Best camping spots on the Ozark Trail (for Backpacker Mag.)

[John]

Steve C. got an email today from a freelance writer working on a "Best Campsites" feature for Backpacker magazine. The writer asked us for the best camping spots in the Ozarks. They'll want location, description and justification--- and they might categorize campsites by:
> Best beach site
> Best urban escape
> Best fishing hole
> Best lullaby (neat night sounds)
> Best-kept secret
> Best skinny-dipping
> Best wildlife-watching
> Best summit site
> Best waterfall
> Best designated site in a national park
> Best access to draught beer
> Best pantry (near or among some sort of edible)
> Best lakeside spot
> Best sunset
> Best vista (of course)

So, backpackers--- what's the best of the best? Be sure to give us a location of your best campsite, a quick description and even a justification. We'll send the list out to the freelance writer or just point her to this thread.

[John]

Since I got a head-start on the email, it's only fair that I start the conversation with the following list:

> Best beach site – Council Bluff Lake
In land-locked Missouri you won’t find any oceans but you will find plenty of lakes. A spur off the Trace Creek section of the Ozark Trail leads over to Council Bluff Lake and a 12-mile loop trail with beautiful views—and a great sandy beach! The waters here are crystal-clear, fed by the many small springs that dot the area. The sand was trucked-in, and while it may not be a genuine Ozark artifact, it is a great place to put up a cabana and take a dip. A U.S. Forest Service campground is a short distance away.

> Best fishing hole – Greer Recreation Area - Mary Deckard Shoals
The Ozark Trail runs by a National Scenic River on the Eleven Point section. Nearby Greer Springs dumps over 200 million gallons of cold water into the Eleven Point River, and the trout love it. Pack your rod and try some fly fishing at the campground at Greer Recreation Area or pitch your tent a few miles downstream at Mary Deckard Shoals.

> Best lullaby – Cotham Pond
Frog heaven! Western chorus frogs peep the night away in March. Later in the summer you’ll hear ‘burping frogs’ and the deep ribbets of bullfrogs. If you prefer the dawn chirping of songbirds, camp here in April.

> Best swimming hole—Sutton Bluff
There are two swimming holes on either side of Sutton Bluff Campground on the Karkaghne section of the Ozark Trail, both featuring rope swings and clear-running waters. The northern swimming hole sports a sizeable gravel bar, a magnificent bluff and 12’ deep waters. The southern swimming hole is less populated and a good spot for a private swim.

> Best skinny-dipping – Courtois Creek
The northern-most portion of the Ozark Trail passes through the Huzzah Conservation Area and spends a mile besides the spring-fed Courtois Creek. The campground here is crowded during weekends, but you can have a private swim during the week at several nice pool of water at the base of 80’ dolomite bluffs.

> Best wildlife-viewing – Peck Ranch
Turkey? Check. White-tailed dear? Check. Collared Lizards? Check. Bears? Probably not, but keep a lookout for bobcat, raccoon, armadillo and other mammals. Peck Ranch is on the Current River section of the Ozark Trail and is the home to a wildlife restoration area. There is no camping inside the fenced wildlife area, but you can camp at its edge and take an early-morning stroll through this remarkable area.

> Best waterfall—Rocky Falls
It’s not Victoria Falls nor Niagara, but it’s still wonderfully inspiring. The wee Rocky Creek takes a tumble down 60’ of pink rhyolite that dates back over a billion years. Perhaps one of the older waterfalls in North America, and it has a nice swimming hole as well!

> Best sunset – Goggins Mountain
Best viewed during the hazy days of August or early September, the view from Goggins Mountain extends some thirty miles to the west over the rolling hills of the Ozarks. This is one of the more serene experiences on the Ozark Trail—pre-packaged meditation, courtesy of Mother Nature.

> Best vista – Stegall Mountain
The glades atop Stegall Mountain offer a 180-degree view of the rugged Ozark countryside. This is a favorite camping spot of many a backpacker. If you venture a mile off the trail up a gravel road you’ll reach a fire tower with a 360-degree view—you’ll see more of Missouri from here than anywhere else in the state.

> Best Perseid viewing site – Bell Mountain
The views from the Bell Mountain Wilderness qualify for best sunrise, best sunset, best vista, best billion-year old geology--- it’s in a league of its own. But our favorite time to visit is during the August Persied meteor showers. There are no lights for miles and the Milky Way just drips on your toes as you lay back and watch one shooting star after another. Wonderful.

