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riding areas where I hone my
riding skills (or lack thereof).
Daily Use Fee: $3
Directions: Check out www.mostateparks.com/stjoe/map.htm
Main web address: www.mostateparks.com/stjoe.htm
Here's how the park is described on the web site:
"St. Joe State Park is located in the heart of the old "Lead Belt" of southeast Missouri where much of the nation's lead ore was extracted
for more than a century. In 1972, the St. Joe Minerals Corp. ceased operations and subsequently donated the land to the state in 1976.
Today, the 8,238-acre St. Joe State Park is Missouri's third largest state park, with approximately 2,000 acres set aside for the state's
premier off-road vehicle (ORV) riding area. Contact the park office for more information about the special rules and regulations that
apply.
The park also features two campgrounds capable of accommodating campers with ORVs and horses, a hiking/bicycling trail, equestrian
trails, picnic sites and lakes for swimming and fishing. Visitors can explore several thousand acres of woodlands or spend their days
relaxing in the great outdoors.
The historic mill buildings, where St. Joe Minerals once processed the lead ore, still stand nearby and have been designated as the
Missouri Mines State Historic Site. There you can enjoy an excellent mining museum featuring a large collection of geological specimens
and antique mining and milling equipment."
Now, here's the dirt biker's perspective. St. Joe State Park consists varying terrain that includes rocks, sand, a little mud, and more
rocks. This park is open just about year-round (they close for a couple of major holidays). The $3 daily use fee is a bargain, and
year-round passes are available. The camp site has trails that lead directly to the off-road area. All types of off-road vehicles are allowed
to ride, so you can expect to see many types of motorcycles, ATV's, dune buggies, and trucks. At the main staging area is a lake that is
set up for swimming, so after a hot summer day of riding you can cool off.
After the lead mining years ago, what's left is a large, open sand flat surrounded by woods on three sides. An outer trail defines the
boundaries of the park (along with some metal highway-style guardrails), and you?re free to roam around the established trails within
those boundaries. Traffic is two-way, so everyone must be alert for oncoming vehicles. Four-wheeled vehicles are required to have a
flag that can be purchased at park's main gate.
When I ride at St. Joe, I spend most of my time in the woods and try to stay on the less-traveled trails. If you look closely, there are
many single-track trails left over from the 2-3 races held there each year. I've been riding at St. Joe for the last couple of years, and each
time I'm there I find a little something new. As with most of Missouri, rocks are aplenty, so use an older medium-to-hard terrain tire if
you can. The one advantage of St. Joe's rocky nature is that even after heavy rains, almost everything is rideable.
St. Joe has something for everyone, but use caution with the younger riders. The open sand flats are where the ATV's spend most of
their time, and speeds can be pretty high. Also, the smallest mini-bikes will struggle with the loose sand that has to be ridden over to
reach the harder-packed open areas near the back side of the park.
The park is actually much larger than the public area in which off-road vehicles are allowed to ride. Several thousand acres are only open
when races are held, which is usually three times each year. The annual enduro, held in May, covers both the public area and the rest of
the park. The hare scrambles are usually held on just the non-public part of the park. In 2001, St. Joe hosted a National Hare Scramble
and the Missouri Mudders enduro has been on the AMA's National schedule for the last couple of years.
Finger Lakes State Park
Route 7, 1505 E. Peabody Road
Columbia, MO 65202
(573) 443-5315
10 miles north of Columbia, off U.S. 63 in Boone County
Daily Use Fee: $3
Main web address: www.mostateparks.com/fingerlakes.htm
Finger Lakes State Park is owned and maintained by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. This land was a strip mine years
ago, so the terrain is full of steep ridges. The park has fewer rocks but more mud than most places you'll encounter in Missouri. In fact,
I try to avoid Finger Lakes in the Spring and save my riding there for the Summer months.
Also in the park is a motocross track where guys like me can hone their skills (or lack thereof) on jumps that no spode should be
attempting. Finger Lakes hosts a hare scramble each year that is part of the Missouri Hare Scrambles Championship.
Trail of Tears Lodge
Old Cape Road & 1575 Fair City Rd.
Jonesboro, IL 62952
Phone: 618-833-8697
Daily Use Fee: $10
This resort consists of 233 acres of land surrounded by the Shawnee National Forest. The woods are all Illinois-style, with some mud
when it's wet and steep hills, but hardly any rocks. The property boundaries are pretty well marked, but if you stray off the property
you're probably in the Shawnee Forest, which is illegal. With the limited acreage, this spot is good for a day's worth of riding. A hare
scramble race is held here each year. Beginners on minibikes can enjoy plenty of grassy areas. It's probably a good idea to call ahead,
since it is a multi-use property. Also, they don't like having people ride there after heavy rains.
Mark Twain National Forest--Chadwick, MO
From Chadwick, MO, take Hwy 125 south 1.5 miles to
Hwy H; turn west to Camp Ridge Recreation Area or
continue to Forest Road 171 to Cobb Ridge Recreation Area.
For info, call the Ava Ranger District at (417) 683-4428.
This part of the Mark Twain National Forest is open to off-road vehicle use. Since it is a national forest, a spark arrestor is required.
Also, a permit is needed and they can be purchased at Kay's Store in Chadwick.
Expect to see plenty of rocks, since it is Missouri. The Chadwick rocks are a little different, however, with sharp edges and rock ledges.
The rock ledges are extremely slippery when wet, so be careful. The trails are all set up as loops, making it fairly easy to find your way
back to the setup areas. One interesting feature of Chadwick is that some of the trails are paved with interlocking bricks. The forest
service tries to control erosion this way, but as with the rock ledges, the paved brick can get very slippery when wet. Getting up the
steep hills while spinning your tire on slick concrete can be a challenge.
Most of the trails are two-track ATV style, which means that speeds can get fast. The forest service does not like trail blazers, so stick
to what's already there (I didn't dare stray?there's so much acreage that I feared getting lost). Be prepared for pinch flats!!