Hiking Guide
This story is part of an ongoing guide series to help readers find more ways to enjoy our community and the Ozarks outdoors.
When you need some nature therapy, but don’t have all day, head south. It won’t take long before you’re hiking among bluffs, rivers, woods and glades at Two Rivers Bike Park.
That’s right: You can hike at the bike park! And we share four suggested treks to try.
Thanks to local planners, our community has a bounty of multi-use natural spaces. Trailspring, a nonprofit developing and promoting outdoor recreation, helped change the face of Fellows Lake through Dirt 66, an amazing network of bike and foot-traffic trails.
But Two Rivers Bike Park was Trailspring’s first big development with professionally-built trails. About 30 minutes south of Springfield in Highlandville, the 400-acre rural park with 14 miles of hilly paths is at the confluence of the Finley and James rivers.
By its name, one might think it’s only for mountain bikers. But Two Rivers is one of our favorite spots to hike when we want to get outdoors without driving too far. We especially enjoy hiking along the riverway, best viewed before late spring when trees fully leaf out. And the variety of terrain at any time of year makes this park especially fun to visit.
It’s optimized for mountain biking and around 60 percent of the park’s 20,000 annual visitors go there to ride — especially with all of its stunt options, like wall rides and drop sections. But the rest visit to hike, run, or simply to enjoy nature, says Trailspring Executive Director Alaina Grote.
“There is more than enough room for everyone to enjoy their favorite activities,” she said.
Whether you ride, hike, run, or even want to play a round of disc golf, Two Rivers is a treasure. Our guide helps you choose a great trail.
How to find Two Rivers Bike Park from Springfield (click to expand)
Address: 5055 Two Rivers Road, Highlandville
Distance: Driving south on US-160 and/or Nicholas Road through Nixa, it’s about 20 miles (35-minute drive) from downtown Springfield or less than 14 miles (20-minute drive) from the south edge of town
Share the trails: Etiquette tips for multi-use parks
Hikers should stay aware of riders and step off the trail to let them pass. And likewise, cyclists must be aware of people on foot. Alaina Grote, Trailspring executive director, offers these additional standard codes of conduct tips to “be kind, be aware, and help keep the park clean.”
- Hikers, cyclists, and runners are encouraged to respect the landscape and pack trash out.
- Dogs are welcome at the park but must be leashed for the safety of other visitors.
- Since the trail is multi-use, all users must be vigilant and practice caution when coming around corners or heading downhill. (Say hello and share the trails!)
- It’s a best practice for cyclists to announce themselves when coming up behind individuals by shouting their location (example: “On your left!”); another option: cyclists can install bells on their bikes to alert other trail users.
About the park
Driving out to Two Rivers Bike Park is a pleasure in itself, given the last part goes through rural areas. If you have time to meander, detour off to enjoy visiting James River at one of its rural access points, like Delaware Town or Shelvin Rock.
Two Rivers’ wide, gravel parking lot is easy to navigate. Once parked, review the map on a large sign and take its photo to help you navigate the trails, whether riding or going on foot. A stunt practice area is next to the parking lot, and until it gets overgrown in summer, a disc golf course is a popular activity.
There are also two outbuildings: A red barn (the interior is typically locked) and what they call the “calf barn” that’s usually open. A public-use bathroom is on the east side of the red barn and there are chairs in open spaces that visitors are welcome to use. This is a nice shaded area for parents to wait while kids are riding trails or using the stunt area nearby. It’s also a nice snack or picnic spot.
Before heading out, study the park map and how to interpret trail signs, whether riding or hiking. It’s a big area with many intersecting trails.
Need-to-know details about Two Rivers Bike Park and trails (click to expand)
Park stats: 400 acres, 14 miles of trails
Cost to use: Free
Open: 12 months
Trails: Mix-use multi-elevation trails for mountain biking, hiking and running. For riders, trails use “ski slope” skill level designations (green rated beginning, blue rated intermediate, black diamond, in red, rated advanced). Many trails connect by shorter paths.
Parking/facilities: Large gravel parking lot with map signage and two primary buildings: Red Barn, with restrooms on the east side, and Calf Barn. Visitors can spend time or have snacks in the open outdoor spaces around the barns.
Dogs: Welcome on a leash
Disc Golf: On site; best used December through March as fairways are not mowed
Bike skills/stunts: The park is appropriate for all mountain biking skills. A stunt area near the parking lot helps beginners hone skills and practice banking, cruising over wooden features and more. Other trails also include some stunt features.
Tip: Take a photo of the map, either online or on the park sign. Trailspring staff recommends the TrailForks and MTBProject apps for detailed maps including GPS coordinates. Take note of how markers designate trails, especially with so many network intersections.
Online: Visit the Trailspring website for a park/trail map and disc golf map.
Hiking in the Park
The park’s name makes it a bit of a hidden gem for hikers. What we like best is the variety of terrain. Some trails go through glades, others through the forest; and while some sections of the trail are somewhat level, many sections go up and down forested hills.
“One of the biggest differences between the trails at Two Rivers and the trails at Fellows Lake is the elevation change,” Grote said.
Fellows Lake is primarily a beginner-friendly, accessible trail system with rolling topography, bluff lines, meadow overlooks and scenic views of the lake, she added.
“At Two Rivers, users will find trails traversing up and down larger hills and a wider variety of advanced, remote trails that will take you deeper into the nature of the Ozarks. There are great trails near the parking area and plenty of pathways to explore if you want to stay closer to your vehicle, but you can also dive into a more ‘back country’ experience and hike around for hours if you choose.”
Some trails follow the bluff (with nice views of the river) and there’s even a small tributary waterfall in wet seasons. You can hike any trail, but with so many options, we recommend four sequences to try, listed below, each with wayfinding details to help you follow the map.
