Explore the best rated trails in Springfield, MO. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Table Rock Lakeshore Trail and Ward Branch Greenway. With more than 11 trails covering 74 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.
For a bike trail in the middle of a city built on a thousand hills, this was a pretty nice, short trail!
Well maintained and beautiful. The leaves were colorful and fall is in full swing. Saw a noisy chipmunk and a few squirrels.
Parked at Taj's trailhead. Started up the hill going north. At the top of the hill there is a gate with a large padlock on it. I could go no further unless I were to lift my bicycle over the gate.
Rode this trail twice while camping at Table Rock SP. Easy, clean paved trail next to the lake. A visitor's center at one end and the marina at the other end. Mostly shaded and a couple of wooden bridges. Shared with walkers and skaters.¿¿
Absolutely stunning views !! Very clean trails, & bathrooms. The atmosphere & views are gorgeous!
We parked at Tal's Trailhead and went North. There were some challenging hills as the path wandered through open pasture and forest. We followed the map from TrailLink and missed the path twice which kind of screwed up our mileage goal! We stopped at Rutledge Wilson's Farm Park...what a treat! Don't pass this stop up. A working farm with opportunity to interact with the goats, mini-ponies and sheep. We started back to ride the South Creek Greenway and realized the beginning of that trail was at the top of a large hill and a bit of the path is on a very busy road. We watched a cyclist navigate the traffic and decided to call it quits! Always enjoy riding new trails and this experience would have been better with trail markings.
I started at Pershing school and walked in one mile. The trail was fantastic ( I am used to my gravel on where I live); and had mile markers on the asphalt every .2 miles. Asphalt all the way I walked and mostly shaded; lots of trees, simply a beautiful experience!
Cute little trail with a water hazard. We stayed at Cooks RV and rode the bikes to the trailhead at the school. We got about a mile into it and came across a creek crossing. There is no bridge, so you have to ride through the creek on a concrete pad. There is signage that says not to cross through the water, so I assume that this creek is normally dry. The blacktop needs to be upgraded in a few spots.
We picked up the trail at the end of South Kings Avenue which is near the McDaniel Park trailhead. This urban trail has quite a bit of turns and curves. Trail width varies depending on the location and follows the creek for the most part. Mile markers and directional signs are painted on the pavement. For the first 1.6 miles, there are a few street crossings and the trail parallels roads. A short distance after you cross over the Kansas Expressway overpass, the trail goes through the Springfield Botanical Gardens. Plan on a stop here to stroll through one of the many gardens. The botanical gardens are gorgeous. The trail continues on for a short distance through a shady area and you can almost forget you are in a major city. We turned around at MM 5.4, West Battlefield Rd.
The trail surface was good. You cycle through two short tunnels which might be flooded after a heavy rain. It also seems that the section of the trail beyond the botanical gardens could also be subject to some flooding. We are not from the area so can’t comment for sure on flooding. I would recommend this trail. There are no amenities along the trail.
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!
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