Find the top rated walking trails in Pittsburg, 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.
I rode the Ruby Jack trail in mid April 2025 on a weekday. I saw one jogger and one cyclist. This is a solid well packed crushed stone trail that you could ride any tire on. I was able to hammer most of the way. The interruption of railroad tracks that you have to carry your bike over was pretty odd. I rode from the east end to just past Carl Junction in the west until the trail got more rugged. I rate this marvelous trail 5 stars. Traveling cyclist Facebook
Great trail to cruise on e-bike. Did the entire 16 miles. Easy ride for must of it. At one point you will have to carry your bile over some train track. The last 2 miles on the Kansas end are not maintained, tall grass and low trees but that made it fun. There is about 100 yds close to the end that you have to jump off trail and ride the street but otherwise a great trail ride….enjoy.
My wife and I rode the Ruby-Jack. It was a good trail for our cruiser e-bikes. There was quite a bit of shade and the chat was packed good in most places. We enjoyed it. The trail still hasn’t been extended to the state line. Actual cleaned out and rideable miles are about thirteen which includes a railroad carryover at Carl Junction. We would recommend this trail and kudos to the the area cyclists club for this trail!!
Trail was very well-maintained, even after a hard rain. Humboldt community was amazing, lunch in Iola at Sharky’s was incredible… Try the beer, battered onion rings:-)
We parked at the trail head on St. Louis street which is a gravel lot with portapotty and rode south which was packed gravel with some up hill and down hill area near the creek. This area makes you feel like you are way out in the country with woods on both sides. We did see a rider on horseback and pedestrians. The trail head at the south end had a larger paved parking lot but from a quick look I am not sure how safe that neighborhood’s is. Riding north towards web city the terrain was flat and the gravel was smoother but there was a lot of housing development on both sides so not much of a country feel at most intersections cars stopped to let us cross which was nice.
All in all I think the trail is good. I enjoyed my day and had a good ride. I use a road bike with hybrid tires. Initially I tried to start in Carl Junction at the far west end of the trail which was actually Smithfield on the map. The only way you can ride on that section of it is if you have a mountain bike and there’s nowhere to park however if you go into Carl Junction right by the high school that is a good place to start. County Road 200 has a trail head and a place that you can park and you can go either direction on the trail. From Carl Junction East the trail is P gravel that is packed good with the exception of just a few spots. I saw a total of probably 10 people while I was on the trail mostly just north of Oronogo and Webb City when I was riding otherwise the trail is quite secluded. There is a lot of shade and the trail is fairly wide most of the way it narrows occasionally but you can easily pass people¿ everyone
Late March ride so weather was still a bit cool but sunny. Surface was fine for just about any bike. Most of the trail was bordered close in with trees (cedar) so not a lot of vistas. Nearly a straight shot all the way. Well preserved railroad bridge just south of Iola. Trail just ends on Humboldt end at the north edge of town. Not a lot in Humboldt but it would be nice if the trail went a half mile farther and dropped you off at Bridge St. Would make for a leisurely ride to grab lunch and return
Started the trail at Riverside Park in Iola on the north end of the trail where the Prairie Spirit Trail ends. This is a nicely done trail with compacted finely crush stone surface. It is a wide trail allowing two to ride abreast with ease. As with all railtrails it is flat and straight. There a few old train signal towers along the trail. We didn’t ride the full length. Noted all the trail are some mileage markers, in this section they are numbered in the low 100’s. Not sure the origin point in the north for the mileages.
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!
Well mantener and friendly people along the trail - walking, running, and biking.
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