Missouri River Trail

The Missouri River Trail extends along the south bank of the Missouri River through Giant Springs State Park and connecting parklands, following approximately the portage route that the Lewis and Clark Expedition laboriously traveled in the summer of 1805 to bypass the series of magnificent waterfalls that blocked river navigation. The portage required nearly a month of exhausting overland transport of dugout canoes and heavy equipment across rugged terrain in intense summer heat, and expedition journals from this section are filled with vivid accounts of hardship and wonder.

The paved trail provides effortless travel through the same corridor, with the Missouri River as a constant companion and multiple access points to the riverbank for fishing, bird watching, and simply appreciating the great river that was the highway of western exploration. Great Falls of the Missouri, now dammed and modified, are visible from various trail points along with the hydroelectric facilities that replaced the spectacular natural falls described so rapturously by Meriwether Lewis in 1805. River otters, white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, and numerous duck species inhabit the river corridor year-round, while migratory songbirds fill the cottonwood gallery in spring and fall. The trail connects to the River Education Center where exhibits on Lewis and Clark expedition history and Missouri River ecology provide additional context for this historically layered riverside experience.