Two National Parks · 242 miles apart
Gateway Arch or Mammoth Cave
Gateway Arch drew 2,209,028 recreation visits in 2025, 3.3 times the 660,734 at Mammoth Cave, so crowds are the largest difference. Mammoth Cave holds an International Dark Sky designation and Gateway Arch does not. Mammoth Cave lists 3 campgrounds and Gateway Arch lists none. On the rest they match, since neither charges an entrance fee and neither uses timed entry. The two parks are 242 miles apart in a straight line.
| Gateway Arch National Park | Mammoth Cave National Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Designation | National Park | National Park |
| States | Missouri | Kentucky |
| Recreation visits, 2025 | 2,209,028 | 660,734 |
| Entrance fee, private vehicle | None, free to enter | None, free to enter |
| Timed entry reservation | No | No |
| Campgrounds | None listed | 3 |
| International Dark Sky Park | No | Yes |
| Bird species, NPSpecies | Not listed | 168 |
| Hours or season | The Gateway Arch is open year-round, closed only on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. | Open all day, every day |
Gateway Arch visits by yearMammoth Cave visits by year
Fees, hours, campgrounds and timed entry from the NPS API. Visits from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics system. Dark sky status from DarkSky International. Bird counts from the NPSpecies inventory. Data refreshed October 14, 2026. Other pairs.