The Katy Trail is a 240-mile, crushed-limestone rail trail from Clinton to Machens, free to use and open year-round. Missouri also has the 47.5-mile Rock Island Trail, the Forest Service’s Ozark Trail and the 18-mile Big Piney Trail.
Each fact below comes from the state park, National Park Service, VisitMO or Forest Service page named beside it, read October 30, 2026. Where two pages disagree we print both. Trail conditions and closures change, so check the agency first.
Katy Trail State Park
| Topic | What the pages say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 240 miles from Clinton to Machens, on the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad corridor | Missouri State Parks: Katy Trail |
| Trailheads | The state page counts 26 trailheads plus 4 restored depots; the National Park Service page says 27. Machens, the east end, has no road access or parking. | VisitMO: Katy Trail |
| Surface | Hard, crushed limestone (NPS). The state page does not say. | NPS: bike the Katy Trail |
| Dogs | Allowed on a leash under state park rules (NPS). | NPS: bike the Katy Trail |
| E-bikes | VisitMO: electric-assist bikes are allowed with a 20 mph limit, and motorized vehicles and hunting are not. NPS: Class 1 e-bikes are welcome. | VisitMO: Katy Trail |
| Cost and hours | Free admission, open year-round (VisitMO). NPS says sunrise to sunset, with restrooms and water at trailheads shut off November through March. | VisitMO: Katy Trail |
| Camping | VisitMO says campgrounds sit within 10 miles of the trail; NPS suggests reservations for multi-day trips. The state page has no trail-specific camping details. | NPS: bike the Katy Trail |
| Connections | Meets Rock Island Trail State Park at Windsor | Missouri State Parks: Rock Island Trail |
Trailhead towns from west to east, per VisitMO: Clinton, Calhoun, Windsor, Green Ridge, Sedalia, Clifton City, Pilot Grove, Boonville, New Franklin, Rocheport, McBaine, Hartsburg, North Jefferson City, Tebbetts, Mokane, Portland, McKittrick, Treloar, Marthasville, Dutzow, Augusta, Matson, Weldon Spring, Greens Bottom, St. Charles and Machens.
Other Trails
Trail lengths are as each agency prints them.
| Trail | Length and place | Rules and notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Island Trail State Park | 47.5 miles developed, Pleasant Hill to Windsor (Cass, Johnson and Henry counties). A further 144 miles of corridor from Windsor to Beaufort is closed until developed. | The state page gives no surface, dog or e-bike rules. | Missouri State Parks |
| Ozark Trail | The Forest Service page says 230 miles between Onondaga Cave State Park and the western edge of the Mark Twain National Forest, in 13 sections. The Ozark Trail Association says “over 430 miles”. The Forest Service section lengths add to about 367. No page gives planned versus finished miles. | Hiking, backpacking, biking and horses on the trail overall; dispersed camping 100 feet from the trail and water; no motorized vehicles; most trailheads have no drinking water. | Forest Service: Ozark Trail |
| Taum Sauk section | 35 miles; trailheads at Highway A, Highway N, Taum Sauk Mountain, Russell Mountain and Highway 21. Average grade 10 to 12 percent, sometimes steep. | Hiking, biking and horses; dispersed camping. | Forest Service: Taum Sauk section |
| Current River section | 30 miles, of which about 9 are on national forest from the Highway 60 trailhead north to Peck Ranch. Trailheads include Powder Mill, Rocky Falls and Peck Ranch. | Hiking and backpacking only. The page shows an active closure alert (Forest Order 09-05-25-02) with no details, so check before you go. | Forest Service: Current River section |
| Big Piney Trail | 18 miles in the Paddy Creek Wilderness, northwestern Texas County, about 35 miles southwest of Rolla; trailheads at Paddy Creek, Roby Lake and the Big Piney Equestrian Camp. | Unsurfaced; hiking, mountain biking and horses; no recreation permit; party limit 10; dogs allowed under control; creek crossings are not bridged. | Forest Service: Big Piney Trail |
What We Could Not Verify
- A mileage chart or mileposts for the Katy Trail: the state page links one that did not load, so we print none.
- Bicycle rentals and shuttles on the Katy Trail: no state, VisitMO or NPS page we read lists a rental business, so we name none.
- Rock Island Trail surface, dog and e-bike rules. The state page does not print them.
- Which Ozark Trail total is right (230, about 367 or over 430 miles), and which sections are finished.
- Whether the Ozark Trail Current River section is open: the Forest Service page shows a closure order with no details.
- Exact trailhead parking points for Taum Sauk and Big Piney; we have only area locations.
- Cat Tail, Bloomsdale and Tunnel Hill trails: not researched, so not listed.
More Missouri Guides
Questions People Ask
How long is the Katy Trail?
The state park page says 240 miles from Clinton to Machens.
Is the Katy Trail free?
VisitMO says admission is free and the trail is open year-round.
Are e-bikes allowed on the Katy Trail?
VisitMO says electric-assist bikes are allowed with a 20 mph limit; NPS says Class 1 e-bikes are welcome.
Are dogs allowed on the Katy Trail?
NPS says pets are allowed on a leash under state park rules.
How long is the Ozark Trail?
The Forest Service says 230 miles and the Ozark Trail Association says over 430; the pages disagree, so we do not choose.
Sources
- Missouri State Parks: Katy Trail State Park
- Missouri State Parks: Rock Island Trail State Park
- VisitMO: Katy Trail
- NPS: bike the Katy Trail
- Ozark Trail Association
- Forest Service: Ozark Trail
- Forest Service: Current River section
- Forest Service: Taum Sauk section
- Forest Service: Big Piney Trail
Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Missouri. Cite this page: It’s Missouri (https://itsmissouri.com/things-to-do/trails/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.