Accessibility

Please note: Visitors enter the Arch through the west entrance, which faces Fourth Street and the Old Courthouse. The Gateway Arch legs are exit only.

 

Gateway Arch Visitor Center

Top of the Arch

The top of the Gateway Arch is not wheelchair accessible. To reach it and return, you must manage a minimum of 96 steps, which are separated into 6 flights of stairs. Please be aware you may need to stand 30-60 minutes or longer, especially during the busy summer season. There are no restrooms or benches at the top of the Arch.

Service animals (as defined by the US Departmentment of Justice) are permitted, at the top of the Arch, Museum and in Tucker theater.

Museum Under the Arch

• In the museum there is a replica of the final piece of the Gateway Arch. Inside, livestream video screens replicate the experience as much as possible for visitors who cannot make the trip to the top.
• The museum exhibits have multiple accessiblity features, including tactile exhibits and interactive computer simulations that are visitor directed through a touchscreen.
• Assistive Listening devices for museum exhibits are available at the entrance desk.
• Free wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. A state ID will be taken as collateral and returned to the owner when the wheelchair is returned. To pick up a wheelchair, ask a ranger at the entrance desk or at Tucker Theater. Both standard size and extra wide chairs are available for visitors to check out. The entrance desk is about 100 yards from the closest pickup/dropoff location on Market Street.
• The entrance desk of the Gateway Arch features an UbiDuo machine so people with hearing or speech impairments can communicate with the park ranger via a keyboard.

 

Tactile exhibits include Braille labels, and listening devices are available for visitor use.

NPS Photo

Accessibility

 

Theater

• Assistive Listening and Audio Description devices are available upon request
• All media shown in Tucker Theater is closed captioned

Programs

• Sign language interpretation for live programs is available with two weeks advance notice. Please call 314-655-1614.

 

Ramp from street level up to the Gateway Arch grounds.

NPS Photo/Sue Ford

Grounds

• The paved paths that cross the grounds are fully accessible.

  Pickup and Dropoff Locations

• If the walk from a parking garage to the entrance is too much, visitors can pick up their party members from one of these locations:
  • Memorial Drive, near the Old Cathedral parking lot
  • Market Street, between Luther Ely Smith Square and Gateway Tower
  • Chestnut Street, between Luther Ely Smith Square and the Hyatt Hotel
  • 4th St, between Luther Ely Smith Square and the Old Courthouse
• Parking is not allowed at any of these places, but vehicles can idle while loading or unloading visitors.

 

The yellow stars on the map above show locations where vehicles can idle to pickup or drop off passengers.

 

Old Courthouse

The Old Courthouse features accessibility ramps on the east and west sides of the building. All exhibit galleries are wheelchair accessible. There is an elevator to access the second floor courtrooms. The east courtroom (courtroom 13) is accessible, but the west courtroom (courtroom 4) has a step at the entrance.

The Levee and Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard

There are around 65 steps in the Grand Staircase between the Arch Grounds and Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard, which is next to the levee. Two ramps provide an accessible path from Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard to the Gateway Arch grounds. The parking spaces on the cobblestone levee are not accessible due to the slope. For further information, please contact us through our information line at 314-655-1600, or call Missouri relay at (voice) 1-800-735-2966. Missouri Relay provides services for those who are hearing impaired.

Access Pass

If you are a U.S. citizen and have a permanent disability, you may obtain a free America the Beautiful Access Pass at the Gateway Arch Information Desk. The pass allows free admission to federal areas which charge entrance fees and may provide reductions for other fees. For more information on America the Beautiful Park Passes (including the Access Passes) click here.

 

Brochure

The Gateway Arch Park Brochure is available in a variety of formats including audio description and text-only.