ST. LOUIS – Unknown to some, there is one way to get to the top of the Gateway Arch without riding a tram car. The alternative is quite daunting and hardly ever an option for most.

Both legs of the Gateway Arch are designed with more than 1,000 emergency access stairs inside. 1,076 stair steps on each side, to be precise.

The stairs were installed in the 1960s as crews worked to build the Gateway Arch. Believe it or not, they’re hardly used. The chances of a visitor using them are very slim to none.

According to an FAQ section of the Gateway Arch website: “There are 1,076 steps inside [each leg of] the Gateway Arch. And even if you wanted to climb them, you cannot. The steps are used for maintenance and emergency purposes only.”

Still, the history and impact of the emergency access stairs are quite fascinating.

For starters, Arch officials shared these photos with FOX 2 of the emergency access stairs, courtesy of the Gateway Arch National Park.

It’s worth noting that the pictured stairs are a separate unit and independent of the 96 stair steps that guests must climb after the tram ride to reach the observation deck.

There’s a good chance you may notice parts of these stairs if you peek through the open window of a tram car going up or down, according to Arch officials. That said, you would only get a look at stairways for one leg of the Arch as visitors use the same side ascending or descending from the viewing area.

Engineers designed the stairways for both legs as mirror images of each other. You may notice in the photos above that some stairs are straight while others spiral. The stairways also change in size and composition from the bottom to the top. There’s a reason behind it all.

Arch officials tell FOX 2 it’s “an engineering feat in itself to meet the curve and change in size of the space from the bottom to the top. There are 105 landings making those transitions.”

Workers may use the stairs in certain cases when they’re assigned to maintenance of the Arch or its tram system.

Arch officials say the only time the public could potentially use them is in the case of an emergency where the trams are deemed inoperable and tram riders can safely be guided to the stairway. Officials say Arch staff are trained in safety measures should this need arise.

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For reference, an emergency may constitute something pretty close in comparison to an incident in July 2022 when Arch tram cars were stuck for two hours with riders inside due to a power outage. The tram riders eventually got down without using the stairs.

The National Park Service adds that stairs inside the Arch “are lit at all times in case of emergency” and that both legs use LED lights.

The Gateway Arch drew around 2.4 million visitors last year. It first opened to the public in 1965. The tram rides take approximately nine minutes both ways and can fit up to five people per tram car. The Arch grounds earned National Park status in 2018.

Click here for more information from NPS on the stairs and the Arch tram ride experience.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.