources. There are plenty of deer and turkey in the park. Entry into the park – as others have noted – is a little confusing. The park is on the North side of highway 44, west of the Meramec River. The approach is from Eastbound 44 from Highway 109 taking the Williams Road exit, about a mile east of the Highway 44 / Highway 109 intersection. This exit puts you on the South outer road which leads to the park entrance and the road the goes under the Highway 44 Bridge to the park. The Visitor Center is a separate location on the East side of the Meramec River, at the Lewis Road exit. The visitor center is a former roadhouse overlooking the Meramec River at the old Route 66 Bridge - which is no longer in use. All of the typical Route 66 trinkets, etc. are found at the visitor’s center.The State Parks website: http://mostateparks.com/page/54997/general-information devotes only two sentences to the Times Beach dioxin history, almost as if the official Missouri guidelines prohibit the connection to the park and Times Beach. The rebranding of an historic environmental disaster into a fun, road-trip “route-66” experience is blatant. There is much more dignity viewing the natural beauty of this space with the sober reminder that we need to be careful with our environment rather than glossing over that little “disaster” thing while rushing to convey an image of pink poodle skirts and ’57 Chevy’s.

This museum in a refurbished Route 66 motor inn was excellent. Lots of interesting info & artifacts about the "Mother Road". Well stocked gift shop too. Staff was friendly & welcoming.

If you can find the visitors center (97 N. Outer Road E #1-Exit 266 off of I-44W-continue on N. Outer Road-Do not bear right on Perimeter Road), this is a nice stop for everything Route 66. The visitors center (free, nice restrooms) is open from March through November and is a great place to walk down memory lane aka Route 66. A large map is in the lobby where you can see if your home city is "pinned". While we were there, two couples came in and pinned their countries: Sweden and New Zealand. The world is obscessing about Route 66 and this is a great place to do just that. Especially interesting were old newspaper clippings on Times Beach-the property that became Route 66 State Park. Lots of old historic memorabilia and photos from restaurants and motels that have sadly gone the way of the bulldozer. The gift shop has some great souvenirs and books, some of which are signed by their authors. Lots of pamplets about the area, and of course....Route 66. One that I picked up is on the Route 66 Association of Missouri. Their efforts go into preserving this piece of history as well as hosting the Annual Motor Tour. Check out their website: missouri66.org

As part of our Route 66 tour of America we stopped for a visit of this eponomous park. What a lovely place it is too. The visitor's centre in particular is well worth the visit. There is a neatly laid out Route 66 display and the shop is full of good Route 66 souvenirs. The park rangers were really nice and friendly and well-informed.

I'd made a note of the junction we needed off the interstate to visit here but we saw a sign for the exit earlier so we came off at that one and there was no signage. Using Google maps we managed to start heading the right way and realised we should have come of the original one. We followed the sign towards the state park, and pulled in to the first car park. It was completely empty and quiet apart from the noise of the interstate! We realised looking at the information board we were in the equestrian car park so we went back down the road a bit further. Saw a sign for restrooms so we followed that sign, but all the spaces were very long and we figured we were again in the wrong car park (we were in the boat one), so back in car, back again this time we went under the interstate, round a few roads and into another car park. This time there were paper maps and we used the map to walk up to the next area to guess what another car park. We walked a small bit of the trail and it was nice but there was nothing to do with Route 66, it just seemed a nice place to walk your dog. We got back in the car and left (on the way out we noticed the visitors centre is the next exit). From the other visitors photos I've seen I think if your doing Route 66 it's the visitors centre you need, otherwise it's just a nice walk (with noise of the interstate)

There are paved and unpaved bike and walking trails. The river runs next to the park. There are several pavilions and a playground for the children. I like to take my lawn chair, find a shady spot and read.

Great place to take a nice comfortable bike ride. Easy to follow paths and for those who can remember Times Beach, a trip down memory lane.

It may not be as huge as some parks but it has a lot to offer. There is a walking trail that covers the perimeter of the entire area. I myself have seen a huge group of deer crossing the path way in the fall. It wraps around and goes along the river. And it has a building where you can go in and look at displays of animal life. People also ride their bikes in there too.

This was fun to stop at the little Route 66 museum and see some of the history and memorabilia of the original Route 66. The staff was wonderful and knowledgeable, they gave us information on the bike trails in the park. There are several different trails depending on the length you want to go. A nice little playground for the kids. And had some cool stuff in their gift shop.

Needed a break and found the best choice of items for our Route 66 road trip! The Route 66 soda (or Pop if you prefer....) was good and cold! The items in the gift shop were better than any other place we stopped at (and we stopped at a LOT!) - both in selection and in price. The museum has some interesting items as well. A great place to stop on your way.VERY helpful staff, the park looked pleasant, a great place for a hike, but we were on a road trip, so we saved that for the next time.

This park is very different from Babler or Powder Valley etc. It is ideal for folks pushing strollers or cyclists or anyone who doesn't want to deal with hills. It is also somewhat boring for the same reason. If you are looking for a beautifully scenic park this is not the one. This is where you go to get a workout when you need a large, flat, open space.

beautiful and interesting. the staff is nice and helpful.plus things you wouldnt expect like the dining rooom in the cave.

A great place to take a break, find a spotless restroom and see memorabilia from days gone by. It's fun to see the speakers from drive in movies, photos from the 30's and 40's and many other road signs, even a Burma Shave sign. It's free, so if it isn't for you, you've lost nothing but a few minutes of time.There are some souvenirs for sale for the kiddos.

Thoroughly enjoyable Route 66 exhibit with great vintage items from famous hotels (like Coral Court), restaurants, drive-ins, gas stations, etc. Also, the fascinating history of Times Beach is well documented. Well worth stopping by!! No charge for museum/exhibits. Great gift shop (we bought many items for friends - and ourselves)!

We use to walk our dog in this park. The dog is to old now. We pass this park everyday going to and from work. There are always people walking or biking in this park. Lots of nice trails. We use to see lots of deer in the park.