OFF-ROAD SIDEXSIDE ADVENTURES
SOMETIMES A SCENIC DRIVE requires a little off-road adventure, and cruising Missouri countrysides on a sideby-side (SXS) UTV will find you in lush forests, wide prairies, and bluff-top vistas you can’t see from the blacktop. In the northeast corner of the state, in Lewis County eight miles out of Canton, Smurfwood Trails (SmurfwoodTrails.com) offers riders unexpected sights and experiences from May to September. The owner was once a construction worker and has put his skills to work in retirement on his 680acre farm. Some of the aspects that make Smurfwood unique are the thirty-two bridges built on-site, from the Papa Smurf Bridge (a blue suspension) to one created out of an old semi trailer. The bridges are highlights of the twenty miles of moderate trails running through woods and creek beds. Steeper challenges shoot off from the trails for those who want to climb. The eclectic and creative nature of Smurfwood goes beyond the trails to other amenities the farm offers. Stay overnight in 22 | Missouri Scenic Drives & SideXSides
a bin hut (repurposed grain bin) or a cabin, or bring your RV or tent and set up camp and enjoy the beach and lake for swimming and fishing. Nestled into what once was a lead-mining and processing region in Missouri’s old Lead Belt, St. Joe State Park (MoStateParks .com/park/st-joe-state-park) in St. Francois County near Park Hills south of St. Louis is one of two Missouri State Parks that allows off-road vehicles. St. Joe State Park’s inherited terrain has been repurposed to include fifty-four miles of trails that thread through a mix of eight hundred acres of tailings (a sandy crushed limestone created from the mining process) and twelve hundred acres of wooded hillsides. An off-road adventure in St. Joe includes more than enjoying the wind in your hair on the trail, though. Along the way, stop at one of four lakes for a quick cool off, or snag a picnic site and have lunch. Make it a multi-day excursion, and stay the night at designated campgrounds that have easy access to the trails.
SOUTHERN MISSOURI OFF-ROAD RANCH, RUSH SPRINGS RANCH
Southern Missouri Off-Road Ranch
