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This is a very nice trail with some challenging portions. Like most rail trails I would recommend using a bicycle with wide tires, 35mm up. The paved portions between Springfield and Willard and the section between the Bolivar Trailhead and the La Gemme Petite Prairie area are fine for road bikes.
Best Time to ride: I would say fall is the best. However, as this trail has plentiful tree cover it is not that bad in the summer.
Best Stops: Willard is absolutely wonderful. Great pizza place right across from the trailhead. The HOBO HAVEN Stop I thought was pretty cool.
Scenery: Missouri at its best. Forests, prairies, rolling hills, rivers, cattle ranches, lush meadows and grasslands. This trail crosses 16 bridges which are really cool.
Challenges: The north end of the trail, past the small village of Wishart, has had some washouts and the repairs are rough gravel and at times loose gravel. This portion of the trail up to the asphalt portion is kinda rough so take your time and keep your eye on the trail surface. The next big challenge is in Bolivar where the trail is interrupted by a 4 lane freeway. Please don't try and cross this. It is dangerous and the median is very wet and muddy. I have mapped a SAFE detour that avoids the non-bicycle-friendly portion of West Aldrich Road. You can view it here on Ride with GPS: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52840487 . The Trail Link trail guide says they have a detour, " see below", but there is nothing there. This detour uses roads with nice shoulders and quiet residential streets.
If you are staying in Bolivar, I stayed at the Best Western Plus and wholeheartedly recommend it. Cyclist-friendly folks and a nice hotel with a great restaurant next door.
Summary: This is one of the most scenic rail trails in Missouri and well worth a visit.
Would be great if it wasn't for the dogs and their owners. I carry an air horn on the bike, they didn't like that at all.
Rode from Frog Hollow hiking trail parking lot W. Nice paved trail, but needs better signage. Also dangerous road crossings especially by the two schools alongside the trail. Tried heading E, first took paved trail along creek and ended up near High School. Returned to parking lot, then had to cross busy 6 lane road (painted crosswalks and signs to yield to cyclists) but cars weren’t slowing down. The next crossing was a busy highway with too much traffic due to rush hour. We turned around and went back to our vehicle and left.
We started in Bolivar, MO and rode south to Walnut Grove, where we rested, had some lunch and rode back to Bolivar. A very pleasant out and back, 45.5 miles roundtrip. The trail is paved in Bolivar, but once leaving town and crossing the highway, and restarting the trail just off Hwy 13, it's all gravel and some spots have been repaired so can have deep gravel and some sand. There are many bridges in this section to cross and a nice canopy so very shady. It's, the jarring on the gravel that makes it a difficult and slow going ride. Walnut Grove TH has zero amenities, so we rode the short distance into town and found a gas/food stop with potties, pizza, ice cream and nice folks to chat with. We returned to the WG TH and rode back to the very beginning of the trail in Bolivar and called it a day.
Day 2 we drove to WG TH, parked, and rode south to Willard towards Springfield. This had more open space, not as much canopy and a very nice TH in Willard with potties, food and the small town of Willard with lots of amenities. This was a 21.5 mile out and back.
We did not ride all the way into northern Springfield as we heard conflicting information of the trail not being safe with homeless and robberies. So instead of continuing past Willard on the asphalt part of the trail, we returned to WG TH and again had some lunch at the same stop as the day before in Walnut Grove. All in all, we had a nice time on the trail, saw very few other cyclists, heard and saw lots of birds and had a lovely ride. This was done over 2 days in early Sept 2024, so not a busy trail.
We would not recommend road bikes, you need good wide tires to tackle the gravel and the sand. Overall the trail is in good maintenance and a nice trail to ride.
Rode the 16 mile section from Springfield to Walnut Grove on hybrid bikes. The first 8 miles on 10 ft wide asphalt in decent shape through woodlands. Adjacent to road and past light industrial areas but buffered by vegetation. Next 8 miles on packed gravel through meadows and farmland.
If you are heading south on the trail from Bolivar when you pass 120 rd about a Quater mile 2 dogs will attack you. I will not ride that way again. Its safer on 13 highway
Started in Springfield. Rode 12.5 miles before turning around. Well maintained trail. First 8 miles paved then gravel. Trail mostly lush and shaded. Several places to eat along the paved path.
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.
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