Missouri Bicycling, Walking, Running, and Trails News

It wasn't much more than a year ago when the Butterfield Stage Experience was just a glimmer of an idea mentioned in a regional trails planning meeting. 

This spring, when the idea the routes starting coming together--to link 8 Missouri counties and over a dozen communities via a gravel bicycle route following the historic route--and those of us planning the route go so excited about it that we were driving ourselves and our bikes across the state just to try out one segment or another and make sure it really worked, we realized we had the first 250 miles of the route ready to go.  

Why not release it and let people start to ride it and and enjoy it.

So we did.

But up until now, no one has ridden the entire 254 miles of the Butterfield Stage Experience, completely and end to end.

Now Warsaw cyclist Jenn Bradshaw has become the first--of many, we hope!--to ride the complete route.

Here is her story:

Missouri State Parks and Ameren have received another extension in their work to hammer out an agreement to transfer the next 144 miles of the Rock Island Corridor between Windsor and Beaufort.

The extension last until December 31st, 2019.

In seeking the extension, and in a Keynote Address at the Missouri Active Transportation Summit earlier in August, State Parks has given us the clearest picture yet of where they see the Rock Island project going.

Missouri State Parks and State Parks Foundation looking to develop partnership and financial support for the new Rock Island Trail State Park

In his Keynote Address to the 2019 Summit, State Parks Deputy Director Mike Sutherland strongly emphasized partnerships, and that State Parks is now looking out to make partnerships to make the next 144 miles of the Rock Island a success.

The filing with the Surface Transportation Board gives more detail about State Parks' plan:

The 17-mile Jackson County portion of the statewide Rock Island Trail seemed to hit a major roadblock early this month, as a federal agency revoked the county's railroad status and all work on the Rock Island Trail project stopped.  KCUR reported:

A major Rails-To-Trails cycling project in eastern Jackson County, Missouri, that’s been years in the making is suddenly in limbo following a decision this week by the federal government.

On Wednesday, Jackson County stopped construction of the Rock Island bike trail after the federal Surface Transportation Board revoked the county’s authority to operate the one-time railroad corridor.

Jackson County Rock Island's apparent derailment wasn't even a minor speed bump

However, just a few day's later, news reports like this from Fox4KC appeared:

Many thanks to everyone who attended or presented a session at the 2019 Active Transportation Summit. The Summit was packed full of inspiration, information, and good networking as always. The projects and progress we heard about from all across Missouri (and Iowa!) make all of us really optimistic about the future of bicycling, walking, and trails all across the state.

Below are links to powerpoint presentations and other follow-ups from 2019 Summit  Sessions:

• 2019 Summit powerpoint and other presentation files from Summit sessions
   
• See the full 2019 Summit Session Schedule and Program
   
• From last year: 2018 Summit powerpoint and other presentation files
   

Follow-up or additional items from sessions:

Former Columbia Mayor and champion of bicycling, walking, and trails Darwin Hindman passed away Monday at age 86.

A memorial bicycle ride and funeral service will be held Saturday, June 22nd, 2019, in Columbia:

The mile-long ride will begin at 11:45 a.m. Saturday at the Darwin and Axie Hindman Discovery Garden in Stephens Lake Park, 2300 E. Walnut St. The group will then ride to the memorial service at Calvary Episcopal Church, 123 S. Ninth St., which will begin at 1 p.m.

PedNet asks that as many people as possible bike to the start of the route at Stephens Lake Park, and those who drive should park in the lot off Old 63.