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Courtois Section Trace Creek Section Taum Sauk Section Marble Creek Trail Wappapello Section Victory Section North Fork Section Blair Creek Section Current River Section Between The Rivers Section Eleven Point Section Karkaghne Section Middle Fork Section
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.



Section Naming

The Colorado Trail has section numbers and the Appalachian Trail uses point-to-point place names. So why did the Ozark Trail give each section its own name?

You have to go back to the origins of the Ozark Trail Council for the answer. The Council was formed by multiple land managers, each working on their own sections of trail. In some cases, they used existing trails.

Thus, the existing Taum Sauk trail become known as the "Taum Sauk section of the Ozark Trail." The same for the Trace Creek and Victory trails. As new sections were added, they were given their own names.

The most intriguing section name is the Karkaghne, which runs past the Karkaghne Scenic Drive near Sutton Bluff. By one account, the name comes from a mythical creature in forest folklore!



Our Cousin - The OHT

The Ozark Highland Trail is in Arkansas and runs from near Fort Smith to the Buffalo River, with more trail being added to reach to the Missouri border.  They have a strong volunteer group that has built over 200 miles of trail.  You can visit the Ozark Highland Trail Association website by clicking here.

It is hoped that one day the two trails will link, creating a 700-mile Trans-Ozark trail system.