Route 66 State Park

I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't it. The Route 66 State Park sits where Times Beach once was. The town of Times Beach was evacuated in 1983 after a severe dioxin contamination that was used to spray the roads. The combination of the mixture was used in Agent Orange. Extensive cleanup took place and the Route 66 State Park opened in 1999.

We were looking for a restroom while on our trip. I decided we'd stop by here instead of thr run-of-the-mill gas station. I was very glad we did because this is a hidden gem. The gentleman working was very pleasant, and so knowledgeable on the area. (The beautiful mustang photo'd was his 1967 Ford Mustang, although he said he wished it was a '66) Loved this place and got some nice souvenirs.

I walked the inner loop trail. The trail was very nice, completely paved, and great for taking the stroller on. There is a little bathroom (the kind that has a permanent porta-potty, with the tank underground) that is a little dingy but serviceable if you gotta go. I had two main issues. First, the trail was very difficult to find. I ended up finding the coordinates of the trailhead online and putting those into Google Maps. That was a very frustrating and time consuming way to start. Second, the playground in the park is very, very bad. I decided to let the toddler play after we finished the trail because the baby fell asleep in the stroller and I didn’t want to wake her up to put her in the car. The playground is not connected by a sidewalk at all, is covered with debris and trash, and looks very old. Once we got close enough for me to get a better look at it, I decided it would be better to just go back to the car.

This is a relatively scenic area. There are lots of paved walking and biking trails throughout the park. Not a lot of shade, but mostly level. We accidentally followed directions to the visitors center, and and had to get back on the highway to reach the actual park where the trails are. They handed us a slip of paper with these directions: 1-44 west to exit 264. Left on MO-109. Left on I-44 East ramp to exit 265. Left on South Outer Road to park entrance.

The former Times Beach, MO that was decimated by dioxin poisoning and cleaned up by the government in the 90’s. Nice, peaceful walks through the land, going to and along the Meramec River and back. I wouldn’t thought there’d be signs or something commemorating Times Beach but there is nothing, like no one wants to remember it which I found sad.

Great park! Easy hiking. Hope the funding is found soon for the bridge. It's an iconic part of history. Having both sections of the park connected would be very convenient. We were sad the Museum was closed when we were there on 6/6/2023

Not the most scenic park, and there’s traffic noise throughout due to its proximity to I-44, but it does have its moments. There’s a small trail on the south part of the outer trail that cuts through the trees and was a lot of fun to bike. Otherwise, most of what the paths are just old roads without much scenery. Also, depending on what time of year you visit, you may or may not even be able to see the river even though it’s right there. In spring, I could see it easily and even go down for a better view. In summer, there’s so much plant growth that you can’t even tell it’s there. One nice thing is that this park is connected to Lion’s Park (Eureka) via the Meramec Greenway.

Definitely worth the stop! Make sure that you navigate specifically to the visitors center since the trails and the center are on opposite sides of the highway.

This is a great park, with a lot of different trails and paths to walk. A boat ramp and horse trails also! We explored the visitor center and area nearby, and learned about the upcoming restoration of the bridge and the history of the area from a helpful one of the staff that happened to be here when we were. He was very nice and went out of his way to be helpful and talk with us about the park. We are hosting a friend from France, and this was one of the things she was looking forward to. Check the schedule if you want to go into the center and gift shop, it isn't open all year round. Can't wait to come back during the summer and walk more of the trails!

What a great park! The visitor center evidently opened at 10am today (Sunday) so I recommend you call ahead considering everything else said 9am but you can always walk the trails and enjoy the scenery in the meantime. They have a museum section in the visitor center and a gift shop. We were there approximately an hour at the visitor center plus the time to drive/walk/take pictures of the area. The woman in the visitor center was very nice and had lots of information as well. This was worth the wait to open and I'm glad we did.

