Riding the Weston Bluffs Trail to a Produce Market

The Weston Bluffs Trail is a short hiking/biking trail accessible from Weston Bend State Park near Weston, Missouri.  From this trail, you can head northwest into Weston, which we did several times, or southeast into the rural countryside.  Part of the trail runs alongside the Missouri River and the Burlington Northern Railway.

We had never gone southeast on the trail but determined that we could take it to get to a produce stand we'd seen as we'd driven into the park several days earlier. We took our mountain bikes since this portion of the trail is unpaved. It is quite well-packed in most areas; there were only a couple of spots where a bicycle with narrower tires might fishtail.

Riding alongside the mighty Missouri River

The produce stand was well-stocked inside with beautiful fruits and vegetables as well as bulk spices, honey, and other foods.  We picked up quite a few things, loaded up our packs, and headed back to the campground.

Although the trail itself is has only the gentlest of inclines, on the park road back to the campground, there's a large hill to pedal up.  We'd already conquered this hill twice after our trips into Weston, so we knew what we had in store.

In this graphic from Google Maps, the campground is at the left point on the map, and Weston is on the right point. The flat part is the trail to Weston and is very similar to the part of the trail we took to the produce stand.  I don't need to point out the hill!

Here's Barry starting the climb.  Most of it is around the bend.  I was thankful for the extra low gears on my mountain bike!

After we caught our breath, we unloaded our haul back at our campsite. We got all this fresh produce, plus local honey and cherry jam, for $23.15.  Not as cheap as Mexico, but not bad at all.  And the produce was delicious!

Stay tuned as we leave Missouri and move on to our next state!