Gateway Arch National Park guide · 1 min read
Classic Arch Views: Ponds, Axis, East St. Louis
North Pond and South Pond are the two water features on the Arch grounds, and each is edged with plantings.
From the edges of either pond, visitors can look toward the Arch.
A north-south axis runs through the grounds, and walking along it leads straight up to the Arch. Separate views connect the Arch and the Old Courthouse, so both monuments can be seen together as you approach.
The Old Courthouse wears a pale exterior capped by a green dome, a sharp contrast with the Arch's stainless steel cladding. Exhibits inside tell the stories of legal cases heard in the building, among them the first two trials in the Dred Scott case.
East St. Louis is another place to view the Arch, and those views are counted among the features that make up the grounds' landscape.
Walking the grounds is the easiest way to find new angles, since the Arch looks different from each spot. Tree-lined walkways include London plane trees that have been on the Arch grounds since 2016. In spring, the cherry trees in Kiener Plaza blossom, and their flowers make a soft frame for the Arch and the courthouse.
