Moon Phase Today St. Louis

Moon Phase Today St. Louis: New Moon

On Friday, October 9, 2026, the moon in St. Louis is a New Moon with 0% illumination. Moon age: 29.0 days.

Illumination
0%
Moon Age
29.0d
Next Full Moon
Oct 25
Distance
--
☽ Moonrise
6:06 AM
↑ Highest
—
☾ Moonset
5:59 PM

full-moon-hanging-over-st-louis

☽ Best Places to View the Moon in St. Louis, MO

St. Louis has one landmark that dominates almost every good moon-viewing spot in the city: the Gateway Arch, rising 630 feet over the Mississippi River. Downtown viewpoints trade on that view directly, while the city's big 19th-century parks — Forest Park and Tower Grove Park — offer open lawns and historic pavilions well away from the riverfront crowds. Getting a genuinely dark sky means heading out to the county parks past the interstate loop, though even those trade late-night access for the distance. As always, the moon's exact rise direction shifts through its cycle, so it's worth checking that against whichever landmark or shoreline you're planning around. Here are six of the area's strongest viewpoints.

1

360 Rooftop Bar (Downtown)

Atop the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, with 360-degree views taking in the Gateway Arch, the Mississippi, and Busch Stadium below — one of the most direct Arch views in the city. Opens at 4 p.m. daily; specific closing times vary by night, so check current hours. All patrons must be 21 or older after 7 p.m. Address: 1 S Broadway.

2

Gateway Arch National Park Grounds

The 91-acre national park grounds around the Arch itself, with riverfront pathways, the Grand Staircase down to the Mississippi, and views toward the river depending on where you stand. Free to walk, no ticket needed for the grounds. Open 5 a.m.–11 p.m. year-round. Address: 200 Washington Ave (Fourth Street entrance).

3

Citygarden (Downtown)

A free two-block sculpture park on the Gateway Mall, a short walk from the Arch, with winding paths, a waterfall, and open lawns among two dozen sculptures. Open sunrise to 10 p.m. daily. Address: 801 Market St.

4

Government Hill (Forest Park)

A rise in Forest Park topped by the World's Fair Pavilion, an open-air structure built with proceeds from the 1904 World's Fair, overlooking the Grand Basin and Post-Dispatch Lake below. The pavilion itself is permit-only for reserved events, but the surrounding hill and grounds are open to anyone during general Forest Park hours: 6 a.m.–10 p.m. daily, free. Address: 1904 Concourse Dr.

5

Tower Grove Park (South St. Louis)

A 289-acre National Historic Landmark park built in the formal Gardenesque style, with ornate historic pavilions, winding paths, and a 3-mile outer loop. Free, no reservation needed. The park's own materials are inconsistent on exact closing time — some list sunrise to sunset, others 6 a.m.–10 p.m. — so treat it as a sunset/early-evening destination rather than a late-night one, and check posted signage on-site. Address: 4256 Magnolia Ave.

6

Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park (Maryland Heights)

St. Louis County's largest park at over 2,100 acres, built around Creve Coeur Lake — an oxbow lake and one of the larger natural lakes in Missouri — with a paved shoreline trail and real distance from downtown's glow. Park hours are more restrictive than the downtown locations on this list, so check current St. Louis County hours before planning an evening visit. Address: 2143 Creve Coeur Mill Rd.

◉ Best Times for Moon Photography

🌕 Full Moon ±1 day — brightest phase, though not necessarily the most photogenic for every landmark shot
🌔 Days before full — the moon generally rises earlier each evening as full approaches, sometimes coinciding with golden or blue hour, though the exact timing varies with the date and season
🧭 Arch alignments — the moon's rising azimuth changes from date to date as its position in orbit changes, so check the exact date and viewpoint rather than assuming a direction

📷 Quick Photography Tips

🎯Use a sturdy tripod — most outdoor spots on this list allow them, but check with staff before setting one up on the 360 Rooftop Bar's patio
📷Shoot RAW and expose for the moon — it's much brighter than the surrounding city glow or the Mississippi's surface reflection
📏Looney 11 rule — a solid starting point: f/11, ISO 100, 1/100s for a full moon, then adjust from your histogram
🌕Low on the horizon, the moon can look strikingly large — that's the well-known "moon illusion," a perceptual effect rather than an actual change in size. A photo doesn't automatically preserve that apparent size; how large the moon looks relative to the foreground in your shot comes down to your focal length and shooting distance
⛈️Check the radar, not just the forecast — the St. Louis area gets fast-building spring and early-summer thunderstorms that can turn severe with little warning, plus hazy, humid summer evenings that can soften the moon's edge
🕐 Timezone

St. Louis runs on Central Time — CST (UTC−6) in winter and CDT (UTC−5) in summer, since Missouri observes daylight saving time. PhotoPills or Stellarium will handle the moon's exact rise azimuth for any of these spots automatically.

Enjoy the moon over St. Louis — a rooftop view of the Arch downtown, a 1904 World's Fair pavilion overlooking the Grand Basin, and a real lake shoreline out past the interstate loop, all sharing the same lunar glow.

The moon phase today in St. Louis is shown in detail above — complete with exact illumination percentage, moonrise/set times, and the best local spots to see it. For the moon phase today in any other city worldwide, visit our Dynamic Moon Phase Calculator on the home page.

◐ What the Experience Actually Feels Like

Up on the 360 Rooftop Bar, the evening crowd usually thickens fast on Cardinals game nights, with a good chunk of the patio angled toward Busch Stadium as much as the Arch. The moon tends to rise somewhere out over the Illinois side of the river, and for a while it's just one more bright point competing with the stadium lights and the Arch's own nighttime glow before it climbs high enough to stand apart.

