Along the river and through the woods, a myriad of trails wind through Cape Girardeau! Julia Thompson is the Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Cape Girardeau, and she shared with us her favorite place for a stroll in Cape Girardeau – the Cape LaCroix Trail.

What is your favorite thing about the Cape LaCroix Trail, Julia?

This jewel of the City’s is 6 miles long and runs from the southern end of the City at the Shawnee Sports Complex off of West End Boulevard. It’s a paved recreational trail where you can bike, walk or jog, skateboard or rollerblade through town and stroll by two major city parks. You also go through Cape Woods, a beautiful urban wilderness right in the middle of town. The Cape LaCroix Trail currently ends in Walden Park and turns into a gravel nature trail that leads up to the Missouri Department of Conservation Nature Center.

What do you wish folks knew about the Cape LaCroix Trail?

That the trail is very accessible and winds its way along Cape LaCroix Creek through a variety of scenery with access to our major parks and our town center. It also connects up with another trail on Route K/William Street that leads to shopping and dining on the western side of town.

Someone has only one hour to enjoy the Cape LaCroix Trail. What would you tell them to do?

Drive to the East Rodney Trail Head in Arena Park next to the tennis courts and park. You can access the middle of the trail and walk in either direction. If you’re interested in a work out, we have a brand new FitZone with outdoor exercise equipment that has easy workout stations for all fitness abilities – its free and open to the public! Several pieces are handicapped accessible.

Thanks to Julia for giving us her perspective on the Cape LaCroix Recreation Trail! Download a trail map here, and learn about other walking, hiking and biking trails in Cape Girardeau here.

Your outdoor adventure starts in Cape Girardeau with miles of trails, unique parks, the nature center and more – all with the Mighty Mississippi right in your backyard. Learn more about the Great Outdoors in Cape Girardeau here.