Lewis & Clark Water Trail--paddle the nation's longest "water trail"

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is working to promote hiking, bicycling, paddling, tourism, bird watching, and other uses of the Missouri River through the creation of the new Lewis & Clark Water Trail.

Bryan Hopkins of the Department of Natural Resources writes:

A key aspect of this water trail is the presence of the Katy Trial State Park along the river. The Katy Trail is the nation's longest rail-to-trail conversion and has become an extremely popular hiking and biking path. The Katy trail has spawned lots of trail related services along the river's edge. These services are of similar value to paddlers, creating a synergy between the two trail systems. One could ride a bike up the river valley on the Katy trail for a day or two (over 140 miles parallels the river), stay in a historic town or a farmland bed and breakfast and visit a winery one evening. Then jump in a kayak or canoe and paddle back down one of America's most historic rivers, camping on remote sandbars along the way.

The Lewis and Clark water trail is currently the longest river water trail in the nation....and our longer term goals are to foster extension of the trail further up the river. We believe this Missouri River has the potential to become the water equivalent of the "Appalachian Trail".

The Trail's new web site has more information and details about the trail.