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Racing Spirits and River Sunsets
Since you're starting with a drive of exactly two hours and 43 minutes from Indy, I'm setting our sights on the St. Louis area to kick off a loop that hits the best of the Midwest's hidden nature and river towns.
7days
21stops
1150km
Day 1: Indianapolis → … → Missouri Botanical Garden
3h 57min · 400km4 stops
Indianapolis
10:00
1h 45min · 176km
Casey
12:30
2h 3min · 216km
Gateway Arch National Park
15:00
9min · 8.9km
Missouri Botanical Garden
17:30
Day 2: Onondaga Cave → Meramec Spring Park → Steelville
2h 6min · 174km3 stops
Onondaga Cave
09:30
1h 18min · 130km
Meramec Spring Park
13:00
48min · 44km
Steelville
16:00
Day 3: Echo Bluff → Alley Spring & Mill → Eminence
1h 44min · 135km3 stops
Echo Bluff
10:00
1h 16min · 101km
Alley Spring & Mill
14:00
28min · 34km
Eminence
17:00
Day 4: Johnson's Shut-Ins → Elephant Rocks → Ste. Genevieve
1h 20min · 109km3 stops
Johnson's Shut-Ins
10:30
1h 1min · 86km
Elephant Rocks
14:00
19min · 23km
Ste. Genevieve
17:00
Day 5: Fort de Chartres State Histor… → Cahokia Mounds State Historic… → Edwardsville
1h 59min · 158km3 stops
Fort de Chartres State Historic Site
10:00
58min · 75km
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
16:30
1h 1min · 83km
Edwardsville
Edwardsville · Illinois
Day 6: Grafton → Pere Marquette → Alton
50min · 58km3 stops
Grafton
10:00
40min · 47km
Pere Marquette
13:00
10min · 10km
Alton
16:00
Day 7: Vandalia State House State Hi… → Indianapolis
1h 10min · 118km2 stops
Vandalia State House State Historic Site
09:00
1h 10min · 118km
Indianapolis
17:30
Heads Up
- 1. State parks in Missouri are free, which saves a ton of money on this route.
- 2. Pack a cooler—the Ozark sections (Days 3-4) are remote, and having your own picnic by a spring is much better than hunting for a diner.