Location Details
The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge is a historic, mile-long landmark that carried Route 66 traffic across the Mississippi River from 1936 to 1967. Today, it functions exclusively as a pedestrian and bicycle trail, globally famous for its highly unusual 22-to-30-degree sharp turn right in the middle of the span.
Location & Parking Details
Missouri Entrance (Open & Accessible): Located at 10820 Riverview Dr, St. Louis, MO 63137. Visitors park at the newly revitalized Chain of Rocks Park (opened in 2024), which features a gated parking lot, security booth, cameras, and a pavilion.
Illinois Entrance (Temporarily Blocked): Located at 4205-4207 Chain of Rocks Rd, Granite City, IL 62040 on Chouteau Island. Under normal conditions, it offers a large gravel lot, but it is currently inaccessible due to local canal bridge construction.
Hours & Operations
Bridge Hours: Open daily from 9:00 AM to 30 minutes past sunset.
Missouri Park Hours: The surrounding Chain of Rocks Park gates are open from 7:00 AM to 30 minutes past sunset.
Cost: Completely free to visit and park.
Key Features & What to See
The 22-Degree Bend: Engineers built this sharp turn mid-span to help riverboats safely navigate the tricky river bedrock and avoid the nearby water intake towers.
Historic Water Towers: From the bridge, you can view two castle-like historic water intake towers built in 1894 and 1915 to pump clean drinking water to St. Louis.
The Rapids: You can look down to see the "chain of rocks"—a natural stretch of rocky rapids that gives the bridge its name.
Pop Culture: Film buffs recognize the bridge from its starring role in John Carpenter's 1981 dystopian movie, Escape from New York.
