Conor Watkins' Ozark Mountain Experience
Article 73
By Conor Watkins

The Lions Club Mountain Bike Trail
-Outdoor Recreation Within The Confines of Rolla

Fall is one of the best times to enjoy the outdoors in Missouri.
Picture taken along SR 94 southwest of St. Charles, MO in 2002.

The fall offers some of the best weather for outdoor recreation in Missouri, as the summer heat gives way to more pleasant days.  Although now is one of the best times to enjoy the Ozark outdoors surrounding Rolla, classes are gearing up and many of us do not have time to travel far.  Luckily those looking to enjoy outdoor activities without a far drive do not even need to leave the confines of Rolla.

Rolla’s Lions Club Park is well known for its picnic pavilions, ball fields, fishing lake, and playgrounds but a recent addition is also worth mentioning.   As of this year, a new mountain bike trail was established within the undeveloped eastern portion of Lions Club Park.

The idea to establish a trail in the Rolla area was brought to the members of Lions Club by Dan Fuhrmann, a graduate of UMR’s Mechanical Engineering Department.  Dan purchased Route 66 Bicycles, located at 805 Rolla St. in downtown Rolla, in October 2002.  Ever since he bought the bike store, customers have wanted to know where they could ride mountain bikes near Rolla.  Most were surprised to learn that the nearest trail was the Kaintuck Trail southwest of Newburg.  It was after these requests that he realized the town needed a closer trail.  Excluding time taken to load and unload bikes and gear, it takes one 25 minutes to drive one way to the Kaintuck Trail.

Fuhrmann wrote a letter to the Rolla Lions Club expressing his interest in building a trail through their park.  In his letter he stated that the presence of this trail would enhance the image of Lions Club Park, as it fits in with the goal of the club to provide one of the area’s premier outdoor recreation sites.  He also stated that he had a group of willing volunteers who would provide the labor to construct a trail through the park.  The letter also stated that the trail would be designed and built to prevent erosion and have a minimal impact on the environment.  Workers would use only simple hand tools to clear the trail.

The Rolla Lions Club accepted the idea since it would work well to promote the park and was of very low cost.  As soon as it was approved, workers began to organize workdays to construct the trail.  A trail estimated at between 3.3 and 3.5 miles was soon cleared and flagged.  Simple “ladder” style bridges were constructed over some small streams in the area.  The trail takes the visitor through a hardwood forest, meadows, and a large grove of cedar trees.

This aerial photo/map shows the approximate location of the Lions Club
Mountain Bike Trail.  NOTE: The large building just SE of the compass rose is
K-Mart & Big Lots.

On May 3, 2003 I took off on my mountain bike and headed to Lions Club Park.  The sun was out and temperatures were in the 70’s, so the weather was perfect for a bike ride.  The trail was new at this time and official signs/markers had not yet been placed.  Finding the trail head was somewhat of a challenge but a sign has now been erected, allowing the first time rider to easily locate the trail.  The official trail head is located in the woods behind Pavilion #4.  The easiest way to find the trail head is to head away from the parking lot and pass just to the right side of Pavilion #4.  Follow the tree line running parallel to the sides of the pavilion until a sign and path appear in the woods on the right.  This path leads to the main trail, which is just inside the woods.  Other paths such as the one behind Pavilion #6 also lead to the main trail. The trail consists of one long loop.  It is not meant to be traveled in any particular direction so the rider may go left or right once the main trail is encountered.

No matter which way one decides to go, the first part of the trail leads one through a hardwood forest of oak, hickory, and other trees.  I took the trail to the right and rode the loop in a counterclockwise direction.  The trail winds through the woods for a while and has plenty of curves for one to slide around.  For the most part, pink flags and flagging tape keep the rider from straying off the established trail.  If one is not attentive, it is easy to end up on intersecting animal trails, some of which can confuse the rider by putting them back on a section of trail that they rode earlier.  I ended up riding one meander of the trail twice this way.  Since over three miles of trail had to fit within the park, the trail meanders frequently.  These meanders add to the length by “compressing” the trail into a smaller area.

