Missouri's Rock Island Trail is now a reality!
With a little momentum, and some push from the affected communities,
the Rock Island will continue to grow and
Missouri will remain the rails-to-trails destination of North America.
Missouri State Parks refers to the trail as the Rock Island Spur of the Katy Trail.
These two trails already intersect in western Missouri, and eventually will connect a few hundred miles to the east as well.
About the Rock Island Trail in MO
The Rock Island Trail is a "rails-to-trails" trail which will stretch over 200 miles across the state of Missouri.
By intersecting the Katy Trail on both the western and eastern sides of the state,
Missouri's trail system will form a 450 mile loop.
The Rock Island Trail is already open between Windsor and the Kansas City suburb of Pleasant Hill.
It will continue to expand further westward through Kansas City's suburbs, and eastward toward the St Louis area.
On the western end, Jackson County has opened a 13 mile segment from Lee's Summit to the Truman Sports Complex at I-70.
Katy Trail Connection
Missouri's Katy Trail is a "must ride" for touring cyclists from all over the country, offering over 200 miles of scenic
uninterrupted trail. The citizens of Missouri are fortunate to have this jewel in their backyard,
but in the past it was less accessible to to Kansas City residents due to distance. Now that the Rock Island trail connects the Katy Trail to KC's outer suburbs,
this amazing trail system is finally within easy reach of the Kansas City area.
In 2008, as part of a settlement over the Taum Sauk Dam disaster, Ameren Corporation give the state of Missouri
control over a portion of the old Rock Island railroad right-of-way. This section runs from
Windsor, where it intersects the Katy Trail, northwest into
the suburbs of Kansas City.
The remaining 144 miles of the Rock Island Trail will run from Windsor to Beaufort, which is about 16 miles from Washington.
With the new bike-friendly bridge
at Washington, trail users will be able to easily make the connection to the Dutzow trailhead on the Katy Trail.
Resources
Trail Conditions on the Rock Island Trail
Please let us know if you are aware of any adverse trail conditions.
BikeRockIsland.com is brought to you by TrailHub, which also brings you BikeKatyTrail.com.
We support the following organizations, and encourage you to do the same:
|