Missouri Hiking Gems

Recently I blogged about my remembrances of the Ozark Trail. The OT takes in some of the nicest spots in the state. But of course there are some great hikes that aren't on the OT. Some of these I have hiked and I thought I should mention them. Especially since one of them turned out to be my favorite spot to hike in all of Missouri.

Last post I mentioned Bell Mountain and Council Bluff lake. These aren't on the OT per se but are both loop trails that intersect the OT. So I count them as part of the OT. I'm going to talk about places that aren't on the OT.

The other thing I will exclude is the Katy Trail. Some people do hike this I understand but it's really for biking. This is a MUST DO if you are in Missouri. It's just spectacular! But I'm going to only consider hiking spots in this post.

I'll rank three such hikes according to how beautiful the hike is. They are all good but not equal in my mind.

Bronze Medal
Sam A. Baker State Park
Some may say that the Mudlick trail in Sam A Baker State Park should be included as a loop trail that intersects the OT because the Wappapello section dead ends into it. However I've never hiked the Wappapello section and so I didn't count it as part of the OT. This park is mostly for people who want to get away from it all and rent a cabin for a few days. There are many cabins in the park near the River. There's even a little convenience store that's open in season. I went in the winter so I had the park to myself. The Mudlick trail goes around the park and is about 15 miles long. If you start at the trailhead and hike counterclockwise then you soon come to the two best spots along the trail. The first is a great bluff view. Here it is in the morning in winter.

The great thing about this bluff view is that you can camp right there in a stone 3-walled shelter -- the only place in Missouri that I'm aware of where there are such shelters for hikers.

A little further on is Mudlick hollow. This hollow has waterfalls and cascades and is really gorgeous. A photo opportunity in any season I would think.

The reason this trail only gets the Bronze is that these two spots are within the first 2 miles of the trailhead. The rest of the hike is pleasant but not spectacular.

Silver Medal
Big Piney Trail -- Paddy Creek Wilderness
The Paddy Creek Wilderness is in Southcentral Missouri, just South of Fort Leonard Wood. It starts at Roby Lake near the town of Roby.

I'm not sure what it is about this place. I just found that I kept going back to it in my mind months after I'd hiked it. The creeks are great and the forest is beautiful. I went right after a big storm so many trees were down and the creeks were running very high (crossing Paddy Creek itself was a challenge, I was wet up to my hips) but I still loved it. The highlight of the hike is the canyon in the middle of the loop trail. The views from the bluffs are incredible and you can camp right at the top if you like.



This is really a first class hike all around. It might have won the gold if it weren't that the competition was so incredible.

Gold Medal Winner
Hawn State Park -- Whispering Pine Trail

I didn't discover this park until quite late. But it's actually one of the closest to St Louis. The camping area near Pickle Creek is full of RVs in season. But you get good solitude on the trail. There are great backcountry camp spots along the trail also. The forest has more pine than most forests in the Ozarks and I think that adds to the beauty. There are two creeks that border this park and both are unusually beautiful. Words don't really suffice so I'll let pictures do the talking for me.

The trail also hits some high spots and from the boulder-strewn peaks you get great views of the surrounding country.


And there are great bluffs overlooking the creeks which provide great pictures from either the top or the bottom.



If someone could only go on one hike in Missouri I'd recommend this one!

Ozark Trail Retrospective

Now that I've moved to Pennsylvania I thought it would be a good time for a retrospective of the Ozark Trail. I didn't finish the trail but I've seen a good bit of it.

I've put my hiking history along the OT in a google map. Interestingly I couldn't embed it in this post (can't figure out why). But if you click here it will take you to the google map (best to open it in a new window so you can flip back and forth between my descriptions and the map). I've colored the various sections of the trail differently and put in some notes about when I did each section. Below I will review each section briefly.

Courtois Section
This is the northernmost section of the OT (colored in purple on my map). This is a beautiful section of the trail. About 5 miles in (from the north) you meet the Courtois creek. The trail runs between the creek and a bluff for a mile or so. This is one of the prettiest parts of the entire OT I think. Across the creek is a very high bluff. After crossing the creek the trail climbs this bluff to an area called "the Narrows" where you can see both the Courtois and Huzzah creeks (but the view will be obscured in summer by leaves). Great views here. The rest of the trail is also very pleasant. I only completed this section down to Hwy 8, near the Berryman campground.



