White River Valley Trail System

About White River Valley Trail System

White River Valley Trail provides a challenging and enjoyable experience for hikers and mountain bikers in a rugged and scenic area of the state. The trail, built on land within Table Rock State Park and on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land, mainly covers land that was used during the construction of Table Rock Dam on the White River in the late 1950s. Some parts of the trail are built on roads that were used for the construction of the dam. Scenic areas of the trail include small waterfalls, views of Table Rock and Taneycomo lakes and an abandoned farmstead. The land is rugged with elevations ranging from 710 feet to nearly 1,200 feet above sea level. Natural communities along the trail range from moist bottomland woodland along Lake Taneycomo to dry dolomite glades on the higher areas.

This range of land, from moist to dry and low to high, allows a variety of plant and animal life to exist within the trail area. River bottom areas contain huge sycamores and cottonwoods. Mid-level trees are mostly oaks and hickories with the higher areas containing shortleaf pines and the glade-dwelling Ashe’s juniper. Animal diversity is great with birds, such as the great blue heron, found in the White River valley and desert-adapted species, such as roadrunners, collared lizards and tarantulas, in the glades.