Mississippi Greenway: Chain of Rocks Park

Great Rivers Greenway maintains the bridge and area around the bridge on the Missouri side. The site hosts community programs and events such as Eagle Days, Chain of Rocks Car Shows, and numerous runs, bike rides, and historic Route 66 tours. The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge is the northern anchor for the Mississippi Greenway: Riverfront Trail that extends south to the Arch.

The focus of this new vision for the site includes security, natural features, and amenities for daily use and special events.

Although the site was covered with debris from demolished buildings more than forty years ago, natural habitats have returned to the site since then. There is an early successional forest on the site with short-lived trees that are not yet part of a functioning ecosystem. Areas of the site with possible summer bat habitat and low invasive species will be protected.

Throughout 2019, neighbors and stakeholders shared ideas on what will bring people to this site on an ongoing basis and improve safety and security. These ideas were used to create a concept plan in 2020.

We used feedback on the concept plan from neighbors, stakeholders and community members to refine the site plan shown below.

Great Rivers Greenway is leveraging local tax dollars with private donations and grant funding for the construction of this project.  On August 10, 2021 the project was awarded a $990,000 grant from the National Park Service through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program.  It is one of 19 nationwide projects selected to receive funding from the National Park Service through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program. This $990,000 award will be used to add security features, habitat restoration, nature-based stormwater management, and amenities for daily use and special events to this historic site.

Public art that features the Mississippi Flyway migratory route and unique Chain of Rocks river geology will be created at this site by local artist Simiya Sudduth. Preview:

The park was opened on April 14, 2024 (there will still be some finishing touches, planting etc. in the coming months).

Chain of Rocks Park features:

Security

• Gated entrance
• Staff on site during peak hours
• Fence around site
• Lighting in parking lot
• Video surveillance cameras
• Emergency phone

Natural Features

• Restoration of wetlands and woodlands that provide food and shelter for native wildlife on site including migratory birds
• New 1.5 acre reconstructed prairie (already underway)
• Unpaved footpath through native habitats in prairie
• Permeable parking lot pavement and rain gardens to reduce stormwater runoff from the site
• Signs around site explaining native habitats and nature-based stormwater management

Amenities for Daily Use and Special Events

• Permeable parking lot and overflow grass lot
• Picnic pavilion for group gatherings
• Restrooms for daily use
• Local artwork that reflects the Mississippi Flyway migratory route and Chain of Rocks river geology
• Drinking fountain
• Direct walking and biking access to historic bridge with river overlook
• Event lawn and food truck area with water and electricity for community events

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2024 CHAIN OF ROCKS PARK VENDOR APPLICATION

To enhance the convenience, enjoyment, and experience of visitors to the Mississippi Greenway: Chain of Rocks Park, vendors are invited to offer quality goods and services at this location. A Vendor Permit is required.

Available vending locations are in the designated plaza area. Vending is allowed during park open hours only. No open fire, glass, or styrofoam containers. Cooking with oil must be contained in a food truck. No charcoal. Alcohol sales require a liquor license.

Complete the form below to submit a Vendor Permit application.

ABOUT THIS PLACE

Did you know that this section of the Mississippi Greenway will connect to regionally significant places such as the banks of the Mississippi River, the Mississippi Flyway, and the historic Route 66? What stories do you know about this place? Share them at www.GreatRiversGreenway.org/ShareYourStory or by calling 314-932-4904.

Natural and built features impact our past, present, and future. During the last ice age, ice blocked the Mississippi River channel in this area – forcing the river to carve out a new route over bedrock. The chain of rocks that remain in the river today for several miles north of St. Louis area a series of strong stone ledges that have not yet been eroded by the flowing water. These rocks made the river dangerous to navigate by boat durint most river stages – and impossible to navigate during low water. To accommodate riverboat traffic, the Army Corps of Engineers built an 8.4-mile-long canal to bypass the chain of rocks in 1953. The rocks that you see just south of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge are a low water dam built by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1964 to raise the water level high enough to cover the chain of rocks upstream and keep the river levels high enough at the top of the canal to allow boats to travel through.

Since prehistoric times, the Mississippi River has been used to transport people and goods – but did you know that birds use it too!? The Mississippi River is the most heavily used migration route for birds in North America. 40% of all migrating birds in North America make the round trip each year along the Mississippi Flyway from their breeding grounds in Canada and the northern United States to their wintering grounds along the Gulf of Mexico and Central and South America. The waterways, wetlands, and woodlands along the Mississippi River are important resting points for these migrating birds.

• 1894 and 1915 – The two structures that you see in the river that look like tiny castles are built to draw drinking water from the Mississippi River.
• 1929 – The Chain of Rocks toll bridge – constructed with funding from local entrepreneurs – opens to the public. The one-mile bridge has a 22-degree bend in the middle to prevent boat captains from having to navigate the bridge piers and water intake towers at the same time. Initially, the bridge features an ornate toll booth beneath an amusement park on the Missouri side and a row of 400 elm trees on the Illinois side.
• 1936 – Route 66 is rerouted over the Chain of Rocks Bridge, and toll profits soar.
• Early 1940s – The bright red sections of the bridge are painted the dull green that you see today so that the structure is less visible from the air during World War II.
• 1970 – The Chain of Rocks Bridge closes, shortly after Interstate 270 opens.
• 1975 – Bridge demolition is planned, but with the low value of scrap steel at the time, tearing down the structure is determined to not be cost effective.
• 1999 – The Chain of Rocks Bridge reopens to people walking, bicycling, pushing strollers, and using wheelchairs.