Day 3 — Sunday, September 7, 2025 | Missouri to Kansas
The Old Courthouse and St. Louis as seen from the Gateway Arch observation deck
MILES
385
STOPS
3
ORIGIN
St. Louis, MO
DESTINATION
Manhattan, KS
DRIVE TIME
~6.5 hrs
TOTAL TIME
~9 hrs
🛑 Stop 0: St. Louis, Missouri
We slept in a bit this morning, knowing we had tickets for the first tram of the day to the top of the Gateway Arch. Our only real deadline was hotel checkout at 11 a.m.
We had planned to eat breakfast at the hotel but ended up grabbing coffee and croissants at Starbucks before heading over to the Arch. Walking around the grounds before the doors opened gave us a chance to experience the structure up close—something that had been on my bucket list for nearly forty years.
While studying architecture at Montgomery College in 1986, I wrote a paper on Eero Saarinen and his iconic design for Dulles International Airport. That paper sparked a long-standing interest in Saarinen’s work, including the Gateway Arch, and I’d always hoped to see it in person. This was a stop we weren’t going to miss.
After our visit to the Arch, we also explored the Old Courthouse before checking out and continuing west toward our destination for the day: Aggieville in Manhattan, Kansas.
🛑 Stop 1: Rocheport, Missouri
Our original lunch plan was to eat at the Bistro on the Blufftop in Rocheport, but we were disappointed to learn it was closed on Sundays. Instead, we continued a little farther into town and ended up at The Rocheport Winery at Mount Nebo Inn.
In hindsight, we were glad the original plan fell through—this turned out to be a much nicer experience. We sat on the outdoor patio overlooking the Katy Trail as cyclists passed by the historic Rocheport Station. With perfect weather and a peaceful setting, it was one of the most relaxing stops of the trip.
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The Katy Trail, Rocheport, MO.
The Katy Trail is the largest, most developed rails to trails project in the United States. It spans over 240 miles from Clinton, MO to Machens, MO. We had lunch at the Rocheport station, one of 26 stations along the trail’s lenght.
🛑 Stop 2: Kansas City, Missouri
Our hike for the day took place on the Swope Park Trails just south of downtown Kansas City. It took us a bit of time to locate the trailhead, but once we did, we set off on some beautifully built trails.
This was the first moment on the trip when I really wished I had brought my mountain bike. The trails were clearly purpose-built ribbons of singletrack, flowing through the landscape. We walked just over a mile—long enough to stretch our legs and prepare for the final drive to Manhattan.
Although this was meant to be a shorter day, our earlier stops took longer than expected, and we wanted to be sure we reached our destination before dark.
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Swope Park Trails
This was the first time I wish I had had my mountain bike along for the trip. The Swope Park trails are definitely purpose built mountain bike ribbons of singletrack.
🛑 Final Stop: Manhattan, Kansas
We had hoped to stop at the Konza Prairie Overlook to watch the sunset, but our timing was slightly off. Instead, we caught the sun dipping below the horizon from the car as we drove into Manhattan.
After checking into our hotel in downtown Aggieville, we headed out to explore the neighborhood and grabbed dinner at Taco Lucha.
I should have followed our server’s advice and ordered a couple of tacos. Instead, I went for the “big plate”—and, unsurprisingly, it was far too much food. The staff, mostly students from Kansas State University, were relaxed, friendly, and welcoming, making it a great way to wrap up the day.