About 6 years ago I signed up for a 10k trail run called Trailfest (put on by Fleet Feet) held at the Two Rivers Bike Park in Highlandville, MO. The Park is owned and operated by Trailspring, which is a local organization that aims to connect ‘you to the beautiful terrain of the Ozarks.’ Trailfest was my first experience running trails at Two Rivers and, to be honest, it kicked my butt. However, the experience of Trailfest was a blast! Walking up to the start/finish of the race I could hear the music blasting, see a large fire (it was cold!), a coffee truck, a food truck, beer and lots of runners. The atmosphere could not have been better.
The trails sit on 400 acres, snaking in and out of the trees, up and over hills and alongside a small bluff running next to the James River. There are a total of 14 miles of trail located on the property that are a mix of technical (golf ball to softball size rocks), gravel and dirt. Sometimes a tree will fall across the path that you’ll need to climb over, but the Trailspring crew clean up the trails quickly when they are made aware of issues like that. The elevation gain isn’t difficult for an experienced or even amateur trail runner, but to a beginner, it can be rough. Recently I ran 6 miles of the West trail and gained around 600ft of elevation. This isn’t bad, but be prepared for your legs to burn if you’re not used to elevation gain.
At the trail head, there is a large map of the trails with which you should be familiar. Best to take a picture of the map with your phone or download one from the Trailspring website. There are free apps, like MapMyRun, that will use GPS to track your route. It’s a good idea to utilize an app like this just in case you get turned around. Besides the map, there is a list of rules to get familiar with as well. And last but not least, there is a place for donations to help keep the park maintained, which, I think, is worth it.
I’ve not mentioned Mountain biking, but that is probably the most popular activity at the park. There are trails dedicated to Mountain biking, but most are multi-purpose. A professionally designed 18-hole disc-golf course was added in 2015, as well. The course looks difficult, but I have yet try it. There is a downloadable map of the course on the Trailspring website.
Since that first Trailfest at Two Rivers, I have been back many times to run the trails on my own and have hiked the trails with my family. I’ve yet to have a bad experience. The grounds are always clean and well maintained. Trailspring has provided us with a wonderful place to enjoy the beauty of the Ozarks.