Move mouse over trail for section name; click for a section narrative

The Rugged, Natural Beauty of the Ozark Trail

How many ways can we describe the Ozarks?  It has mountains, hills and knobs, with valleys filled with springs, crystal-clear streams, shut-ins and waterfalls, trimmed by bluffs and riddled with caves.  It has hardwood forests, stands of pines, savannas filled with black-eyed susans and glades dotted by purple coneflowers.  It's home to deer, turkey, bobcat, bear, songbirds and bald eagles.  It is one of the most diverse places on the planet.

The Ozarks, in a word, are splendid.

Experience this national treasure yourself on the Ozark Trail.  Bring your boots, bike or horse to one of the sections listed below.  The trail offers trips from just a few miles to 140 miles, so spend a lazy afternoon at Taum Sauk visiting Mina Sauk falls or a week backpacking along the Current and Eleven Point rivers.  It's guaranteed to take away the stress and leave a smile on your face.

Section Summary

We have over 300 miles of trail, divided into (mostly) linked sections.  Click on a section name for trail narratives, maps, trail conditions and more.
 

Section Name	Approx. Miles	Notes
Courtois	40	Includes Huzzah Conservation, west half of Berryman Trail and 7 miles of gravel road.
Trace Creek	24	Runs from Hazel Creek Camp to Highway A at Bell Mountain; will connect with new Karkaghne trail.
Taum Sauk	33	One of the best trails in the state.  Can be divided into 15-, 12- and 6-mile subsections.  Goes through Johnson Shut-In state park.
Marble Creek	8	Runs from Marble Creek campground to Crane Lake.  Does not connect to any other section.
Wappapello	35	Starts at Sam A. Baker state park and past Wappapello Lake.
Victory	18	An old horse trail system, some of which now is officially a part of the Ozark Trail.  Will connect to the Wappapello section.
Karkaghne	25	Runs 25 miles from Oates at Highway J to Highway 72 near Reynolds.
Middle Fork	25	Connects to the Trace Creek section on the north (but easiest access is the Highway DD trailhead) and runs southwest to Highway J.
Blair Creek	26	Starts at Reynolds, runs through the Roger Pryor Backcountry for 10 miles and ends at Owl's Bend.
Current River	30	Runs from Owl's Bend campground on the Current River, up Stegal Mountain, close to Rocky Falls, through Peck Ranch to near Van Buren.  Fabulous!
Between the Rivers	30	From Highway 60 near Van Burean, this section bridges the gap between the Current River and the Eleven Point.  Skirts the Irish Wilderness.
Eleven Point	30	Starts in the middle of nowhere, ends in the middle of nowhere-- but in between has fantastic views of the Eleven Point River.  Side trail to McCormick Lake.
North Fork	25	11 miles of new construction tacked on to the existing Ridge Runner trail and Devil's backbone wilderness.  No official OT map as yet.