For quite a while I’ve been meaning to try out the Ruby Jack trail, especially considering there is a trail head just up the road from my house. The Ruby Jack trail is another rail-trail project, similar to the Frisco or Katy trail. It’s still under construction but as I understand it, the trail is more or less complete from Carthage until somewhere around Oronogo.

I rode from my house up Old 66 and got on the trail where it crosses the road just before Steph’s parent’s house. I wasn’t sure which direction to go, so I chose east into Carthage. The gravel on the 2 mile section from Carthage is extremely coarse, more like driveway gravel than something suitable for a bike trail. It was rideable…but barely. I heard that there was a mis-communication when the gravel was ordered. The trail going west toward Oronogo is the correct small gravel normally found on bike trails.

It turned out to be a bit shorter than I expected, my entire trip was only 11.5 miles. Most of the trail crosses through farm land, so I wouldn’t describe it as terribly scenic, but nearing Carthage there is a nice canopy of trees shading the trail. Also this section appears to receive heavier use, so it was a bit more worn and the rough driveway gravel was less annoying.

When complete, the Ruby Jack trail will ultimately run from Carthage to the KS state line. Initially it was planned as a bi-state trail all the way to Columbus, KS. However, Cherokee County passed an ordinance in response to those plans that effectively prohibits the rail-trail from entering Kansas. So until the good people of Cherokee County overcome their fear of bikers and joggers, the trail will stop at the state line.

Rough gravel aside, I am really excited about this trail. I think it’s a great asset to the area and another excellent component of the ever expanding trail system in the Joplin area.

Since it was nice out last night I decided to check out the new bike trail in Carl Junction. It’s called the Thoms Station Trail and I became aware of it when Grant and I discovered the bridge while kayaking. As I understand it, when the Ruby Jack trail is complete it will connect to the north end of this trail. The south end of this trail is also planned to connect to another bike trail in NW Joplin that I haven’t checked out yet so I guess when all that is complete it will create about 40+ miles of continuous trail.

I had trouble finding the trail head because there really isn’t much info online about the trail or where it is located. The trail is very short, in fact it was less than 2 miles roundtrip, but it’s also still under construction. So if you are looking to spend more than 15 minutes on the trail you might be better off walking.

Here is the trail head – it’s on Allen Street in CJ between Summit and Main. It’s a rather awkward lot and would be problematic for more than 2 or 3 cars.

It’s a typical rail-to-trail setup…nice level grade with gravel.

The Center Creek bridge is certainly the highlight of the trail. I am told it is the longest non-car bridge in the state, but who knows if that’s true. Either way, it’s about 400′ long and fun to ride across.

The section crossing the river utilizes the original railroad supports.

The bridge is a nice spot to stand and enjoy the view of the river. And in this case the fall foliage and nice weather!

Currently the trail ends just past the bridge at Briarbrook Drive, but as you can see construction has started to continue the trail further south.

A nice opening along the trail as I was heading back to the trail head. This would have probably been a nice spot to view the tornado a few years ago!