Supporting the Big Muddy National
Fish and Wildlife Refuge
Upcoming Activity:
Saturday, October 27th:
Free Guided Hikes of the Lewis and Clark Trail of Discovery
Saturday, October 27th, free guided tours will be offered along the Lewis and Clark Trail of Discovery at the Jameson Island Unit of the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge outside of Arrow Rock. The tours will be offered beginning at 10:00, 1:30, and 3:30. Tour guides will discuss the cultural history of the area including the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Santa Fe Trail, and the development of the town of Arrow Rock. They will also discuss the natural history of the area and how it has changed and been shaped by the Missouri River. The tours are co-sponsored by the Friends of Big Muddy and the Friends of Arrow Rock.
The Lewis and Clark Trail of Discovery is a one-mile hiking trail that runs from the refuge’s Jameson Island Unit parking area to the Missouri River. The trail runs along an old levee and is graveled to create an even hiking surface. The trail is handicapped accessible for wheelchairs along most of its length.
The Jameson Island Unit of the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge was purchased in 1994 after the Great Flood of 1993 covered much of the area. It has 1871 acres of land and is open to the public for hunting, fishing, and wildlife oriented public uses such as bird watching and hiking. It was purchased as part of the refuge’s mission to preserve and restore portions of the Missouri River floodplain and its fish and wildlife habitats, and to provide compatible public uses.
Hiking the Lewis and Clark Trail of Discovery.
Friends of Big Muddy worked with refuge staff, Friends of Arrow Rock, and Boy Scout troops to build the Lewis and Clark Trail of Discovery (see http://www.friendsofbigmuddy.org/trails.htm). Completing this trail was a major accomplishment, but we are already looking at additional ways to improve and expand the trail. We have also helped complete a companion trail, the Arrow Rock Historic River Landing Trail, that extends from the existing trail into Arrow Rock. The trail tours will include the option of taking a tour of this trail as well.
Arrow Rock is a National Historic Landmark village located 14 miles north of I-70 at exit 98. The Arrow Rock State Historic Site Visitor Center and Museum is open 9:00-4:00. Guided walking tours of the restored village are offered throughout the day by Friends of Arrow Rock for a fee. Dining, shops, camping and bed and breakfasts are also available. For more information see: www.arrowrock.org.
Directions:
The tours will leave from the Jameson Island Unit parking lot at 10:00, 1:30, and 3:30. To reach the parking lot from Arrow Rock, go to the end of Main Street, and find the Lyceum Theatre one block to the left. On the road behind the Lyceum Theatre, look for the hanging sign for the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. Follow the gravel lane down the hill to the parking lot where the tours will begin. Click here for a map of Arrow Rock and directions to town.
Contact us for more information. We do maintain a Yahoo Group to e-mail information about our activities a week or two before they happen, so if you would like to get these messages, send an e-mail to: FriendsofBigMuddy-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Check out other events happening nearby at the Missouri Division of Tourism calendar of events.