For each, start at the trailhead going south of the parking lot along a path through a field to a tree line. You’ll soon reach forested areas, bluffs and a peaceful nature experience.
Tip: Our descriptions of difficulty levels refer to hiking, not riding; a few portions of these trails that are moderate for hikers are designated “black diamond” — red — for riders.
West Loop to Scout Beginner Loop/easy and short
This trail option is easy, relatively level and short at just over a mile. A pleasant relatively level walk, it goes through woods and along open fields.
Using the map (click to expand)
From the trailhead heading south of the parking lot, follow the West Loop (green) to Intersection 1. Continue on the West Loop (green), passing Intersection 2 and continuing the trail to Intersection 3, where the Scout Beginner Trail (green) continues forward as the West Loop Trail turns left. Continue on the trail until it loops to the right again (now on an old road) and takes you back to Intersection 1. Turn left back to the trailhead and parking lot. You can also do this loop in reverse from Intersection 1.
West Loop Out and Back/easy to low-moderate and short
This trail starts out like the first suggestion, then it continues along a low, pretty bluff line with views of the river. Following this section out and back makes a roughly 2-mile hike. Along the hike, you’ll also cut into a tributary gorge for a bit where you might see a wet-season small waterfall before the trail turns back toward the river. When you get to the section that starts climbing, turn and retrace your steps (unless you want to add the hill).
Using the map (click to expand)
From the trailhead heading south of the parking lot, follow the West Loop (green) to Intersection 1. Continue on the West Loop (green), passing Intersections 2, then 3 and 4 as the trail continues. Eventually, it turns uphill into a tributary creek gorge, passing Intersection 5 and the Bluffline Trail sign. Look for a small waterfall area (if it’s running) along your right. Just beyond, you can take a connector shortcut at Intersection 6, crossing to Intersection 8 and heading right, back toward the river. (To add more to your hike, less than a mile, you can continue on the West Loop here instead of taking the shortcut until it turns back around to the river.)
Follow the trail to the left as it continues along the river. Turn back where it starts traversing steeply uphill and retrace your steps. Or hike up the hill (red section on the map) to the overlook and upper glade (at Intersection 9) and return from there.
West Loop, South Loop and Home Run/easy-moderate and longer
You can find this 4.1-mile hike on AllTrails, and it’s easy to follow if you watch the trail signs. Alaina Grote with Trailspring says this is one of the more popular hikes. It has a nice variety of terrain and elevation changes, from woods and bluffs, going along the river, traversing uphill to an overlook and glade, then looping around the outskirts of the park counterclockwise to end back at the parking lot. The first section follows the previous trail recommendation but continues and connects to other trails.
Using the map (click to expand)
From the trailhead heading south of the parking lot, follow the West Loop (green) to Intersection 1. Continue on the West Loop (green), passing Intersections 2, then 3 and 4 as the trail continues. It turns uphill into a tributary creek gorge, passing Intersection 5 and the Bluffline Trail sign. Look for a small waterfall area (if it’s running) along your right. Just beyond, you can take a connector shortcut at Intersection 6, crossing to Intersection 8 and heading right, back toward the river. (To add more to your hike, less than a mile, you can continue on the West Loop here instead of taking the shortcut until it turns back around to the river.) Follow the trail to the left as it continues along the river.
Eventually, the trail turns and traverses up a hill (red section on the map). Once you reach the upper glade (Intersection 9), enjoy the overlook. From here, start following the South Loop Trail (green) through the glade until you reach the next intersection (23). From here, continue straight (or what might appear to be the farthest path on the right). This section of the South Loop Trail continues around the outskirts of the park, eventually passing Intersection 24 (stay on the blue South Loop trail). When you reach Intersection 21, continue forward (or the farthest right of three options) onto the Home Run Trail, also part of the North Loop, and labeled a connector trail. When you pass Intersection 16, you’re nearly back to the trailhead and parking lot.
West Loop and Bluffline Trail/easy-moderate and longer
Lastly, here’s a trek to try from our most recent visit to Two Rivers. Altogether we clocked about 4 miles. The first part starts like the last two trail suggestions along the West Loop, passing the Bluffline Trail sign (which we’ll come back to), exploring the waterfall, back to the river and traversing up the steep hill to see the overlook at Intersection 9. We retraced our steps until we came back to the Bluffline Trail sign at Intersection 5.
From here we followed the Bluffline Trail, which rose high above the river along a bluff for some great views. This trail is a bit more challenging, but nothing harder than most Arkansas Buffalo River area trails if you hike there. The trail continues for a while, eventually curving right and into the forest. You’ll connect back to the trailhead via the West Loop.
Using the map (click to expand)
From the trailhead heading south of the parking lot, follow the West Loop (green) to Intersection 1. Continue on the West Loop (green), passing Intersections 2, then 3 and 4 as the trail continues. It turns uphill into a tributary creek gorge, passing Intersection 5 and the Bluffline Trail sign. Look for a small waterfall area (if it’s running) along your right. Just beyond, you can take a connector shortcut at Intersection 6, crossing to Intersection 8 and heading right, back toward the river. (To add more to your hike, less than a mile, you can continue on the West Loop here instead of taking the shortcut until it turns back around to the river.) Follow the trail to the left as it continues along the river.
Eventually, the trail turns and traverses up a hill (red section on the map). Once you reach the upper glade (Intersection 9), enjoy the overlook then return the way you came until you reach Intersection 5 and the Bluffline Trail sign. Take the BlufflineTrail (which is red on the map for riders) until it curves back into the woods and reaches Intersection 12. Here you’ll take a sharp left onto a connector trail (blue) that leads back to the West Loop and Intersection 4. From here, follow the West Loop as it returns to the trailhead and parking lot.
