Bluff Ridge Trail
- 1.5 mi
- round trip
- 616 ft
- climb
- 853 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
- best months
Bluff Ridge Trail is a short, easy hike in Missouri's Harry Truman Recreation Area, managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The trail is a 1.48-mile out-and-back, with a total elevation gain of 131 feet, so it works well as a quick outing or a stop on a longer day in the area. The route starts near 846 feet and climbs to a high point of 853 feet, with the steepest section about 0.32 miles in at an 8% grade. The trail is not suited for horses or bikes, so plan on walking on foot. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Truman Dam show October highs around 70°F with lows near 46°F, and May highs near 76°F. July is the warmest month, with typical highs around 90°F. Nearby, the 1000th Mile Trail and the Western Wallflower Trail are each about 1.2 miles away. Long Shoal offers lake fishing about 1.5 miles off, and the WM: Warsaw climbing area is about 2.7 miles away.
- 1000th Mile TrailHiking1.2 mi
- Western Wallflower TrailHiking1.2 mi
Long ShoalLake fishing1.5 mi
Shawnee BendLake fishing2.5 mi- WM: WarsawRock climbing2.7 mi
- Funhouse AlcoveRock climbing2.7 mi
- The Far SideRock climbing2.7 mi
Thibaut PointLake fishing2.8 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Katy TrailHiking · ~54 min drivePhoto: MoBikeFed, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Turkey Pen Hollow TrailHiking · ~1h 14m drivePhoto: Log.base, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Lake View Bend TrailHiking · ~1h 26m drivePhoto: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Clearfork Woodland TrailHiking · ~55 min drivePhoto: nousernameforme, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Red TrailHiking · ~1h 9m drive
- Opossum Hollow TrailHiking · ~57 min drive
Lake TrailHiking · ~1h 13m drivePhoto: Semipaw, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Lakeview TrailHiking · ~1h 24m drive
- Quarry TrailHiking · ~1h 13m drivePhoto: Semipaw, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Boulder Ridge TrailHiking · ~1h 13m drivePhoto: Semipaw, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Best time to visit Bluff Ridge Trail
Best months: March–June and September–November. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
43° / 22°
6 wet
Feb
47° / 25°
6 wet
Mar
57° / 34°
9 wet
Apr
68° / 44°
12 wet
May
76° / 55°
12 wet
Jun
85° / 65°
10 wet
Jul
90° / 69°
8 wet
Aug
89° / 67°
8 wet
Sep
82° / 58°
8 wet
Oct
70° / 46°
9 wet
Nov
57° / 36°
7 wet
Dec
46° / 27°
6 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Truman Dam & Rsvr, MO, 2.7 mi away at 754 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