> Best eagle viewing site – Bluff by Boom Hole
Missouri hosts one of the largest populations of bald eagles in the ‘lower-48’ during the winter months. You’ll find them all over the state, but along the Ozark Trail the best viewing spot might be the bluffs overlooking the Eleven Point River just east of Boom Hole and McCormack Lake. Every trip we’ve made on this section during the winter we’ve seen multiple eagles soaring at eye-level above the valley floor.

> Best shut-in – Klepzig Mill / Johnson’s Shut-Ins
In the Ozarks, the term “shut-ins” doesn’t refer to your Aunt Mabel at the nursing home— it’s a geologic formation caused water trying to squeeze its way through ancient igneous rock, resulting in a series of flumes and short waterfalls than can drop 25’-100’ over a short distance. Johnson’s Shut-Ins is grand-daddy of shut-ins in Missouri, but at the moment the area is closed for restoration. Our second-best shut-in camping spot along the Ozark Trail is at Klepzig Mill—rosy-red rock worn smooth at the edges as water pours over short falls and through shoots on its way past a historic an scenic mill. There is a great social campsite just a few hundred yards away.

> Best wetland – Grasshopper Hollow
Grasshopper Hollow on the Karkaghne section of the Ozark Trail is the home to North America’s largest non-glacial fen complex. This Missouri Natural Area is host to a huge variety of plant and animal life, including the endangered Hines Emerald dragonfly. Best visited during mid-spring.

> Best-kept secret – Gunstock Hollow
Dark, damp and impenetrable ! The Middle Fork section of the Ozark Trail drops several-hundred feet into this closed-in hollow that features a rock-bottom creek dotted by pines and an occasional spring. There are few other places in Missouri that feel as secluded, remote and mysterious.

[Steve C]

I don't have a response to all the categories, but here are a few of my suggestions:

> Best beach site - Council Bluff Lake

> Best urban escape - Chubb Trail in West Tyson Park - A delightful trail just 15 minutes from 270 and 44 with very much an Ozark look to it and nice views of the Meramec valley.

> Best lullaby (neat night sounds) - Padfield Branch - On the Taum Sauk between Bell and Goggins Mountains. The stream itself, wind in the trees, coyotes, predawn morning songbirds.

> Best summit site - Bell Mountain. I haven't been to Stegall yet, but I hear it's good too.

> Best waterfall - Rocky Falls - The falls are beautiful to be sure but I also like scrambling on the rocks as well.

> Best pantry (near or among some sort of edible) - I'll go with Brushy Creek Lodge.

> Best sunset - Either Goggins or Bell Mountain

> Best vista (of course) - I gotta go with Bell again.

> Best little gem - the waterfall on the Middle Fork near Wolf Pen Hollow

[Craig Lanham]

> Best beach site Council Bluff Lake, especially at night, very pretty unobstructed view of the stars.

> Best fishing hole, It's the Ozarks, Anywhere!

> Best-kept secret... Crane Lake, Fall time!

> Best waterfall.... Rocky Falls for sure!

> Best designated site in a national park.. Klepzig Mill, Shut-ins and a bit of History in an old mill built in 1912

> Best pantry...The BBQ after a OTA work event.

> Best lakeside spot.... Marble Creek Section, Crane Lake. Spent two nights out there in the Fall at the peak of the color change. Beautiful! Plus the Coyotes, yip and howl at each other from across the lake. Even has a scenic lake overlook.

[flowerbear]

Best Beach Site: Council Bluffs

Best urban escape: Meramec State Park. Located in Sullivan Missouri. About 1 hour from St. Louis. The Ozark Trail goes through here. The park has a hotel, campsite, canoeing, rafting, caves, many trails and wildflowers, glades with pretty views of the Ozarks. It also has black bears.

Best fishing hole- Mountauk State Park

Best kept secret- Rocky Fallls

Best Lullaby- a backpacking site below wildcat mountain off the Ozark trail just before Devil's tollgate which has a stream you can hear at night.

Best skinny dipping- any spot on the current river that is away from people.

Best wildlife watching- Peck ranch

Best summit site- Wildcat Mountain on the Taum Sauk and Johnson shut-ins state park trails on the ozark trail

Best waterfall- Mina Sauk Falls at Taum Sauk State park after it rains.

