Explore the best rated trails in Carthage, MO. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Ruby Jack Trail and Frisco Highline Trail. With more than 5 trails covering 61 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The 37.6-mile, partially paved Frisco Highline Trail connects Bolivar and Springfield with plenty to see along the way. If you travel from north to south, you’ll find that the corridor rises at about...
The southern terminus of the Frisco Greenway Trail is tucked into an unassuming neighborhood in Joplin. From there, the gravel trail winds northward along the former St. Louis–San Francisco Railway,...
Thom Station Trail sits on an old Frisco railbed in the town of Carl Junction, just 15 minutes north of Joplin, Missouri. It’s a relatively short trail, 2.8 miles roundtrip. The southern half of the...
The Watco Trail, named for the short-line railroad operator headquartered in Pittsburg, stretches diagonally through the Kansas city just west of downtown. The trail is open on a portion of the former...
The southern terminus of the Frisco Greenway Trail is tucked into an unassuming neighborhood in Joplin. From there, the gravel trail winds northward along the former St. Louis–San Francisco Railway,...
The Ruby Jack Trail runs for 16 miles between Carthage, MO, and the Kansas state line. The trail links the towns of Carthage, Oronogo, and Carl Junction, traversing farmland, wetland, and woodland....
Thom Station Trail sits on an old Frisco railbed in the town of Carl Junction, just 15 minutes north of Joplin, Missouri. It’s a relatively short trail, 2.8 miles roundtrip. The southern half of the...
The 37.6-mile, partially paved Frisco Highline Trail connects Bolivar and Springfield with plenty to see along the way. If you travel from north to south, you’ll find that the corridor rises at about...
The Watco Trail, named for the short-line railroad operator headquartered in Pittsburg, stretches diagonally through the Kansas city just west of downtown. The trail is open on a portion of the former...
The Watco Trail, named for the short-line railroad operator headquartered in Pittsburg, stretches diagonally through the Kansas city just west of downtown. The trail is open on a portion of the former...
The 37.6-mile, partially paved Frisco Highline Trail connects Bolivar and Springfield with plenty to see along the way. If you travel from north to south, you’ll find that the corridor rises at about...
The Ruby Jack Trail runs for 16 miles between Carthage, MO, and the Kansas state line. The trail links the towns of Carthage, Oronogo, and Carl Junction, traversing farmland, wetland, and woodland....
The southern terminus of the Frisco Greenway Trail is tucked into an unassuming neighborhood in Joplin. From there, the gravel trail winds northward along the former St. Louis–San Francisco Railway,...
Thom Station Trail sits on an old Frisco railbed in the town of Carl Junction, just 15 minutes north of Joplin, Missouri. It’s a relatively short trail, 2.8 miles roundtrip. The southern half of the...
A friend suggested riding in Joplin so searched TrailLink to see what we could find. Took a friend, his wife and son up from NW Arkansas on October 10 to explore. The trail reminded us of the Katy Trail with the gravel surface so that started the day just right. With the notes from your site and our GPS navigation, found the trailhead pretty easily. Early morning coolness made this a fun adventure overall. The two things that my riding partners both suggested would make this easier for others would be to see about more signage around the end of the trail about 4 plus miles in as the trail just kind of stopped with out much to identify if we should keep going or turn around. Some nice pedestrians told us we were at the end and were so nice that it really helped us to finish on a positive note then turn around. There was one major street crossing that did not have any lights or devices to have traffic stop for slower riders or children. We had an 8 year old with us so that was a safety concern thta could be easily added. We may be spoiled by all the work in NW Arkansas trails for the local Greenway. Overall, a great morning start before heading over to the Ruby Jack trail.
A friend suggested riding in Joplin so hopped on TrailLink to see what we could find. Ruby Jack sounded interesting and it did not disappoint! Put in at Carl Junction on October 10 and rode to Carthage for about a 25 mile round trip. Cool morning temps helped make this a great trail to explore. I highly recommend giving this a look and have already recommended it to several friends. Just a little over an hour from NW Arkansas so easily reached and lots of food options for post ride nutrition!!! Since I was solo, did not go much past the rough patch going west. Will explore that more in the future!
Very impressive that this trail is kept up by volunteers. Very few loose gravel spots where a hybrid bike can get questionable. Not really much to see, but very few road crossings and you can safely ride from Carthage to Car Junction.
I biked this trail May 26, 2021. Except for about 100 feet of trail at mile point 4.2 (just carry your bike across the railroad tracks and bike to the north edge of the short unfinished section), this is a great trail from about mile point 2.5 all the way to the eastern end in Carthage.
The 2.5 mile section from the state line to near Carl Junction is (currently) only recommended for good bikers on mountain bikes (the gravel is thick in points and the trail is mostly un-cleared of brush).
I did the complete 16 mile trail on my hybrid bike, but I found the western-most 2.5 mile section a bit tricky.
I would recommend biking from the Carthage trailhead to Carl Junction and returning to Carthage. This gives you a nice 25 mile ride.
The Joplin Trails Coalition expects to have the entire 16-mile trail completed by sometime in 2022.
We parked at the paved Willard Trailhead at 107 E. Jackson Street and headed towards Springfield. We were only interested in a short out-and-back ride on the asphalt section and that section of the trail served its purpose. We have hybrid bicycles. The trail was in pretty good shape. There was one section where tree roots uprooted the pavement and one or two trees could have used pruning. Part of the trail is shady. If you are looking for a scenic trail, this one isn’t it. The section we rode goes through industrial areas – concrete factory, airport, trucking business, mini storage before ending at the Kearny trailhead in Springfield. Except for the Willard trailhead which has restrooms, picnic area and bicycle shop, there are no amenities along this section of the trail. We would recommend the pizza place across from the Willard trailhead – the pizza was excellent!
Started at Bolivar and turned around at mile marker 31 since it was not paved after this point, getting dark, and was muddy! Definitely take detour when it says so you don't have to backtrack. Not safe to cross the highway there!
A very nice ride. This probably has already been said somewhere but the first 8 miles are pavement and very very comfortable. I did 12 miles today and turned around, but I’m setting a goal to do all 37 miles sometime.
The wife and I have just started walking, as a means of much needed exercise. I am a former powerlifter and she was once an athlete, in golden years past. We have been walking by Shoal Creek, a great walk, and it is nearer to our house, but once we walked this trail we both fell in love. Great walk. Even when it is busy, there are quiet moments to see nature and wildlife. Most people you pass say hello, nod, or let you pet their dog. That may just be the people of Joplin, but still it is an incredibly beautiful, friendly, and surprisingly strenuous walk. We are gonna do the whole thing soon, and once we do she says we are going to mountain bike the whole thing. What a great natural spot to escape to. Joplin is blessed with such beautiful natural settings.
This trail is great for a stroll or a quick bike ride. Beautiful scenery and you can start either off of Allan St or from Briarbrook.
We rode the entire trail out and back. We live near the KATY trail and that is always our reference. Trail is not as well maintained as KATY. The southern end is much better maintained. We started north at bolivar. The first 4 miles are paved or good. The next several miles are bad for narrow tires, to the extent that I rode my Mountian bike day two. We quit at 215 highway for 12.5. Then return same poor trail. Day 2 on mountain bike of course the trail was much better. The closer to Springfield the bet it got. The last 8 miles blacktop. All in all great ride, the only exception was that rough ride on the northern end.
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