Trace Creek
The Trace Creek section is the next section south (red/orange on my map). This section is quite pleasant though not spectacular. There are nice creeks and woods and the trail is not difficult. The highlight of this trail in my mind is really a side trail that comes off of it that is not officially part of the OT. Near the southern end of my map (I only did the northern part of this section) you come to Council Bluff lake. There is a trail that goes around this lake that is just gorgeous.


Middle Fork
Near the end of the northern part of the Trace Creek section is the beginning of the Middle Fork section(colored brown in my map). I really love this section. It has more creeks per mile than any other section which makes for a really pretty trip. It also has Barton Fen.


Taum Sauk
To the right in my map you see some blue trails which don't appear to be part of the OT thru-trail. This is the Taum Sauk Section. Eventually there will be a large loop in the middle of the OT and the Taum Sauk section is part of this incomplete loop. The Taum Sauk section was partially destroyed by a flood and the middle part was closed while I was living in Missouri. But the east and west parts were great hikes. The eastern section takes you from Ketcherside Mountain to the top of Taum Sauk mountain (the highest point in Missouri) and then down past Mina Sauk falls (the highest waterfall in Missouri) to a rock formation called Devil's Tollgate. This part of the trail is quite challenging because it is so steep and rocky. But the rocks are very red in color which makes for striking scenery.


The western part is also very nice. There are many very large glades in this section that offer nice views of the surrounding mountains. Most people though would say that the highlight of this section is a side trail which goes to the top of Bell Mountain. Many people consider this to be the nicest hike in the state.


Karkaghne
Continuing south from the Middle fork you come to the Karkagne section (sort of purple/brown in the map). This section was heavily damaged in the storms but is now mostly open. This section has some very nice parts and some less nice parts. The northern part of Karkaghne is nicer than the southern part IMHO. The crossing of the Bee Fork has a gravel bar which I think is the nicest camping spot along the entire trail. The Sutton Bluff area is the most scenic part of this trip and well worth seeing.


Blair Creek
This section (dark green on the map) follows Blair Creek for much of the way but it's southern portion is along the Current River. The Bluffs at Owls Bend, near the southern end, provide the best bluff view anywhere along the trail. The northern section of this trail is less interesting. Although part of that may be because I got lost and ended up walking along dirt roads.


Current River
I would dearly have loved to finish this section. As it is I completed two hikes to some of the most picturesque spots on this section. You can see these two chunks in red on the map. The northern chunk is the trip I took to Klepzig mill. This old mill raceway by a shut-in creek is a must-see spot I think. And the hike there from the north is lovely with many nice river views and fields of flowers.

The southern chunk is from my trip to Rocky falls (a brief side trail takes you to the falls from the main trail). This short hike may be my favorite of all. The whole place smells of hickory, which I love. The glade on top of Stegall Mountain provides great views of the Ozarks. And the falls themselves are beautiful with a wonderful swimming hole at the bottom.


Eleven Point
Near the bottom of the map is a blue line that runs nearly east-west. This is my float trip along the eleven point river. Some people might say I wimped out in this section because I floated the river rather than hiking the trail. But the trail runs right next to the river for quite a ways and my float covered the entire length of the trail. This was a great float. The springs along the river are a real treat and the many bluffs are gorgeous. This river is not as popular to float as the Current or Jacks Fork river so you can get some solitude.


In between the Current section and the Eleven Point section is the biggest gap. I never got a chance to do the aptly named "Between the Rivers" section.

There are several orphan sections of the trail -- sections which don't currently connect to any other section but will eventually connect to form a large loop. Of these I've only hiked Marble Creek (not on the map I'm afraid). The others are Wappapello, Victory, and North Fork. I've never hiked these but perhaps someday I will.

Lots of great memories. Some of my hikes have been nicer than others. But I can honestly say that I've had great experiences on every hike and seen things I would hate to have missed. It would be impossible to pick a favorite section. If you've never been on the OT then you need to make it a priority in your life and see the beauty of the Ozarks!

