Find the top rated walking trails in Cape Girardeau, whether you're looking for an easy short walking trail or a long walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Cape LaCroix Recreation Trail meanders through the city of Cape Girardeau in southeastern Missouri following the Cape LaCroix Creek. Along the way, the paved trail connects Shawnee Park, Arena Park,...
The George Rogers Clark Discovery Trail has a name from the history books, and it runs entirely through Fort Massac State Park—Illinois’ first State Park, now over 100 years old—with its recreated...
The Paducah Greenway (simply, The Greenway to locals, and officially, the Clyde F. Boyles Greenway Trail) is a 4.5-mile non-motorized pathway that links Paducah’s neighborhoods, parks and natural...
A dark railroad tunnel and two dozen trestles crossing streams and rocky ravines welcome visitors to the scenic Tunnel Hill State Trail as it travels 55 miles through forests and farmland in sparsely...
Cape LaCroix Recreation Trail meanders through the city of Cape Girardeau in southeastern Missouri following the Cape LaCroix Creek. Along the way, the paved trail connects Shawnee Park, Arena Park,...
The George Rogers Clark Discovery Trail has a name from the history books, and it runs entirely through Fort Massac State Park—Illinois’ first State Park, now over 100 years old—with its recreated...
The Paducah Greenway (simply, The Greenway to locals, and officially, the Clyde F. Boyles Greenway Trail) is a 4.5-mile non-motorized pathway that links Paducah’s neighborhoods, parks and natural...
A dark railroad tunnel and two dozen trestles crossing streams and rocky ravines welcome visitors to the scenic Tunnel Hill State Trail as it travels 55 miles through forests and farmland in sparsely...
Cape LaCroix Recreation Trail meanders through the city of Cape Girardeau in southeastern Missouri following the Cape LaCroix Creek. Along the way, the paved trail connects Shawnee Park, Arena Park,...
The George Rogers Clark Discovery Trail has a name from the history books, and it runs entirely through Fort Massac State Park—Illinois’ first State Park, now over 100 years old—with its recreated...
The Paducah Greenway (simply, The Greenway to locals, and officially, the Clyde F. Boyles Greenway Trail) is a 4.5-mile non-motorized pathway that links Paducah’s neighborhoods, parks and natural...
A dark railroad tunnel and two dozen trestles crossing streams and rocky ravines welcome visitors to the scenic Tunnel Hill State Trail as it travels 55 miles through forests and farmland in sparsely...
Took the family of five (3 kids ages 6-12) and had a great experience! We took lots of photos along the way, even stopped for ice cream in Sandburn crossing.
While on a road trip we stayed in Paducah and rode this greenway. The first 1 3/4 is gravel and is nice and shady. Then it turns into a beautiful paved section until it ends. The paved section is mostly open so it is pretty hot during the warm months. We hope that more will be added in the future since it is such a good area. Nice one to ride even if you are just traveling through!
At least one snake, five deer, several hawks and what I thought was a very challenging ride since I rarely do 46 miles. The washboard effect could be noticed from Karnak to the wetland center head to the center.
My sons and I still loved the challenge.
I rode from Vienna up past the tunnel on a crisp spring day in April on my hybrid bike and loved every inch. Make no mistake, the gentle uphill grade to the tunnel may seem Slight but it took its toll on me. GREAT ride
Very nice trail. Scenic. There are disc golf along the way.
Wish people would pick up their pet waste.
Crossing HWY 305 could be dangerous. Cars are fast and they don't stop for pedestrian. Be careful
I have only ridden from Vienna to Tunnel Hill and back but I did drive down to the Wetlands Nature Center at the southern end as well as go to Karnak and check it out. Even had lunch at "Our Place Deli". I wish I would have given myself more time and got to actually Bike the whole thing but I will be back for sure to enjoy the whole experience. It is easy to see why people love and care for this trail the way they do. I will give myself at least 3 days on the trail to fully enjoy it next time, especially the southern end. It is a shame there isn't any campgrounds listed close by on the northern half.
Rode the trail from Harrisburg 27 miles south to view the Eclipse right on the line of totality. I was expecting a packed trail but was surprised to see very few people. The trail surface was fine for my hybrid bike. Enjoyable scenery with the trestles and tunnel.
After viewing the eclipse I rode back in the heat. Even though there are plenty of trees covering most of the trail the mid day sun still gets through. Thank goodness for the small town stops with water so I could reload and refresh my water bladder. I hope to take this trail again to Karnak.
I probably could have gotten home faster to Bloomington (ordinarily 4 hours by car) if I had stayed on my bike. It took 10 hours in bumper to bumper traffic to get home!
A very nice flat trail. I wish you could see the river from more of it, but the forest is quite peaceful.
We were traveling and found this trail here. It was a nice workout before dinner with good September weather. I wish the river were more in view, but still nice.
We rolled to the historic Bob Noble Park on a hot summer Saturday to enjoy Paducah. Riding around the park to warmup, we hit the top of the levee rest stop and decided to head west first. The West Side is a short, tree lined wide gravel path that runs slightly past Stuart Nelson Park. We rode through a disk golf fairway prior to arriving and ridding around this peaceful park and wondered if this used to be their old fairground. The remaining section from the park to the trailhead was a little rough with washed & soft gravel spots. Returning to the rest stop, we rode atop the levee on the East Side. The trail on this side is concrete and unshaded with mostly industrial sites on the south and the Ohio River to the north. The trail terminates at the new convention center, but we decided to explore downtown on bikes (take your time to read the historic markers). We relaxed at the river park behind the levee murals to watch the working tow boats. Once downtown, go explore bike friendly Paducah with its great restaurants, museums, train engine #1518, theatres, arts center, unique architecture and the old Market building. Upon returning to the park, spend a couple of dollars to cool down & swim at the park pool for a totally enjoyable day.
I rode this trail end-to-end in 2005, and this was my first return visit for a ride on the northern half from Harrisburg through the tunnel and back, a total of 49.6 miles. Harrisburg has a paved 2.2 mile segment with numerous street crossings; the locals seemed very aware of the trail, and more than one driver stopped to wait for me to cross. While this is a kind gesture, it holds its own dangers. I always remind my riding companions to watch out for traffic in other lanes who are still coming through.
The next few miles were hard-packed stone, very smooth and easy to ride. After that the stone was still smooth but just a little bit softer packed. It was a good surface but I realized late in the ride that I had expended more energy than expected most of the day, and it caught me by surprise that at 35 miles my legs felt like they had done the full 50.
I spotted one ATV rider using the trail and noticed a few spots where someone's access road jogs for a few feet on the trail, but the surface was not damaged noticeably by these activities. There was one stretch of 100 yards or so with a lot of very loose gravel that had eroded or not been properly patched, but I was able to steer to the edge and get through OK.
There is a mix of sun and shade, an interesting rock cut to ride through, and the tunnel is short enough that a light is not strictly necessary. I would urge anyone without a light to walk their bike through the darkest part of the tunnel.
Johnson's Southern Barbecue operates from a mobile home with a separate screened dining tent at the Harrisburg trailhead. It looks intriguing, but I had leftovers waiting in the motel fridge and missed that opportunity.
I'll come back and ride the southern half of the trail again sometime. My memory from 12 years ago was that the last stretch from Karnak to Rago was not a rail trail and held little interest. The Barkhausen Wetlands Center was a nice place to end, but I spent most of my time in the restroom with the cold water running to cool myself on a 100 degree day.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Map Search
