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JONESBURG, Mo.—Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) work teams have just completed a significant renovation and reroute to the multi-use trail on the Daniel Boone Conservation Area in Warren County near Jonesburg. The trail, which is 6.8 miles in total length, is open to hiking, biking, and equestrian use.
One of the main reasons for the reroute was to allow portions which had experienced significant wear a chance to recover. The Daniel Boone Conservation Area also encompasses the 923-acre Razor Hollow Natural Area. The project modified the route for biking and horseback use to protect sensitive resources in the area. Users are asked to follow the posted signs regarding access.
Missouri’s natural areas are selected by a multi-agency committee and chosen because they represent some of the best — and last — examples of the state's original landscape. Many include rare plants, animals, and geological features that were common before European settlement. Razor Hollow features remarkable sandstone outcrops, quality habitat for more than a dozen breeding forest and woodland bird species and is crucial to 17 species of reptiles and amphibians.
The completed project also provides several benefits for users. Portions of the trail are now easier to traverse, and the trail signage has been enhanced to help all users more clearly follow it. Thanks to habitat management work by MDC staff, hikers, bikers and equestrians will enjoy the benefits of timber stand thinning to open up the area’s woodlands, and the results of prescribed burning to encourage the growth of showy forbes on the glades. The project’s goals were also to reduce erosion on parts of the trail and make its management for future use more sustainable.
The Daniel Boone Conservation Area is 3,520 acres in size and provides additional outdoor recreational options like hunting squirrel, turkey and deer in season, fishing for black bass, catfish and sunfish, birdwatching, picnicking, and several primitive camping sites.
To reach the area, take the Route Y exit southwest off I-70 at Jonesburg. Go five miles, then take Tower Road southwest two miles. For more information about Daniel Boone Conservation Area, including a detailed, downloadable map, go to https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZhY.
