Cooper County State Parks: The Katy Trail by Boonville

Cooper County’s one state park unit is the Katy Trail, with trailheads at Boonville, Pilot Grove and Clifton City, all free to use.

We found no state park or state historic site in the county other than the trail, when we checked the state’s list and the county column of Wikipedia’s list of Missouri state parks. The state pages we read list no trail fee. This guide is one of five in our state parks series, which also covers Boone, Howard and Callaway counties.

Katy Trail State Park in Cooper County

The Katy Trail is a 240-mile rail trail between Clinton and Machens, built on the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad corridor. The park’s page says the Cooper County to St. Charles County section is an official segment of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Trailheads in Cooper County, from east to west:

• Boonville, mile 191.8: parking, restrooms, water and a phone at the trailhead. Lodging nearby includes the Comfort Inn Boonville (660-882-5317), High Street Victorian B&B (660-882-7107) and Hotel Frederick (660-882-2828). The state lists Hotel Frederick, Derailed Coffee Bar and Cafe, and Taylor’s Bake Shop for food. The Boonville Chamber of Commerce is at 660-882-2721. No campground is listed at this trailhead. Directions on Google Maps.
• Pilot Grove, mile 203.3: parking, a restroom and water. Katy Junction Bed and Breakfast, 200 W. Second St., is at 660-834-4043. The state’s services list also shows camping at Pilot Grove City Park on Vernon Street (mile 203.4). Directions on Google Maps.
• Clifton City, mile 215.4: parking and a restroom. No camping or lodging is listed. Directions on Google Maps.

What are the hours, rules and accessibility?

The trail is open sunrise to sunset. The state does not provide camping along the trail, but public and private campgrounds are nearby. Only pedestrians, bicyclists and, in designated areas, horseback riders may use it, and gas-powered vehicles are banned. Electric-assist bikes up to 20 mph are allowed. Pets must be leashed. At trailheads with modern restrooms, water is shut off and restrooms close from roughly November through March. The state says the majority of the trail is accessible to people with disabilities. For the trail office, call 573-449-7402.

Which state parks are just outside Cooper County?

• Boone’s Lick State Historic Site, on Highway 187 at Boonesboro, is the old salt works across the river in Howard County.
• Arrow Rock State Historic Site, in the village of Arrow Rock, has the 1834 J. Huston Tavern, a museum and a visitor center.
• Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park, at Miami, preserves remnants of a Missouria village and has an 18-acre fishing lake.

Free maps for your trip

• Missouri highway map: MoDOT says the official state highway map is available free of charge. Request one on that page or call 1-888-ASK-MODOT.
• Fishing and hunting booklets: The Missouri Department of Conservation lets Missouri residents request free print copies of its fishing and hunting regulation booklets.
• Trail map: The Katy Trail State Park page links the park’s trail map.

What else is happening near the trail?

Riders on this stretch will find it useful to read parking and shuttles for a Katy Trail ride, plus our coverage of the Pedaler’s Jamboree, which turns around in Boonville. In Pilot Grove, the library’s outreach van stops at Katy Park; see our note on the Nov. 6 stop. In Boonville, the Lions Club holds a Halloween parade on Main Street.