Things to Do
A Guide to Cycling in the Ozarks
Here's your definitive guide to cycling in the Ozarks, whether you're a mountain biker looking for a challenge or a new cyclist looking for scenic cycle paths.
by Sony Hocklander
May 2025
Photo by Josh Beecher
From riding rural roads and wooded trails to rolling by urban public art and charming local businesses, it’s hard to beat exploring the Ozarks from the seat of a bike. Faster and more exhilarating than pedestrian adventures, cycling helps people discover scenic spaces that may be hard to reach by foot or by car.
Pedaling mountain and road bikes around the Ozarks isn’t new, but Springfield and other local bergs are ramping up ways to make communities more bicycle-friendly. That includes creating additional on-street shared routes, bike lanes and paved multi-use trails like Ozark Greenways and public/private efforts to build more mountain bike trails to meet the needs of the accelerating off-road trend.
The Greenways network reaches scenic areas throughout Springfield, from the southwest Wilson’s Creek Greenway between Tal’s Trailhead and Rutledge-Wilson Farm Park to the northeast Fulbright Spring Greenway between Ritter Springs and Lost Hill parks.
Riding long-distance is more accessible than ever with the rapidly growing e-bike market. Don’t have one in your stable? You can rent one at Bike Branson near Table Rock State Park or at several locations in Bentonville.
Mountain biking in Springfield has been served for nearly three decades by the Sac River Trails, the city’s OG hand-built network for hikers and off-road riders. Southwest Missouri is rapidly expanding off-road destinations and today, riders can find more than 75 miles of trails within an hour of the city. Trail networks include Two Rivers Mountain Bike Park south of Nixa, the thrilling downhill trails of Howler Bike Park near Branson and the fun, flowy network of Dirt 66 trails at Fellows Lake. Learn about all those and more in our robust roundup.
Many more trail networks are just a couple of hours away in northwest Arkansas. Making a city bike-friendly is good for tourism, as nearby Bentonville has shown with its growing reputation as a mountain biking hub. It’s close enough for a fun day trip or for an extended weekend of cycling. No matter what kind of two-wheeled adventure you prefer, you’ll find bountiful ideas in this feature. As spring rolls into summer, It’s a great time for Queen City cyclers to “get on your bikes and ride!”
