The Mother Trail
Sac River Trails | Cedar Boardwalk
Traditional singletrack, Superfund-site adjacent. Classic rocky, rooty cross-country trails with slick & chattery creek crossings and a smorgasbord of natural surface trail features & experiences.
Find a range of chunky, gnarly & churty descents and smooth, hardpacked flowy contours, punctuated by the occasional booter, berm, boardwalk, bridge & backwoods hub. Find isolation & a sense of remoteness deep in the network, or run laps along the blue route, within earshot of the highway & under the shadows of the silo & landmark communication tower.
Watch for continued connectivity as Sac River links up with other Dirt 66 touch points, including RItter Springs, David C. Murray Park, & Lake McDaniel.
Group Efforts
Volunteers march railroad ties into a troublesome zone of inundated soils shaded by a thick grove of young cedars. Shouldering the load, the group hauled donated & gathered materials into the mucky area.
Top Down Views, Bottom Up Strategy
Volunteers dug foundation pits, laid geotextile & gravel, then set donated railroad ties before attaching treated 2x joists for a segmented boardwalk.
L-C-R
A trio of deck joists (left-center-right) run the length of the segmented boardwalk, spanning railroad tie footings spaced 8-12’ apart.
The Finished Product
Cedar decking elevates the boardwalk above the muck & mire through this dense cedar grove. Sunken stone lips armor the transition to a gentle ramp, elevating riders & hikers.
Mother Trail Maintenance is provided by Missouri Off-Road Cyclists, which raises funds through membership dues and events like the endurance challenge Omba Caramba!
Outside Loopers
Located along the Blue Loop near Hwy 13, the cedar boardwalk has became a major feature during endurance rides like the annual fundraiser, Omba Caramba!
2020 Inaugural Enduro
A celebrated stop along the Dirt 66, Sac River Trails pay homage to traditional Ozark’s singletrack with it’s modest, yet expertly crafted ±720” (Ha!) of descent through rocky creek crossings & techy roots. 2020 marked the first year for the Rock and Roots Enduro race, a six stage, single day event.
Generational Bridges
To span a shallow creek bed with constant, low flows, MORC members Zach Helton, Mike Hubbard, & others devised a bridge strong enough to withstand frequent flooding through the channel. (Cables anchoring the structure were added later, protecting the bridge from drifting downstream).