Pushing it at Blair Creek

On June 14th and 15th I hiked the Blair Creek section of the OT. As the name suggests the trail follows Blair creek for much of it's length.

One of the great things about hiking near a good water source in the summer in Missouri is that you can travel very light. No need to carry a sleeping bag or under-insulation for a hammock and no need to pack in lots of water. That means you can do a lot of miles in a day. On this hike I pushed that hypothesis to the limit.

Below you can see a map of my trip. I hiked the entire Blair Creek section from south to north. At the north end it connects with the Karkaghne section I did back in May. At the south end it connects to the Current River section and was where I started on my Klepzig Mill hike. Since the trail was a point-to-point trail I decided to hike one way and bike back. I nearly bit off more than I could chew with that decision it turned out.

View Blair Creek Section Hike in a larger map
The beginning part of the hike is spectacular. I started late one evening, intending to get just a mile or two in before setting up camp. It was warm and humid and kind of magical because in the dusk I was surrounded with fireflies, blinking all around me. The trail rises steeply and I could see nice views of the river below. Then I came to Owl's Bend Bluff where there is a steep bluff with a great view. I decided to camp there so I could take a picture in the morning. I think it was worth it. Here is the view quite early in the morning.

After the bluffs the trail continues along the river for a bit and then heads north. It crosses a small creek called Little Blair Creek before you meet the real Blair Creek. Blair Creek in most places is 20 or so feet across and about a foot deep. The trail runs along side it for quite a ways. Here's a view of it from the trail at a point where the trail runs along a steep slope next to the creek.

Hiking in the summer in Missouri is not always pleasant. It was quite hot and I got sweaty. So as it got on towards lunch I stopped and took a bath in the creek and washed my clothes. I would have swam but the water wasn't deep enough.

A bit later I got my wish, although not in a way I would have wanted. After my bad experience at Karkaghne I decided not to risk bushwhacking. But it became necessary at one point because a large tree had fallen and blocked the path. I climbed on top of the fallen tree to look around and find the best way to rejoin the path. I was standing on what looked like a large, sturdy branch. Without warning it broke and I found myself on the ground in the midst of the branches of the fallen tree. After checking for broken bones I looked around and realized I couldn't get back to the trail from where I was. I reasoned that since the trail followed the creek I could just go to the creek and wade upstream until I found the trail again. However the creek had become rather deep at this point, although I couldn't judge how deep. My backpack is mostly waterproof so I didn't worry too much about it. But I held my camera and my map in my hand as I entered the water. Soon the water was over my head and I found myself swimming. I must have looked quite the fool swimming up the creek with my backpack on and one hand held out of the water holding my camera and map. But fortunately no one was there to see.

After 50 yards or so I was able to find a place where I could climb out and find the trail. My camera was fine but the plastic sheet protector containing my map had a few drops of water inside. Soon all the ink ran and the map became quite useless.

Shortly after this the trail crossed an open area and became quite difficult to follow. The grass and weeds were up to my armpits in areas. As a result I got some tick bites on my upper body (my legs were safe due to my pants being treated with Permethrin). On the upside there were many blackberry bushes in the field and the blackberries were ripe so I could just pick them as I hiked. That made a nice snack.

A little later I came to an area with a few caves in a small cliff. I walked up a narrow ledge along the cliff to see the caves. One of them was inhabited as you can see below!

That's the closest I've ever been to a Turkey Vulture. Notice the large egg you can see through the lower hole. I assume this cave was the mother vulture's nest and she was guarding her egg. I took this picture and then retreated, not wanting a territory dispute with a vulture.

The northern part of the trail is much less interesting. After it leaves the Blair Creek it runs right next to county roads for a few miles. It was hot at this point and I began to run out of water. I had stashed about 1.5 liters of water with my bike so I decided I'd have to skip the second night of camping I had planned and go all the way to my bike. I arrived before sunset and drank about half the water I had stashed. Then I hopped on the bike and began to ride back to my car. The hike had been about 25 miles and the bike ride was about 32 miles. As it began to get dark I realized this wasn't the best idea I had ever had. After about 15 miles of biking I couldn't go on any more. It was nearly dark at this point. I laid down on the side of the road and considered my options. I was tired and hungry. There was no place to camp since I was biking through farm country. I needed more calories to keep biking but since my food was dry that would require drinking the rest of my water (only 1/2 liter at this point). I elected to try and refuel and make it to my car where I had another liter of water. After eating some snacks and drinking all my water I got back on the bike. The next hour and a half are mostly a blur in my memory. The road had lots of ups and downs. For some of the ups I had to get off and walk because I was too weak to bike. I arrived at my car at about 11:15 pm, grateful to be alive. I felt similar to when I finished running a marathon a few years back. The difference was that I had trained for the marathon!