The first part of the trail passes through an oak and hickory hardwood forest.
Picture courtesy of Chris Clinton.

After the first section of trail is complete, it heads farther back into the park and crosses a grassy meadow.  Some swampy areas are encountered at this point.  After crossing the meadow, the trail enters a section of cedar trees near the rear of the park.  It is here that the trail crosses many of its simple “ladder” style bridges.  Although these look rickety due to their crude construction, they should be adequate for most riders.  This appearance is somewhat intentional, as their creators wanted to add thrill to the ride.  The trail passes out of the cedar trees at least once but soon re-enters the grove.  After passing in and out of the cedar trees, the trail ends up in another area of hardwood forest in the far northeast portion of the park near the intersection of Rolla St. and Lanning Lane.  Both these roads may be seen from the trail. The trail enters another grove of cedars after leaving this section and skirts the open meadow.  The hardwood forest returns as one travels farther along the trail and closer to the front of the park.  The main trailhead appears soon after returning to the hardwood forest in the western section of the park.

A grassy meadow is crossed multiple times by the Lions Club Trail.
Picture courtesy of Chris Clinton.

A grove of cedar trees contains a portion of the Lions Club Trail.
Picture courtesy of Chris Clinton.

The trail as a whole is not nearly as technical when compared to other nearby biking trails, but it is well worth the ride.  It is relatively flat, but has plenty of curves due to its meandering nature.  Once on the trail, one can hardly tell that they are still in Rolla city limits.  The undeveloped part of Lions Club Park is peaceful and home to a variety of wildlife species.  The designers of the trail certainly did an excellent job of providing a trail that is fun for both the experienced biker and the beginner with a limited amount of space.

Lions Club is dedicated to making the trail part of the park and will provide signs and maintenance to keep the trail user friendly.  The Rolla Lions Club chartered in 1935 to serve the community of Rolla and beyond.  The club purchased 143 acres of land for a park in 1954.  100 of these acres were cleared and the rest was undeveloped.  40 additional undeveloped acres were purchased in 1994.  Much of the trail’s eastern section, which passes through the grove of cedars, is located in this newly added portion of the park.  The area also provides a soccer complex and regional fire training facility in the far southern part of the park.  The goal of Lions Club International is to serve communities worldwide.  The recent addition of a biking trail to the park will certainly enhance recreation in the Rolla area.

Lions Club Park requires significant funding to maintain the park in excellent condition.  The majority of funds raised by the club are put right back into the park.  The annual Lions Club Carnival, held around the July 4th, has been the main fundraiser for the park for over 65 years.  Games of bingo are also held every Monday night.  These raise money for both the park and the community while providing enjoyment to the players.  In addition to providing the park, Lions Club donated the land on which the Phelps County Medical Center is now located, helped bring about the creation of the Little Prairie Lake just east of Rolla, and has helped provide the Rolla High School Lions Club Memorial Field.  On an international level, Lions Club is dedicated to preserving eyesight and looking to cure eye related diseases.  The motto “We Serve” seems suit Lions Club well.

To get to Lion’s Club Park, take Hwy 63 south past K-Mart.  Turn left immediately after K-Mart and enter Lions Club Park.  Those riding bikes may wish to avoid traffic by taking Rolla St. south to Lanning Ln.  The rider should then turn right (west) on Lanning Ln. and head towards K-Mart where one can cut across the parking lot and enter Lions Club Park.  Follow the main road to Pavilion #4 and follow the directions to the trail as stated earlier.

Thanks to Chris Clinton and Davis Haas of the Rolla Lions Club for their information an photographs of the area, Dan and Brian Fuhrmann of Route 66 Bicycles for the initial idea to create a trail at Lions Club Park, and all those who worked together to make the trail a reality.