Katy Trail

Turning a mutual love of conservation into 240 miles for hikers, cyclists, equestrians and history buffs.

 Ted and Pat Jones commemorate the dedication of the Katy Trail State Park with a park ranger.

The nature of our culture

Nature conservation is embedded in the culture of Edward Jones. The firm's second managing partner, Ted Jones and his wife, Pat, first bonded over their mutual love of preservation, and in the late 1980s committed to turning a 240-mile stretch of abandoned railroad into Missouri's magnificent Katy Trail State Park.

 A majestic view of the Katy Trail State Park, along an abandoned railroad on the Missouri River.

Going from rail to trail

Before becoming a trail, this area was the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) Railroad. The railroad ran from Parsons, Kan., to St. Louis, Mo., and south to Galveston, Texas.  The corridor's conversion from a railroad to a trail was made possible by the National Trails System Act of 1968 and through a personal donation from the Joneses in 1987.

 Sign at the trailhead of Katy Trail State Park.

30 years and counting

2020 marks the 30th anniversary of the dedication of The Katy Trail, which is now the longest recreation rail-trail in the country, and sections of it are part of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and the American Discovery Trail. Today, the trail attracts 400,000 hikers, cyclists and joggers each year.