This park has easy access to some nicely maintained flat trails, with additional access to even more trail options attached to the park. The largest trail is the Outer loop, which is about a 3 mile loop. Approximately 2 miles of it is paved, the other mile is gravel.

These trails are GREAT for running, walking or bike riding! They're a bit secluded on the back side of the park, but felt safe. Along the paved path there is a gravel kick off that adds almost another 2 miles and then links back up to the main trail. The whole area is great for wildlife viewing. Two access points for runners and bike riders off of Main Street in Eureka and the little park off Williams Rd.

I've definitely seen better parks. The 7 mile trail my husband and I hiked down wasn't very scenic. I suppose for the midwest, it's among some of the best. I'm somewhat of a park snob since hiking in Alaska. We went into the info/gift shop to get a map of the trails and the woman working was very personable. She informed us that the Route 66 museum located in the same building was free and we were more than welcome to check it out. Overall, I'm not so sure it's worth the trek out there from O'Fallon, IL. If I lived closer, I would be more inclined to return.

Route 66 State Park is one of Missouri's newest state parks, and it shows. There is not a lot there. At the same time, it is pretty nice. We visited at the end of October 2013 and the trees were just beginning to turn. The weather was quite warm (upper 80's) and we appreciated the shade as, despite the name, a good part of what you do in Route 66 State Park is hike the trails. The park is built out of the former city of Times Beach, MO., the infamous toxic waste site in the 80's that was condemned, closed, and cleaned (mostly incinerated). It is alleged to be safe now. In places you can find the remnants of town-- the old street grid is visible in places, some street curbs, even the odd brick front porch or fireplace that somehow escaped the furnace. More creepy, in a way, is that a good number of the people we encountered were really looking for Times Beach so they could explore the remnants fo the city. It is kind of like running into ghost hunters on your hike. Not dangerous or anything, but still kind of discordant to talk with toxic waste seekers when you are expecting nature lovers. The park is heavily wooded and is filled with birds and wildlife. (Since many will ask, I should add that we saw no two headed deer or anything like that.) Birds are abundant in this well treed space, and we saw two deer, but not much other wildlife-- although there are signs of much more if you read the footprints. Of course, being Route 66 State Park, one expects to see Rt 66. It seems to run thru the park, but we couldn't really tell what was just an old road, or actually Rt 66. None of the streetscape that makes the Mother Road so much fun is found inside the park. No art deco motels or cheezy diners, etc. It really is a nature park-- and a nice reuse of a former toxic waste site. The park has a visitors center and museum (it is the same thing). It is an old roadhouse converted into the museum. It was abandoned when Times Beach was evacuated, so it is original to the area. It is located in an odd place, almost outside the park. Oddly, to get to the trails from the museum you must get on 44, drive one exit, get off and back on heading the opposite direction on 44 and get off at the first exit that direction. There is nothing do do at the visitor center other than visit the museum and (of course) the gift shop. The museum is nice, with lots of Rt 66 memorabilia on display, but it is not really all that informative. Attractive, even fun, but you aren't likely to learn anything there. It also is a place to get maps, etc., and well worth the visit. The park can be confusing if you don't have a map (or, I suppose, a guide). All in all, it is a fun couple of hours. Since it is not far from Lone Elk Park, the World Bird Sanctuary, and the Wolf Center it can be part of a very nice day on the outskirts of the county.

Pretty nice little park for exercising now that they cleaned up all the toxic materials that were put down on the roads to control dust back in the day.

Route 66 ! Small but Awesome museum! On my 3rd Route 66 trip I finally timed it right to go hear. Some cool original 66 neon signage and other memorabilia. Decent gift shop. Nice docent.

This park is a true hidden gem. It is basically a fitness park. Walkers, runners, bikers, bladers. The paved loop is 1.9 miles, but there are another several miles of trails that run with the Merrimac river. The down side is that hwy 44 borders the park on the south...This park is easy to get to and parking is abundant. There is a cool rt66 gift shop, and the real rt 66 runs right through it.