Matson Hill Trail, Defiance MO

The place may be good for hiking but I gave it a one because the bike trails are always closed. Call the rain out line before you drive out there.

Beautiful park and trails. The maps at the trail heads are so faded you can't see the trail loops. Trails are very poorly marked and spaced so far apart it's easy to get onto a completely different loop. Trails cross each other with no signage and if you follow the"Trailhead" sign you will probably end up at Hays even if you are trying to get to Martin Hill Road. We finally turned on our location and had to go overland to find our way out after being lost for an hour.

This trail is AMAZING downhill, the berms were the best I seen around here. Great for technical riding, lots of woods yet the trail stays wide for mountain biking. All in all I truly enjoyed it. Update: Never mentioned I gotten lost because it was my 1st time riding the trail. This time I gotten lost AGAIN. So the only grype I have is that the markers are bad. In other words plan ahead and mark out the trail. Yes this ride I had a GPS, sadly I still gotten lost because when I ride I just go & by the time I looked at my GPS it was too late.

If you’re new to hiking I implore you to study the map before trekking the trail. It is easy to get lost due to the lack of signage. Sometimes the trail may split into multiple. It is tick heavy, do not bring your dog unless you plan on giving them a bath afterward. I spotted a tick on my dog 10 mins into it.

3 stars due to the lack of direction.

I absolutely love Matson Hill trails. It's quiet, lightly traveled, and well marked. Very serene.

Great hike for this plus sized hiker! Just one downed tree in the way but great foliage 10/23/22.
More moderate at the end of the hike if you start going to the left at the beginning.
Easier going to the right.
3.9 miles, 341 elevation gain, took me 1.48 mins walking time.

Great trail for mountain biking. Somewhat technical in spot but some great downhills!