St Louis to Joplin MO drive: Distance, time & best stops
The distance from St Louis to Joplin MO by car is 284 miles, with a 4h18m driving time. The road trip stops on the St Louis to Joplin MO drive are Six Flags St Louis, Meramec State Park and Springfield MO.
Planning a St Louis to Joplin MO road trip itinerary
The St Louis to Joplin MO drive takes you through Missouri from the Mississippi River to state’s south-western corner.
St Louis is one of America’s great crossroads cities. The major landmark is the 630ft-tall Gateway Arch, which visitors can go to the top of. Other top attractions include the Cathedral Basilica of St Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden and Busch Stadium.
Good St Louis experiences include highlight-packed trolley tours, true crime walking tours and small group tours that include going to the top of the St Louis Arch and a Mississippi River cruise.
For St Louis accommodation with personality, try the Last Hotel or the Pennywell.
Joplin MO is a long-standing stop on Route 66. Culturally, the top attraction is the Joplin History and Mineral Museum. This has a fairly cool collection of minerals, but the local history section is more engaging, covering mining, Route 66 and notorious outlaws Bonnie and Clyde.
The main reason to stop in Joplin, however, is to admire Grand Falls – the biggest permanent waterfall in Missouri.
St Louis to Joplin MO distance and driving time
By car, the distance from St Louis to Joplin MO is 284 miles. That makes for a driving time of around four hours and 18 minutes. The quickest route is down the I-44.
The best stops to add to a St Louis to Joplin MO road trip itinerary are Six Flags St Louis, Meramec State Park and Springfield MO.
St Louis to Joplin MO road trip attractions: Six Flags St Louis
Six Flags St Louis in Eureka MO is one of the top theme parks in the States, and it offers a good mix of rides for all ages. It doesn’t quite have the top tier thrill rides that some of the other Six Flags parks have, although inverted coaster Batman: The Ride ramps up the screams. The real strength lies in classic-style wooden rollercoasters. Entrance to the Hurricane Harbor water park is included in the ticket price.
Best stops between St Louis & Joplin MO: Meramec State Park
The highlight of Meramec State Park is Fisher Cave. Tours into the cave include narrow passages cut by the stream, massive chambers with 30ft calcite columns and bear claw marks preserved in the cave walls.
Not part of the state park, but next to it, are the Meramac Caverns. Again, you can take a tour of the caves, but there’s also plenty more on offer – including riverboat cruises, panning for gold and ziplining.
St Louis to Joplin MO drive: Springfield MO
Springfield is the third biggest city in Missouri, and packs an impressive amount in. Top of most visitor’s lists is the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium. The aquarium is the best section, but the rest is a quirky celebration of model animals. It flits from penguins in the Antarctic to elephants on the African savanna.
Other options include the Route 66 Car Museum, the Dickerson Park Zoo, the Mizumoto Japanese Garden and craft beer tours.
For something totally bizarre, head to the Pythian Castle, built in 1913 by an order of knights. You can visit on a history tour or a nighttime ghost tour.
- For more attractions, check out the guide to the St Louis to Springfield MO drive.
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