Rock Island Trail State Park (Missouri)

The Rock Island Spur of Katy Trail State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Missouri that is 47-mile (76 km) rails to trails hiking and biking trail. Work on the trail was completed and the trail was opened on December 10, 2016 .[1] The trail provides residents of the Kansas City region direct trail access to the 240 mi (390 km) Katy Trail State Park, the longest rails to trails trail in the U.S. The Rock Island Trail uses "abandoned" (embargoed and out of service) right-of-way of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad between Pleasant Hill in Cass County and Windsor in Henry County where it meets the Katy Trail.[2]

Rock Island Spur of Katy Trail State Park
Location of the Rock Island Trail in red and the Katy Trail in blue
Length47.5 mi (76.4 km)
LocationMissouri, United States
TrailheadsWindsor, Leeton, Chilhowee, Medford, Pleasant Hill
UseHiking, Cycling, Horseback
Elevation
Elevation changenegligible
Hiking details
Trail difficultyEasy
SeasonAll
HazardsSevere weather
Poison ivy
Snakes
WebsiteRock Island Spur
Rock Island Trail State Park, May 2016 (prior to the official opening of the trail in December 2016)

An additional 144 miles (232 km) of Rock Island right-of-way is in the process of rail banking by the Surface Transportation Board. Missouri State Parks is evaluating adding this additional 144 miles to the Rock Island Trail, extending it from Windsor to Beaufort.[3] On December 19, 2019, the state signed an Interim Trail Use Agreement with Missouri Central Railroad Company, the Ameren subsidiary that owns the corridor. The agreement paves the way for transfer of the right-of-way to the state if certain conditions can be met by December 31, 2121, including identifying approximately 9.8 million dollars of funding.[3] If completed the combined Rock Island and Katy trails will form a network of 450 miles (720 kilometres).[4][5]

In May 2016, Jackson County, Missouri acquired 17.7 miles (28.5 km) of right-of-way from the Union Pacific Railroad, of section of line from the Truman Sports Complex to south part of Lee's Summit, to bring the trail into Kansas City. Work began in 2017, with the first half opened in 2018. There currently is a gap between Lee's Summit/Greenwood and Pleasant Hill, with the route unknown at this time.[6][7][8]

Route

The Rock Island Spur currently starts in Windsor at mile marker 216.5. It heads northwest, passing through Johnson County until it reaches its western terminus in Pleasant Hill at mile marker 262.9.[9]

Trailhead Mile-Marker
Windsor 216.5
Leeton 227
Chilhowee 235.6
Medford 245.4
Pleasant Hill 262.9
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See also

References
  1. "Missouri on pace to complete 47.5-mile extension of Katy Trail from Windsor to Pleasant Hill, Gov. Nixon announces". Office of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon. 2015-09-17. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
  2. http://mobikefed.org/2016/12/long-last-join-gov-nixon-mo-state-parks-dec-10-grand-opening-47-mile-rock-island-trailkaty-k
  3. "Rock Island Corridor". Missouri State Parks.
  4. "Frequently Asked Questions about the Rock Island Corridor from Windsor to Beaufort" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
  5. "Missouri's planned Rock Island Trail gets a federal boost". Kansas City Star. 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
  6. http://www.jacksongov.org/776/Rock-Island-Rail-Corridor-Authority
  7. http://bikewalkkc.org/advocacy/rockisland/
  8. Brent Hugh (2015-09-30). "Jackson County & KCATA announce partnership to acquire final piece of cross-state Rock Island-Katy Trail system". Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  9. "Rock Island Spur". Missouri State Parks. Retrieved 2020-01-17.

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