SideXSides 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 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

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Rush Springs Ranch

The southern region of the state features beautiful rolling Ozark hills and offers off-roaders not only the view but challenging terrain across multiple difficulty and skill levels.

In Webster County near Seymour, Southern Missouri Off-Road Ranch (SMORR .net) sits on more than 940 acres of wooded rolling hills. The ranch was formed fifteen years ago by a group of off-road enthusiasts looking for a place to provide other off-roaders from across the region a place to play.

Today, more than one hundred miles of trails accent the landscape, where visitors can see wildlife like deer, bears, and armadillo, among others, and enjoy the nature around them. Trails are well-marked and well-maintained with difficulty levels that range from one (an easy cruise through the woods) to six (insane rock crawling).

Gates are open at Southern Missouri Off-Road Ranch most weekends, Fridays through Sundays, March through November. RV sites, rustic cabins, and tent and generator camping areas are available for guests along with a climate-controlled shower house.

Further to the southwest in McDonald County, more than one hundred miles of trails await SXS enthusiasts at Rush Springs Ranch (RushSpringsRanch.com) near Jane. SXS trails pass by bluff-top vistas and through dense woodlands as they meander across the ranch’s more than one thousand acres. Trails range from flat and fast to slow and rocky, though the latter may be more appropriate for rock-crawling vehicles. On a scenic ride, ranch visitors can also enjoy several walking trails, ponds, creek beds, and other natural features, including a small cave they can explore.

Rush Springs Ranch is open daily and accommodates multi-day stays with rustic cabins and RV sites.

Check websites for rules, regulations, UTV size limitations in some cases, and necessary permits before making reservations and traveling.

POINTS OF INTEREST

1. Smurfwood Trails, Canton 2. St. Joe State Park, Park HIlls 3. Southern Missouri Off-Road Ranch,

Seymour 4. Rush Springs Ranch, Jane