Katy Trail State Park, Rail trail in Missouri, United States
Katy Trail State Park is a former railroad corridor in Missouri that stretches about 240 miles along the Missouri River and now serves as a walking and cycling path. The surface consists of packed limestone gravel that runs through farmland, riverside forest, and small communities.
The corridor once belonged to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, which stopped operating in the 1980s. The first section opened in 1990 near Rocheport, and the entire route to Clinton was finished by 1999.
The name comes from the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, which people also called the MKT or Katy line when it carried freight and passengers across this region. Along the path, you still see old depot buildings that now serve as rest stops or small museums.
Access is available through 26 trailheads distributed along the entire length, each with parking and information boards. Several sections are close to towns that offer accommodations and supplies.
This park is the longest continuous recreational trail on a former railroad line in the United States, covering nearly the entire width of Missouri. At some points, the path runs through old railway tunnels that date back to the days of train operation.
Location: Missouri
Inception: 1982
Website: http://mostateparks.com/park/katy-trail-state-park
GPS coordinates: 38.90350,-90.33140
Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:24
Missouri offers a mix of geological formations and historic sites that show the natural resources and industrial past of the state. The landscape includes massive granite boulders, deep limestone caves, and clear springs that bubble up from the ground. Parks and conservation areas preserve forests, creeks, and bluffs along the state's rivers. Visitors find hiking trails that wind through wooded hills, along stream beds, and to viewpoints that overlook broad valleys. Historic sites add layers of human history. Stone mills like Bollinger Mill and Alley Mill still stand, their waterwheels and timber structures recalling a time when grinding grain and making textiles happened locally. Ha Ha Tonka State Park displays the ruins of a stone castle perched on a bluff above a lake, while Watkins Woolen Mill contains a preserved 19th-century textile factory. Caves such as Onondaga Cave and Meramec Caverns open beneath the surface, revealing stalactites, stalagmites, and underground rivers. Elephant Rocks State Park shows giant pink granite boulders scattered across hillsides, and Dogwood Canyon Nature Park offers waterfalls and forest trails. These places provide a look at Missouri's natural geology and the communities that once used it.
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