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

• Missouri Rock Island Trail inc FaceBook and website - a coalition of citizens, businesses, and communities united in support of the Rock Island Trail
  
• This fact sheet from Missouri Rock Island Trail Inc. provides numerous details about the trail and what lies ahead for continued progress
• The Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation is always on top of any news or developments regarding the trail:
  At the bottom of MBPF's articles, you'll find links to other related articles.
• Jackson County Regional Rail Coalition Facebook page - promoting development of the section near Kansas City
• Jackson County Rock Island Corridor
• Windsor to Beaufort Facebook Group
• Missouri State Parks - not much info here yet but stay tuned
• Google's suggested bike route from Lee's Summit to Pleasant Hill - on-road route to bridge the current gap at Greenwood

Trail Conditions on the Rock Island Trail

Please let us know if you are aware of any adverse trail conditions.

Stickers!