The Tin Cup Trail is now open, according to the city of Joplin.
The 1.5-mile trail offers a paved scenic route along Tin Cup Creek, connecting the St. John’s Trail near Mercy Park to trails in McIndoe Park and the Shoal Creek area.
It will also connect to Grand Falls following the planned construction of that section of trail in south Joplin. The Grand Falls Trail will include a restroom, parking lot, trailhead and trail signage, as well as an overlook at Grand Falls, considered the largest continuously running waterfall in Missouri.
The Tin Cup trail begins just north of the Joplin Family Y at 32nd Street and McIntosh Circle.
“I’m confident this will be our most popular section of trail,” Dan Johnson, director of public works, said during a recent tour of the trail.
He also noted the trail will be mostly shaded in the afternoon and a “perfect after-work trail.”
He also envisions it having park benches and other amenities, with the biggest amenity of all being a suspension bridge that he says will be a landmark.
The city is waiting on the steel for the bridge to arrive and anticipates completion of the bridge in spring 2026.
Until the bridge is in place, trail users can access the trail’s entrance from the north side of the front parking lot. They are asked to park in the rear lot south of the Y building, as the front lot is reserved for Y members. Once the bridge is finished, it will connect directly to the south lot, offering a shorter and more convenient route to the trail.
The trail’s southern entrance is on the west side of McIndoe Park along Glendale Road, with nearby parking available.
“Excitement for this project has been building, and this is a ‘soft opening’ of the trail,” Johnson said in a statement.
“We’ll have a nice celebration to open this long-awaited trail officially. We’re looking forward to it, just like our citizens,” Johnson said.
This expansion of Joplin’s trail network is funded through the parks and stormwater sales tax, use tax revenues, and American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Visitors should watch for construction related to the bridge and an unrelated nearby sewer project. There will be a temporary closure of Glendale Road from Tuesday through Friday next week for sanitary sewer work. This full road closure will be about a half-mile west of McIndoe Park on Glendale Road.
Detour routes will be clearly marked. Construction crews will work to complete the project as quickly and safely as possible. Drivers should use caution in this area.
Work involves digging through Glendale Road to install a pressure sewer line connecting to the recently added Tin Cup lift station in the sewer system.