Volume 33 412
Sue Holst
(573) 751-6510

JEFFERSON CITY, MO.

See, feel, hear and smell the signs of fall on a bicycle ride along a wooded trail in one of Missouri's picturesque state parks. Mountain biking is a great way to get some exercise while enjoying the cool and colorful natural surroundings that fall has to offer. 

Operated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, state parks
offer abundant mountain biking opportunities and offer trails suitable for
all skill levels. Enjoy a relaxing, easy ride on the nation's longest
rails-to-trails trail -- Katy Trail State Park -- or feel your heart
racing and blood pumping as you pedal up and down the rugged Ozark hills on a more challenging trail at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. 

Surrounded by the crisp fall colors, feel the cool air on your face as you traverse the diverse landscapes and scenic areas offered in Missouri state parks. 

In 2004, the International Mountain Bicycling Association gave Missouri a
B+ on its annual report card, which grades trails, strength of local
organizations, percent of trails open to riding, relations with land
managers and threats to access.  Missouri came in second in the world in an online survey done by the association. Several of Missouri's state parks work closely with local mountain biking groups when developing and maintaining trails. 

In Missouri state parks, mountain biking trails accommodate any level of
athletic ability and provide scenery as well. Enjoy the scent of the newly
fallen leaves and listen to the crunching sound that results when your
tires roll over them in the following state parks:
·       Castlewood State Park, Ballwin, (636) 227-4433 -- Nearly 20 miles
of mountain biking trail awaits at this state park, taking cyclists along 
Kiefer Creek, through hills and to views of the Meramec River and the
bluffs that border it.  Two of the park's six trails open to mountain
biking connect to parks operated by the St. Louis County Parks and
Recreation Department, providing more miles to pedal.
·       Crowder State Park, Trenton, (660) 359-6473 -- This park offers
three mountain biking trails of varying difficulty that total more than 12
miles. A        local mountain biking group, Green Hills Trails
Association, has helped build and maintain some of the trails. Portions of the Thompson River and  River Forks trails run along the Thompson River.
·       Katy Trail State Park, St. Charles to Clinton, (660) 882-8196 --
Although some avid mountain bikers may not consider this trail a typical 
mountain biking trail because of its level terrain, the challenge lies in
its 225-mile length. Both avid and beginning bicyclists can experience
rural Missouri and enjoy the scenic views and quaint towns that
border this trail.
·       Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Kaiser, (573) 348-2694 -- The
16.5-mile Trail of Four Winds loop trail is scenic and challenging as it
takes you through oak-hickory forest, grasslands and bottomland
hardwoods.  It provides stunning views of Lake of the Ozarks and a forested valley.
·       Lake Wappapello State Park, Williamsville, (573) 297-3232 -- Lake
Wappapello Trail, a 15-mile loop, takes cyclists over varied and rugged
Ozark terrain.
·       Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, Columbia, (573) 449-7402 (park),
(573) 442-2249 (trail conditions) -- Six trails allowing mountain biking
traverse more than 12 miles throughout this scenic park. Trails travel
through woods, grasslands and old fields, along small brooks, creeks and ridges, and up and down hills. Wet conditions can close the trails so call the trail condition hotline before heading to the park.
·       Thousand Hills State Park, Kirksville,  (660) 665-6995 -- Fourteen
miles of mountain biking trails offer varied levels of difficulty.
Thousand Hills Trail, a cooperative effort between the Department of
Natural Resources, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the
Community Betterment Association of Kirksville, travels through Big
Creek Conservation Area, along the shoreline of Forest Lake and through one of the few remaining bigtooth aspen stands in the state.

More mountain biking trails can be found at St. Joe State Park in Park
Hills, Wakonda State Park near La Grange, Finger Lakes State Park near
Columbia and Graham Cave State Park near Danville. 

For more information, contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources at 1-800-334-6946 (voice) or 1-800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) or visit the Web at www.mostateparks.com. 

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel.

For a complete listing of upcoming meetings and events in the state park system, visit the online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/parkssearch.do.