Kelley Branch Mountain Bike Trail

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Allowed

Located in Finger Lakes State Park

This singletrack trail is contained within the 90-acre Kelley Branch Restoration Area, which is closed to off-road vehicles. The trail is located in a scenic and rugged portion of the park and takes users through wooded landscapes with steep mounds and bottomland areas. The trail passes by a small waterfall and the site of an old mining bridge. wildlife such as deer and beaver are often spotted in the woods and near the stream.

This trail is marked in Yellow Blazes (the white connector is a shortcut back to the parking lot)

Please note the trail is one-way (the direction is clearly marked)

There are 2 Creek crossings within the first 0.55 miles of the trail. You can avoid these creek crossing by taking the south loop entrance and cutting out the fist 0.55 miles of trail.

The south loop entrance may be used when the water crossings are impassable (there is a special cut-over for this since the trail is one-way)

After the second creek crossing, around 0.55 MI, keep right (left has a one-way/do not enter sign and is the south loop entrance)

At about .7 miles, there's an intersection with the left trail named as the white connector (Blazed in white) and the right trail named the South Loop (blazed in yellow). Keep right on the South Loop. The white connector is a short cut back to the parking lot. This shortened loop is about 1 mile.

You May Experience:. Natural surface: dirt, mud, gravel, shifting rocks, slippery surface, etc; Rocks, roots and/or downed vegetation on trail: physically challenging obstacles; Steep Grades and inclines over 10%; Bluffs or drop offs next to trail; Bridges and/or structural crossing; Water/stream crossings without bridges; occasional water over trails.

The Kelly Branch Mountain Bike Trail was one of the primary projects for the State Parks Youth Corps at Finger Lakes State Park. The Osage Region Trail Association, a local mountain bike club, assisted park staff in the layout and construction of the trail.

The Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation awarded its 2012 Distinguished Service Award to three Missouri State Parks employees for their work in completing the Kelley Branch Mountain Bike Trail. Together the three designed and constructed the trail through the rugged heavily wooded terrain. the result is a trail that appeals to mountain bike enthusiasts while still protecting the park's natural resources.