What is the name of the Route 66 park created on the former town site of Times Beach, Missouri?

Route 66 State Park occupies the former town site of Times Beach, Missouri.

The town of Times Beach was evacuated in 1982 after flooding spread dioxin contamination through the community. The federal government bought out residents, and the town was disincorporated in 1985. Missouri later transformed much of the area into a state park.

The park preserves a section of the historic Route 66 corridor along the Meramec River. Its visitor center operates in the former Bridgehead Inn, a building associated with the highway before Times Beach disappeared.

The park’s name reflects both the road’s history and the site’s connection with the former town. It is sometimes mistaken for a park located in the town of St. Louis, but Route 66 State Park is in western St. Louis County near Eureka. Trails, interpretive displays, and surviving road traces help explain the area’s layered transportation and environmental history.