Missouri  Equine  Council

Trails Information

Equestrian Trail Development

The 2007 Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant Program

Federal grant funding is available through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for constructing or renovating outdoor recreational facilities. Application Workshops are offered. Check their website for more information and scheduling. The below website is usually only available during the grant proposal process. Please call phone number listed below for more information. Grant details are available in the grant application and guidelines (37 pages), which is available for downloading for your convenience at: http://www.mostateparks.com/grantinfo.htm. You may call 573-751-8462 to request a hard copy through the mail..

	American Trails  One of the largest and most informative online trail-related resources.  Click on "Trails" or select MO from the map list to see the link (categorized by trail type).
	Back Country Horsemen of America
	Horse & Mule Trails
	Gateway Off-Road Cyclists.  GORC has built many trails in the St. Louis area but has not promoted itself very well in the past. They are looking to change that because forming like-minded alliances will foster additional trail building and maintenance opportunities. You can find out more about GORC at www.gorctrails.com or St. Louis County Parks at http://www.stlouisco.com/parks. Additional information about the Greensfelder workday event can be found at http://www.stlouisco.com/parks/volunteer/trail-crew-1.html.
	Mark Twain National Forest.  These trails are the best trails for horseback riding on the Mark Twain National Forest, each of them is at least 10 miles long, and together they provide a total of well over 300 miles of riding opportunities, (almost 500 miles if you count the Ozark Trail sections). Several of them also have areas where riders can camp in rustic campgrounds with their horses.
	Missouri Department of Conservation Trails
	Missouri Equestrian Trail Guide
	Missouri Park and Recreation Association
	Missouri State Parks.  To get information on trail conditions or special events from Dept. of Natural Resources park staff, you can call DNR's toll free number: 1-800-334-6946 and be transferred to any park in the state.
	Ozark Greenways.  There is a 12-mile section of the Frisco Highline Trail from Willard to Walnut Grove that has two parallel trails - a natural surface path for horseback riding and a crushed limestone path for walking, running, bicycling and wheelchair access. We have a map of the entire trail on our website which includes the equestrian section. Contact info: Lori Tack, Ozark Greenways (417) 864-2015.
	Right to Ride Legislation Passes House
	Smithville Lake
	The Ozark Trail.  The Ozark Trail is a part of 25 year-old vision to build a scenic and varied route through the Missouri Ozarks.

Horse Motels

Camping and Reservations:

National Recreation Reservation Service (www.reserveusa.com)
The NRRS (National Recreation Reservation Service) is a one-stop reservation service for the the USDA Forest Service, Army Corps of Engineers, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation outdoor recreation facilities and activities.

With over 45,000 reservable facilities at over 1,700 locations, the NRRS is the largest outdoor recreation reservation service in the country. Whether your heading North to Alaska's Tongrass National Forest, South to Florida's Lake Okeechobee, East to North Carolina's Blue Ridge Parkway, or West to California's Los Padres National Forest, you can reserve your place under the stars with the NRRS.

One Stop Federal Land Reservation Service
Starting in late 2004, there will be a single site to handle reservations for more than 57,000 campgrounds, cabins, parks, and tours of national sites, historic homes, and caves. It is one-stop shopping for people who want to visit lands managed by the Forest Service, the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"This service will be ideal for those people who may know the name of the campsite they wish to visit but not know what land management agency has jurisdiction and who to call," said Jay Hickey, President of the American Horse Council. "In several weeks, it will all be on one user-friendly site."

The service will be available simply by going to http://www.recreation.gov. Also available in the site will be interactive maps that will help visitors find which parks, forests, lakes, museums, and other recreation sites managed by government agencies are located near a particular area or perhaps offer specific recreational opportunities.

"This multi-agency approach for one-stop shopping for federal recreation site reservations capitalizes on our commitment to deliver customer-friendly services to our visitors," said Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman. "By working together, we have designed a convenient, flexible and responsive service for recreation seekers to make their reservations."