Folks flock to Clinton for family and golf vacations, fishing and hunting trips, and a day or two of shopping and festival fun. Home to Missouri’s largest downtown square and a myriad of recreational opportunities provided by Truman Lake, Clinton’s got a little bit of somethingfor everyone.

Designed for hikers and bicyclists, Katy Trail State Park runs from its trailhead in Wagoner Park in Clinton northwards to St. Charles, Missouri, covering 225 miles. Built on the former corridor of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, the long-distance trail runs through farmland, woodlands, and prairies and between the Missouri River and its neighboring bluffs. Biking or hiking birdwatchers are likely to glimpse everything from chickadees and woodpeckers to hawks and turkey vultures; along the river, in addition to migrating birds, great blue herons, sandpipers, Canada geese, and kingfishers are often viewed through a pair of binoculars.

Located on the Grand River Branch of Truman Lake, Clinton attracts anglers and boaters who come to enjoy the lake’s pristine waters. On the water, there’s water-skiing, tubing, sailing, pleasure boating, and jet skiing, while the shore provides scenic hiking opportunities. The 55,600-acre lake gives up day’s limits of black bass, largemouth bass, walleye, catfish, crappie, and white bass. Truman Lake attracts a variety of waterfowl and has proved to be one of the best duck and goose hunting areas in the state.

Located 32 miles from Clinton, the Harry S. Truman Dam & Reservoir, one of Missouri’s most popular recreation areas, offers visitors 19 boat launches, a dozen campgrounds, fish cleaning stations, picnic areas, and seven swimming beaches. Hunters, hikers, and equestrians take advantage of trails, which run through 100,000 acres of land surrounding the dam and reservoir. White-tailed deer, rabbit, turkey, quail, and waterfowl make their homes at the park; bald eagles winter here, some staying to breed during the summer.

For more information about Clinton and its plentiful attractions, stop at the Visitors Information Center at the Chamber of Commerce Offices, located on the southeast corner of the historic downtown square in the 125-year-old Katy Railroad Depot.

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