Carthage’s Ruby Jack Trail has proven so successful that phase two will likely be launched early next month.
“It’s been a huge undertaking,” said Braden Horst, secretary of the Joplin Trails Coalition, a group that oversees both the Carthage trail as well as the Frisco Greenway Trail, which intersects nearby Joplin and Webb City.
Both trails are so-called “Rails to Trails” projects, meaning they are former railroads converted into multi-use trails.
What kind of uses? Well, walking and jogging are the most popular activities, but don’t be surprised if you see a baby stroller or two, a leashed dog out for a nightly run, and plenty of pedaling bicycles.
The trails are maintained by the Coalition and donations from local individuals and businesses.
Ruby Jack Trail is 16 miles long and snakes its way west from Carthage to the Kansas state line. But 13 of those 16 miles are extremely rough, and caution is used for those who try to job or mountain bike its length. Walkers, runners and bikers now regularly use phase one of the project, three miles of packed crushed rock.
Phase two, an additional eight miles, will make its way to Oronogo, located north of Webb City, consisting of finer, smoother crushed rock. Phase three, which is still well down the road, will make its way through Carl Junction, “paving” the final eight miles with crushed rock, and ending at the Sunflower State’s border.
Without a doubt it will be the longest trail found in Jasper County.
“We really want this to become a popular trail,” Horst said, where families will become familiar with it and use it on a steady basis. “Hopefully in the future (people) will see the gates and the parking (areas) and recognize it as a trail.”
Phase two launches in March 21. The contract will last 60 days.
Recent improvements to the first three miles included a nice trail sign near the intersection of Oak Street and Old 66 Highway across the street from the golf course in Municipal Park, and Boy Scout Troop 10 of Joplin recently made the trail its service project, with members installing mile markers along the trail and surveying its length with Global Positioning Satellites. There is also a new bridge near the Carthage Trail Head, just past the main gate.
Remember, use of any motorized vehicle on the trail is expressly forbidden.
The trail, he said, “is something people can do outdoors, to get away from the traffic” of the city.
“It’s a very nice, uninterrupted walk.”
