hiking in the midwest

[thewortdog]

I am planning an overnight hiking/backpacking trip for May next year. We are looking at locations within about a 5 hour drive from the Kansas City area.... Anybody have any trail/location recommendations? Thanks....

[gblowfish]

Katy Trail runs from just outside Warrensburg, MO all the way to just outside St. Louis. You can walk or bike. Best section is from Booneville, MO to Hermann, MO. Follows the Missouri River. Beautiful.

Also check out Southeast Missouri Ozarks: Johnson Shut Ins, Taum Sauk Mountain, Big Spring, Etc. All around Iron County and Shannon County. Very pretty country and lots of mountains to climb and hills to hike. Check out Missouri Dept. of Conservation and Missouri Parks.

Devil's Den just south of Fayetteville, ARK is nice too.

[Stinger]

Katy Trail runs from just outside Warrensburg, MO all the way to just outside St. Louis. You can walk or bike. Best section is from Booneville, MO to Hermann, MO. Follows the Missouri River. Beautiful.

Also check out Southeast Missouri Ozarks: Johnson Shut Ins, Taum Sauk Mountain, Big Spring, Etc. All around Iron County and Shannon County. Very pretty country and lots of mountains to climb and hills to hike. Check out Missouri Dept. of Conservation and Missouri Parks.

Devil's Den just south of Fayetteville, ARK is nice too.

http://www.mostateparks.com

http://www.arkansasstateparks.com

[Phobia]

Katy Trail runs from just outside Warrensburg, MO all the way to just outside St. Louis.

Funny you mention that. My aunt & uncle own the little bike shop on the Katy in Marthasville. Scenic Cycles is what they call it. Are you familiar with the stop?

[thewortdog]

Katy Trail runs from just outside Warrensburg, MO all the way to just outside St. Louis. You can walk or bike. Best section is from Booneville, MO to Hermann, MO. Follows the Missouri River. Beautiful.

Also check out Southeast Missouri Ozarks: Johnson Shut Ins, Taum Sauk Mountain, Big Spring, Etc. All around Iron County and Shannon County. Very pretty country and lots of mountains to climb and hills to hike. Check out Missouri Dept. of Conservation and Missouri Parks.

Devil's Den just south of Fayetteville, ARK is nice too.

Thank you very much for the recommendations. We are hoping for two pretty full days of hiking and had figured on being able to do at the very most 15 miles a day. So we are looking at 20 to 25 mile loop trails, with tent camping overnight. Does that sound reasonable?

Stinger thanks for the links....

[gblowfish]

Funny you mention that. My aunt & uncle own the little bike shop on the Katy in Marthasville. Scenic Cycles is what they call it. Are you familiar with the stop?I lived in Columbia for about 7 years, we used to play music and camp out down by Easley, which is now a stop on the Katy. I think Marthasville is south of that toward Jeff City, isn't it? When I was there (Late 70's) the Katy Trail didn't exist yet, the railroad tracks were still there and freight trains still went by on occasion. I have friends in Rocheport and Columbia, and some of my family is from around Hermann. Have a sister in St. Louis, so I know the river and the path of the Katy very well.

[Demonpenz]

do they allow jeeps?

[NewChief]

Thank you very much for the recommendations. We are hoping for two pretty full days of hiking and had figured on being able to do at the very most 15 miles a day. So we are looking at 20 to 25 mile loop trails, with tent camping overnight. Does that sound reasonable?

Stinger thanks for the links....

Devil's Den only has one large loop trail, and it's only 15 miles long. It's a very nice park, but it's also very heavily used. I'm heading out to go fishing in a few minutes, so I don't have time right now. When I get back, I'll give you a list of almost every trail in northern Arkansas that fits your criteria. The loop part makes it a little more difficult, as most of Arkansas' best trails are through hikes (the Ozark Highlands trail system). The Buffalo River area is really spectacular if you've never been. A book worth picking up is Tim Enrst's Arkansas Hiking Trails (there are two volumes), if you plan on doing much hiking in Arkansas over your lifetime.

[RNR]

I live in the midwest, and around here we call hiking walking. It is pretty flat and the only reason we hike.....walk is if we run out of gas or break down.

[Radar Chief]

do they allow jeeps?

Look’n for places to wheel?

[ptlyon]

Ponca State Park is a beautiful park right on the Missouri river.

Here is a link. Click on the Northeast section, and it is #143.

http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/parks/parks.asp

[Phobia]

Thank you very much for the recommendations. We are hoping for two pretty full days of hiking and had figured on being able to do at the very most 15 miles a day.

Holy crap. 15 miles a day? WTF are you going to do with the other 22 hours? We used to walk 30 in 3 hours with 80 lbs on our backs.... uphill.

[Radar Chief]

Holy crap. 15 miles a day? WTF are you going to do with the other 22 hours? We used to walk 30 in 3 hours with 80 lbs on our backs.... uphill.

In knee deep snow. :thumb:

[Phobia]

In knee deep snow. :thumb:

In 140 degree heat index wearing parkas.

[Radar Chief]

In 140 degree heat index wearing parkas.

Ok, I can play that one too.
While in MOP 4 gear. ;)

[Phobia]

Ok, I can play that one too.
While in MOP 4 gear. ;)

Constipated from too many MRE's.

[Skip Towne]

I live in the midwest, and around here we call hiking walking. It is pretty flat and the only reason we hike.....walk is if we run out of gas or break down.
I jump out of the golf cart and hike over to my ball.

[Radar Chief]

Constipated from too many MRE's.

Be glad, we used to call that the “MRE Plug” since it’s holding back Mermalite (field kitchen) food.
Once ya blow out that “MRE Plug”, look out cause the rest is just slightly more solid than water.

[BigOlChiefsfan]

Some nice hiking/camping within the national forests in Mo. & Ark.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/marktwain/

http://www.fs.fed.us/oonf/ouachita.htm

[NewChief]

Here's a website for the Buffalo River Trail system:
http://www.nps.gov/buff/backpack.htm

I looked through my books, and there really aren't that many loops of 30 miles or more. Here's another website with a bunch of Arkansas trails on it:
http://www.hikearkansas.com/trails.html