Jackson County Rock Island Trail - what happened, what's next, what connections are in the works? Interview with Jackson County RIT officials (Youtube video)

• A planned trail extension on the southeast end that may be open later this year or next year, connecting the trail to Greenwood.
  
  
  

  The 13.5 mile Rock Island Trail in Jackson County is the westernmost link in the cross-state Katy/Rock Island Trail system
• What are the possibilities for connecting the trail to the west towards Kansas City, St Joseph,  and Kansas? To Missouri State Parks Rock Island & Katy Trails to the southeast? To other trails along the way?
   
• Potential for seamless connection from the Rock Island to other trails in Jackson County and throughout the Kansas City metro area.
   
• How are gaps in the trail and potential connections going to be addressed - the Greenwood Connector to the east and the gap to Kansas City trails to the west?
   
• What impact is the Rock Island Trail having on the county and the communities along it?
   
• MoBikeFed Director Brent Hugh outlined many connecting bicycle routes the Federation is developing that connect to the trail, use it, or intersect with it (links below).
   
• Q&A with live audience - a wide variety of questions answered.

Links mentioned in the presentation

• Jackson County Trails, Trail Maps, etc
• Jackson County Rock Island Corridor Authority  
• Jackson County Rock Island Facebook page

MoBikeFed Bicycle Routes connecting to the Rock Island Trail:

• Connecting from around the KC area to the Rock Island Trail and to the Katy Trail:
  • How to get from almost anywhere in the KC metro area, the KC airport, KC Amtrak station to the Rock Island Trail
  • A low-traffic/low-stress route to bridge the Greenwood Gap between Jackson County's Rock Island Trail & State Parks Rock Island/Katy Trail in Pleasant Hill
• Connecting to/from the Rock Island Trail and St Joseph,  Nebraska, Kansas:
  • Katy Trail-Flint Hills Nature Trail connector
  • Rock Island-Quad States Trail Connections to St Joseph, Omaha, Lincoln
• Routes, loops, and rides connecting to the Jackson County Rock Island Trail:
  • Jackson County Santa Fe Trail History & Exploration Routes
  • Raytown area loop routes (north end of the Rock Island Trail)
  • Raytown area connecting routes
• Other routes connecting to the Rock Island across Missouri:
  • Rock Island Trail Gravel Route (paralleling the 144 miles of Rock Island Trail between Windsor & Washington)
  • Butterfield Stage Experience bicycle route
  • Bike MOPAC
  • Birthplace of the Santa Fe Trail bicycle routes

KC Cycling News Video on the Jackson County Rock Island Trail

In February Timothy McClung of Kansas City Cycling News sat with with Tony Miller, Brian Nowotny, and Matt Davis to talk about the Rock Island Trail and other Jackson County trails and park issues.

This is a great companion episode to the MoBikeFed video above.  They talk more about the history and background of the Jackson County Rock Island Trail and more about some of the other Jackson County trails:

View the KC Cycling New episode on Youtube