Lesson learned.

Car Camping at Marble Creek

I don't always go hiking when I camp. Sometimes when I bring one of the kids along we either hike just short ways or just camp right next to the car. This past weekend was one of the latter opportunities.

My three oldest daughters spent the week at "Girls Camp" which is a program the church runs every year for girls between 12 and 18. Natalie just turned 12 recently and so was able to go. We persuaded our oldest, Kimberly, to go again (she doesn't care for camping) so all three of them were there together and had a great time.

On Saturday morning I was supposed to go early to pick them up. So I decided to spend the night before the same area I did last year, Marble Creek. Last year I hiked the trail from the Marble Creek campground to Crane Lake. It was a hard hike because there were so many trees down but I remember it fondly. But I was disappointed that I spent so little time at Marble Creek itself. So this time I took my son, Hyrum, and we spent the night at the campground there. We hung our hammocks from trees near the car.



The creek itself is beautiful. The water has worn away all the soil, exposing the rhyolite bones of the area. Rhyolite tends to crack in straight lines, leaving square blocks or stair steps. So the creek looks as though some giant child has spilled their set of building blocks into the water.



Between these large, square boulders are many nice little pools. In the morning Hyrum and I went for a swim in one. Well probably more of a bath than a swim. But it was fun anyway. It's a great place to go splash around on a hot summer's day.



We hiked a bit upstream to where we could see a waterfall. We found that a dam had a been built at some point, possibly for an old mill that no longer exists, and the water fall was really water spilling over this old dam.



I recommend that if you are coming to hike the Marble Creek section of the Ozark Trail that you spend some time here.

Karkaghne vs Me

View Karkaghne Section Hike in a larger map
This past week I decided to tackle the Karkaghne section of the Ozark Trail. I hadn't heard much about it but it continues on where the Middle Fork section, which I hiked last year, leaves off. So it seemed like a good step on my quest to finish as much of the trail as possible.

Above is a Google map that describes the trip in detail (just click on the markers for my comments). The total distance appears to be 28 miles. However I made it longer by making some stupid mistakes. Mountaineers "conquer" a mountain when the climb it. The best I can say is that Karkaghne and I fought to a draw. I'll describe the blow-by-blow fight below.

I hiked south to north this time. The southern part of the trail isn't as nice as the northern part in my opinion. The trail runs along a gravel road for quite a while and that's not very pretty. In addition there are several places where people have dumped garbage right in the forest. Pretty disappointing.

My first crucial error was in choosing socks. I decided to wear running shoes rather than sandals this time and I choose some thin socks because it was going to be warm. I choose them because there were longer socks then some I had worn before and I wanted protection from ticks (treated them with Permethrin ahead of time). But they were just dress socks and did a poor job wicking moisture. So I ended up with blisters on both feet. I put some moleskin over them but still it made the rest of the journey unpleasant.
Round 1, Karkaghne

The Karkaghne section was hit pretty bad by the storm last year and there were many trees down. However sawyers have done a good job clearing the trail. But there was one section that either hadn't been cleared or had experienced more recent storm damage because the trail became nearly impassable. Bushwhacking around this blockage was harder than I thought. This section has a lot of thorny plants growing beside the trail and bushwhacking through them is very difficult and painful. I was glad to finally get past that.
Round 2, Karkagnhe

After my Klepzig Mill trip, when I was awakened more than once by little critters scurrying in the grass around me, I decided that it was time to get off the ground and "above it all" in a hammock. I also made camp on a gravel bar along the Bee Fork. It was a great place to camp and quite open so I expected not to be annoyed by any critters.