Up at Government Hill in Forest Park, the mood is entirely different. The World's Fair Pavilion sits above the Grand Basin and its reflecting pool, and in the hour or so around sunset — before the park's own hours wind down for the night — it's a quiet, elevated spot to watch the sky change color over more than a thousand acres of park rather than a skyline.

Out at Creve Coeur Lake, it's a different city altogether — if you can get there while the park's still open. The shoreline trail runs along real open water, an oxbow lake that's among the larger natural lakes in Missouri, with much less of downtown's light and noise than anywhere else on this list. It's best treated as a golden-hour or early-evening destination rather than a late-night one.

"Out at Creve Coeur Lake, the shoreline trail runs along real open water — an oxbow lake that's among the larger natural lakes in Missouri — with much less of downtown's light and noise than anywhere else on this list."

✓ Your St. Louis Moon Chase Checklist

Before You Go

  • Check the moonrise time and rise azimuth for your date — alignment with the Arch or a specific park view depends on the date, not just the location
  • Check both the moon's rise time and the venue's closing time — Tower Grove Park and Creve Coeur Lake close well before the downtown spots on this list, so a late moonrise may not fit either one
  • Verify Site Access: 360 Rooftop Bar is 21+ after 7 p.m., and its hours and crowd levels shift around Cardinals home games — check the schedule and current hours before heading over
  • Use PhotoPills or Stellarium to check whether the moon will align with the Arch or a specific park view on your date
  • Check the radar for spring and early-summer severe weather, not just rain chances — Midwest thunderstorms can turn severe with little warning
  • Confirm whether your chosen venue allows tripods, particularly on a rooftop bar patio where space and seating rules vary

What to Bring

  • A telephoto lens — 200mm or longer is a useful starting point; shooting from farther away makes the moon appear larger relative to the Arch or a distant skyline
  • Water and bug spray — the lakes and basins at Creve Coeur and Forest Park draw mosquitoes, especially at dusk in warmer months
  • A remote shutter release or a 2-second timer to avoid shake on tripod shots, where tripods are permitted
  • A small flashlight or headlamp for the walk back to your car in the early-evening dusk — but plan to be out of Tower Grove Park and Forest Park's Government Hill area by their posted closing, not after full dark
  • A payment method for drinks or a table at the 360 Rooftop Bar, since the parks and Citygarden on this list are free

On the Night

  • Arrive at your viewpoint at least 30–45 minutes early, especially downtown around full moons and Cardinals home games
  • Focus manually on the moon's edge — rooftop lighting and the Arch's own illumination can confuse autofocus at dusk
  • Bracket your exposures — one for the bright lunar disc, one for the darker river, lake, or basin below
  • If the moon looks soft or hazy right at moonrise, consider waiting until it climbs higher above the horizon, when atmospheric effects are often less pronounced
  • Tower Grove Park and Creve Coeur Lake are best treated as sunset/early-evening destinations, not late-night ones — plan to be back at your car before dark rather than after; Forest Park's grounds stay open later (6 a.m.–10 p.m.) but the World's Fair Pavilion itself is for permitted events only
The moon over St. Louis moves between two very different registers — the lit-up riverfront and rooftops around the Arch, and the quieter lawns, pavilions, and shoreline spread across the region's parks. Use the tools on this page, pick your vantage point, and catch a St. Louis moonrise for yourself.

? St. Louis Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the moon phase today in St. Louis?

The moon phase today in St. Louis is a New Moon with 0% illumination. The next full moon is in 17 days, on Oct 25. Moonrise is at 6:06 AM and moonset at 5:59 PM.

Q. Where is the best place to view the moon in St. Louis?

The Gateway Arch National Park Grounds are the standout spot, 91 free acres around the Arch itself with riverfront pathways and the Grand Staircase down to the Mississippi. The 360 Rooftop Bar gives one of the most direct Arch views in the city from atop the Hilton at the Ballpark, Government Hill in Forest Park overlooks the Grand Basin from the 1904 World's Fair Pavilion, and Citygarden, Tower Grove Park, or Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park add further downtown-sculpture-garden, historic-landmark, or genuinely-farther-from-downtown alternatives.

Q. Do these viewing spots stay open after dark?

Most do, to varying degrees — the Gateway Arch grounds are open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. year-round, Citygarden runs sunrise to 10 p.m., and Forest Park's general hours (covering Government Hill) run 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tower Grove Park's own materials are inconsistent on its exact closing time, so it's best treated as a sunset or early-evening destination rather than a late-night one, and Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park keeps more restrictive hours than the downtown locations, so it's worth checking current St. Louis County hours before an evening visit.

Q. Does St. Louis observe daylight saving time?

Yes. St. Louis runs on Central Time — CST (UTC−6) in winter and CDT (UTC−5) in summer, since Missouri observes daylight saving time on the standard U.S. schedule.

Q. What's the best time of year for moon photography in St. Louis?

The moon's exact rise direction shifts through its cycle rather than following a fixed seasonal pattern, so it's worth checking that against whichever landmark or shoreline you're planning around. Getting a genuinely dark sky here means heading out to the county parks past the interstate loop, though even those trade some late-night access for the extra distance from downtown's glow.

Q. Does this page work for cities besides St. Louis?

This page is set up specifically for St. Louis, Missouri. For the moon phase in any other city or location worldwide, use the Dynamic Moon Phase Calculator on the moonphase.today home page.