Oklahoma's Longest Recreational Trail Oklahoma's Worst-Maintained Recreational Trail

Jean Pierre Chouteau National Recreation Trail

The Jean Pierre Chouteau National Recreation Trail is supposed to follow the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System ("MKARNS") from the Port of Catoosa (Catoosa, Oklahoma, northeast of Tulsa) about 60 miles downstream to Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, near the confluence of the Arkansas, Verdigris and Neosho (Grand) Rivers. However, if you try to explore the trail today, you're apt to feel more like an archeologist than a hiker or biker, because there is hardly a trail left to hike. It seems that the trail was built when the MKARNS was being completed in the 1960s and has hardly been touched, much less maintained, since. If it were maintained, it would be Oklahoma's longest continuous trail (unless you consider the 223 mile Ouachita Trail from Talamina, OK to Mena, AR, of which only about 30 miles in Oklahoma).

CONDITON The trail has been reported at Singletracks that the Trail is open, but in marginal conditoin, from Fort Gibson, OK to Okay, OK. See above. Unknown. The Trail is useable going north, but in very bad condition. There is no visible trail going south. The Trail is barely useable going south. There is no visible trail going north. The south-going trail crosses a minor waterway after only a few hundred yards. The steel bridge is vary narrow, partially falling down and is barricaded at each end to make it impossible to cross except on foot. It would be barely possible to pass a bike over the baracade. There is no sign of the Trail anywhere within the Port. When asked, security guards at the Port say that they've never heard of a trail or where to find it. The Port Visitor Center likewise has no clue about the trail.

TRAIL ACCESS Fort Gibson State Highway 16 Crossing / Okay, OK Chouteau Lock No. 17 (about 8.3 miles east of Porter, OK) (918) 687-4501 Newt Graham Lock No. 18 (about 6.7 miles south of Inola, OK) (918) 543-2216 U.S. Highway 412 Crossing. Go east one mile on 412 to County Road NS4160, then south 0.3 miles to C.R. EW0590, then west 1 mile to the waterway, then south about 200 yards to a parking lot and boat ramp. The Port of Catoosa

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