Mississippi River Overlook
This overlook sits at 417 feet along the Great River Road, with the land dropping 35 feet within 600 meters of the site. Gateway Arch Riverboats lies 0.5 miles to the west at 444 feet, and Katherine Ward Burg Garden is 0.6 miles northwest at 449 feet. Luther Ely Smith Square is visible 0.7 miles west-northwest at 474 feet, while Rootwad Park sits 1.1 miles north-northwest at 432 feet. Saint Louis is the nearest town, 0.8 miles west-northwest; Saint Charles is 19.9 miles northwest and O'Fallon is 30.7 miles west-northwest. Sunrise and sunset shift across the year: on the June solstice the sun rises at 05:37 and sets at 20:29, while on the December solstice sunrise is at 07:16 and sunset at 16:43. The equinoxes fall between these extremes, with sunrise near 06:49–07:05 and sunset near 18:59–19:13. The next lookout along the route is Horseshoe Bluff.

What you’re looking at
Named terrain around this overlook, nearest first. No view direction is recorded, so every bearing is listed.
- Gateway Arch Riverboats444 ftwest · 0.5 mi
- Katherine Ward Burg Garden449 ftnorthwest · 0.6 mi
- Luther Ely Smith Square474 ftwest-northwest · 0.7 mi
- Rootwad Park432 ftnorth-northwest · 1.1 mi
Light
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:05 | 19:13 | 18:38 |
| June solstice | 05:37 | 20:29 | 19:50 |
| September equinox | 06:49 | 18:59 | 18:24 |
| December solstice | 07:16 | 16:43 | 16:02 |
Local time (America/Chicago). Computed for this exact position.
Where it is
- Saint Louis0.8 mi west-northwest
- Saint Charles19.9 mi northwest
- O’Fallon30.7 mi west-northwest
Take the scenic way to Mississippi River Overlook.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.
How high is Mississippi River Overlook?
Mississippi River Overlook sits at about 417 feet (127 m).
What can you see from Mississippi River Overlook?
From Mississippi River Overlook: Gateway Arch Riverboats (W, 0.5 mi); Katherine Ward Burg Garden (NW, 0.6 mi); Luther Ely Smith Square (WNW, 0.7 mi); Rootwad Park (NNW, 1.1 mi).
What is the nearest town to Mississippi River Overlook?
Saint Louis, 0.8 miles WNW of Mississippi River Overlook.
What is the next lookout after Mississippi River Overlook?
Horseshoe Bluff is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Mississippi River Overlook.
Drive to Mississippi River Overlook with Byway
Byway plans the scenic way there — real places along Great River Road, real weather, zero hallucinations — and hands the turns to the navigation you already use.
Byways with this lookout
Day trips start here
- East St. Louis · 3 mi
- St. Louis · 3 mi
- Cahokia · 4 mi
- Fairmont City · 5 mi
- Granite City · 6 mi
- Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site · 7 mi
Locals make it Verified.
Mississippi River Overlook — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.
Confirmed by locals
No local confirmations yet. Stood here? Yours is the one that upgrades this lookout to Verified.
Ratings
No ratings yet. Stood at this lookout? Be the first to rate it.
No written reviews yet.
Field notes
No field notes yet. Know the gate hours or the best pull-in? Leave the note you wish you'd had.
Photos
No photos yet.
Sign in to confirm this lookout, rate it, add photos, and leave field notes.
More lookouts on Great River Road
Named places near this lookout
- Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park Park · 0.14 mi
- Lewis and Clark in Illinois Historic site · 0.43 mi
- The Captain's Return Historic site · 0.48 mi
- Gateway Arch Historic site · 0.52 mi
- Museum at the Gateway Arch Museum · 0.6 mi
- Mystic Vessel Ascending Artwork · 0.7 mi
- Dred and Harriet Scott Artwork · 0.74 mi
- Corinthian Capital Artwork · 0.75 mi