Best vista- Bell Mountian

Best designated site in a National park- Alley springs with 81 million gallons of water per day and it has a pretty red mill on top.

Best lakeside spot: Crane Lake

Best sunset- Bell Mountain

[Hungry Jack]

My vote for best-kept secret is split between the upper portion of Pickle Creek (it is much better to walk the creek than the adjacent trail, which hides the many rock slides and small pools) and Gunstock Hollow on the Karkaghne. There's a great little pool just upstream of the OT crossing in Gunstock where you can sit below a little falls.

[Jim]

So did we decide on the final version for Backpacker?...looking forward to seeing the printed version...

I would add my comments but, I guess I would have to have covered more than the few sections....all the entries give me a few ideas for an upcoming multiday hike...I wanna see em all! Just not practicle yet.

[Lightweight Bob]

My vote for best-kept secret is split between the upper portion of Pickle Creek (it is much better to walk the creek than the adjacent trail, which hides the many rock slides and small pools) and Gunstock Hollow on the Karkaghne. There's a great little pool just upstream of the OT crossing in Gunstock where you can sit below a little falls.

Hungry Jack, I believe Gunstock Hollow is on the Middlefork Section. Do you mean another hollow that's on the Karkaghne section?

[Hungry Jack]

My vote for best-kept secret is split between the upper portion of Pickle Creek (it is much better to walk the creek than the adjacent trail, which hides the many rock slides and small pools) and Gunstock Hollow on the Karkaghne. There's a great little pool just upstream of the OT crossing in Gunstock where you can sit below a little falls.

Hungry Jack, I believe Gunstock Hollow is on the Middlefork Section. Do you mean another hollow that's on the Karkaghne section?

Good catch LS. I meant Middle Fork.

[Lightweight Bob]

I stumbled across the online version of this article (or part of it) recently: http://backpacker.com/article/11035?page=3

Seems Gunstock Hollow has made first place as Best Southern Hollow and Cotham Pond made runner-up as best lullaby.

BP Magazine isn't by favorite thing in the world, but hopefully the feature will (already has?) gain more attention for the OT.

[John]

For the historic record, and in full disclosure, I should report on this.

A freelance writer contacted me last May with a host of "Best Of" questions. After I posted my remarks, I forwarded the entire list to the writer. Creating a final list is probably a bit of art, magic and editorial prerogative. I had no idea what (if any) of our suggestions would make the list.

As reported, Gunstock Hollow and Cotham Pond made it to publication. Personally, I would have selected at two- or three-dozen other places along the trail as 'Best Spots' on the Ozark Trail, but I wasn't writing the article or doing the editing.

You take what you can get.

For future readers, you shouldn't drive a thousand miles to visit these two spots. They're nice... but I'd probably rather see Rocky Falls, the Taum Sauk glades, the bluffs along the Current River or Eleven Point ...and so on.

Gunstock Hollow has a special place in my heart because I designed the trail through there. And it IS pretty neat for that area, a nice subdued place with a lovely rock-bottom stream in the bottom of a hollow. But I've known at least two groups that read the original Backpacker article, traveled a long way to visit Gunstock (expecting a 'Grand Canyon' experience), and left scratching their heads. A little too much hype, I think.

Cotham Pond is seasonally noisy with a ruckus of frogs. It can be so loud you can't sleep, so 'lullaby' was some serious artistic license on my part. Now, I like frogs, and I especially like peepers, but the last time I backpacked the BTR I set up camp far enough away that I could hear myself talk!

If you're traveling the Middle Fork or the Between the Rivers sections, I think you'll find Gunstock Hollow and Cotham Pond to be rewarding visits. But if you're planning a one-time trip to the Ozark Trail, take a look at some of the other "Best Of" items in this thread.

[Lightweight Bob]

But I've known at least two groups that read the original Backpacker article, traveled a long way to visit Gunstock (expecting a 'Grand Canyon' experience), and left scratching their heads. A little too much hype, I think.

Too funny.

[laforbes]

I'll bet they were scratching their head for TICKS!

[John]

I had written: "Best lullaby – Cotham Pond. Frog heaven! Western chorus frogs peep the night away in March."

Yesterday I took my voice recorder and captured a 15-second clip of western chorus frogs, which are VERY active right now. Here is the link: http://ozarktrail.com/peepers.mp3