North Fork Section

With the addition of 12 miles of trail from near Pomona to Highway AP, the North Fork section is ready to go-- except that we're still waiting for an official OT brochure and GPS data. 


For a larger image, click here (~120KB file)

Overview

This section was created by co-opting portions of the Ridge Runner trail and trails in the Devil's Backbone Wilderness area, plus adding 12 miles to the east from near Blue Springs to Pomona.  The 25 miles from the Pomona trailhead through the Devils Backbone Wilderness has been recently reworked, cleared and signed, and is in great shape.

Current Trail Conditions

As of 02/28/2010, the condition is:
Open

This section is in great shape. There is a lot of local maintenance performed on this section of trail. Bottomlands can get weedy in summer between maintenance outings.

Directions

  • Pomona Trailhead- From Pomona at Highways 63 & P, take P west about a mile.  Turn left on Forest Service road 835 and go a hundred yards or so to a trailhead parking loop on the left side of the road.  The trail begins on the west side of FS 835.
  • Highway CC Trailhead-  About 15 miles west of West Plains on Highway CC.
  • Devil's Backbone Trailhead-  We haven't been here, but here are rough directions based upon a map we have: From West Plains, take Highway K west about 11 miles, past Potterville to Highway KK.  Make a right on KK, go about 4-5 miles to road on right.  Trailhead is about 1.5 miles down this road.

Further Information

Danny's MOTRAILS review of Devil's Backbone Wilderness
Danny's MOTRAILS review of the Ridge Runner Trail

Trail Stats

Length: 27 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailheads: Pomona, Highway CC, Devil's Backbone (and possibly at Blue Springs)
Camping: 100' from trail
Total Ascent: 1750' E-to-W; 1950' W-to-E (refers to total gain of all climbs on trail)
Topo Quads: Pomona, Siloam Springs, Cureall NW
Restrictions: South of Highway CC is a wilderness area-- special rules apply.

    




Land Stewards

US Forest Service - Ava District
PO Box 188
Ava, MO 65608
(417) 683-4428
Current Contact: Jim Voyles

 

Copyright © 2010, Ozark Trail Association. All rights reserved.