The Karkaghne section takes it's name from a mythical forest creature. That's a tidbit you learn on the Ozark Trail website. I didn't think about that much until about dusk when I was just finishing setting up camp and I heard some LARGE ANIMAL running directly toward me across the gravel bar. I summoned my loudest angry bellow (the one I save for dogs who harass me while biking). It had it's intended affect and the animal wasted no time in fleeing the scene. I did get a look at it and I think it was probably a coyote or perhaps a large dog. After that I enjoyed a campfire for a while and then slept soundly.
Round 3, Hiker

The next day the trail climbed out of the valley that the Bee Fork flows through and up to the Sutton Bluff area. I thought there was a side trail to find the bluff but I couldn't find any such thing. So I ended up bushwhacking, following my GPS. You'd think I would have learned my lesson from the bushwhack the day before. This one was even worse. The area off the trail was extremely overgrown also choked with fallen trees. A few times I was genuinely afraid I'd get stuck and never be found. After and hour or two of this I found the trail again. Then I found that the best view of the bluff was from the trail itself as you can see below. So my bushwhack was not only painful but worthless.

Round 4, Karkagnhe

At the bottom of the bluff is a campground with a river flowing through it. I stopped for a rest and a swim. The water was cold but refreshing. The swimming hole is at the base of another bluff.

Afterward I tried to find the trail again but it seemed to have disappeared. I was afraid that Karkaghne had won again. But a camper saw me and told me that he had seen OT trail blazes about a half mile down the road. He even took me there on his ATV. So I'll chalk that up as a victory, even though I needed help to do it.
Round 5, Hiker

The rest of the trip was quite nice. The trail was much better and the views were quite nice. The trail runs along high ridges and you can see the surrounding valleys quite well in places.

I ended up back at my car at about dusk. Karkaghne nearly had me a few times but I figure any time I don't give up I win.
Decision, Hiker

More Pictures of Klepzig Mill

In my last entry I posted only a few pictures of my trip. Normally I'm a bit embarrassed about my photography so I don't put very many pictures in a post. But I've received some requests for more pictures of the mill so here they are.



The mill owner originally built a concrete dam across the shut-in creek (a real travesty since it's such a beautiful spot!) which forced the water down this raceway toward the mill wheel. The dam is now gone. There are just a few places where you can see residual concrete stuck to the rocks.

Since it was springtime and the leaves were out the view of the mill is somewhat obscured from the across the creek. However there is a nice photo during leaf-off time at this post by another blogger, Jeff Moore, at his blog, Missouri Backpacking

Klepzig Mill

I'm continuing my quest to see the sights I've been meaning to see here in Missouri before I move to Pennsylvania. This past weekend I returned to the Current River section of the Ozark Trail to visit Klepzig Mill. I had heard that it was one of the nicest spots along the trail. It's the site of an old grist and saw mill located on a shut-in creek.


This was an out-and-back trip. The map above shows the path I took. I started at Powder Mill, where the Current River and Blair Creek section meet. Klepzig Mill is at the very bottom of the map, a distance of about 6 miles. I arrived late on Friday and hiked in the dark for about a mile or so. I slept on the ground with my poncho pitched above me. During the night it rained but I stayed dry. During the night I was awakened by some rustling in the grass as some little critter was coming toward me. I shined my light and saw a little armadillo scurry away. That's a first for me -- to see a live armadillo (as opposed to a dead one on the highway).

Spring is in full swing and the Ozarks have exploded with grass and leaves and flowers. The air was full of the scent of flowers.

The hiking was pretty easy and the weather was great.

Klepzig mill is on a shut-in creek. That means a place where a creek is confined to a narrow channels because of a large rock formation. I have a bunch of pictures but none really do the place justice. Here are the best ones.


While there I had a swim in the shut-in creek. It was cold but very refreshing.

After hiking back to my car I drove a few miles to another place I've been wanting to see: Blue Spring. It's one of many springs in Missouri but probably the most picturesque. It's apparently 310 feet from where the water comes out of the cliff up to the surface of the pool. This depth, combined with dissolved minerals in the water give the distinct color. The spring seems quite still but in fact the flow of water is significant. A good-sized creek begins it's life at this spring.