A couple shares an evening walk along the Spirit Trail at Knob Noster State Park.
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Spirit Trail has been a decades-long trail project in Johnson County, and its further development may continue for generations. Thirty years ago, Warrensburg residents and Whiteman Air Force Base personnel had a shared interest in a biking and hiking trail to connect the two communities. The trail’s development started with Phase 1, completed in the late 1990s, from Highway 13 to the Lake Ridge community within the Warrensburg city limits. Whiteman Air Force Base also created its section of Spirit Trail within Royal Oaks Golf Course next to the base. Although this phase did not connect the two locations, it did fuel the interest and devotion of a new generation of trail enthusiasts.
A loosely formed coalition of area residents and trail users kept the interest alive for additional development, yet nearly 15 years passed before the spark was ignited again. In April 2012, some Johnson County residents and Missouri State Parks’ executive team met at Camp Bobwhite, an organized group camp at Knob Noster State Park, to discuss the next steps of pushing Spirit Trail farther east.
The newly formed Johnson County Trail Coalition continued offering guidance for the trail’s development. Before the coalition’s formation, the asphalt trail running parallel to Highway DD had no name. Yet its popularity was evident given the number of visitors using the trail for hiking and biking. Within a year and through a community-driven naming effort, the trail was given the official designation of Spirit Trail in recognition of the B-2 Spirit bomber stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base. Representation on the coalition also offered a testament to the trail’s popularity and the enduring theme of connecting communities. Organizations involved in the project included Missouri State Parks, the Johnson County Commission, local municipal governments, University of Central Missouri, the Pioneer Trails Regional Planning Commission, state legislators, the Missouri Department of Transportation and Whiteman Air Force Base.
By the end of 2012, the coalition had developed a formal, four-phase plan to reach Whiteman Air Force Base and the city of Knob Noster. Construction began in August 2017, and on Oct. 6, 2018, a ribbon cutting ceremony marked the completion of the eastern section of Spirit Trail. From late 2018 to 2022, the coalition continued meeting each month to plan additional steps for completing its goals. One goal was painting the retaining wall along Bristle Ridge, the highest point along Spirit Trail. The wall offered a unique, blank, concrete canvas to help reinforce the trail’s primary focus of connecting communities.
Another goal was to secure funding for Knob Noster State Park’s portion of Spirit Trail. In 2022, $4 million was secured through the Missouri State Parks capital improvement process in cooperation with then Senator Denny Hoskins. This funding allowed construction to start in October 2023, using the plan created in 2015 by the design firm Bartlett and West in Jefferson City.
Knob Noster State Park completed its section of Spirit Trail in early November 2024. On Nov. 7, 2024, the park hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Clearfork Day Use Area to celebrate the opening of the trail section. “It began as a vision for alternative transportation with the desire to connect communities and recreational possibilities,” said David Peerbolte, chair of the coalition.
In mid-2024, Whiteman Air Force Base personnel had completed another goal: repaving the 0.75-mile portion through Royal Oaks Golf Course. From Spirit Gate, which is the base’s main gate and Spirit Trail’s eastern terminus, to the western terminus at Highway 13, the trail is now 10.3 miles long.
“We now have a beautiful trail for our airmen and our families, and this is not the end. We’re on to the next (trail) project now. On behalf of everyone associated with Whiteman, this is much needed,” said Colonel Keith Butler, commander of Whiteman Air Force Base’s 509th Bomber Wing.
With the accomplishments over the last two years, the coalition’s vision of connecting communities still burns strong. In 2025 and beyond, the coalition will focus on adding trail surface to the city of Knob Noster, and to Leeton and Chilhowee to connect Spirit Trail to Rock Island Trail State Park.
Considering the number of positive connections between numerous governmental organizations, area residents, businesses and donors, Spirit Trail is a case study on how strong interactions, dedication and patience can bolster and expand the interdependence of communities striving to better themselves.
To learn how to participate in further development of the trail, visit spirittrail.org/contact.
