The Ozark Trail: A Guide to Hiking Missouri’s Mountains

It will fit a Capri Sun pouch or a narrow, rectangular juice box, but that’s about it. After your ride, take a dip and cool off on the park’s beach, Missouri’s largest natural sand beach. The park is 1,054 acres, so you can easily combine multiple outdoor activities during your visit, whether they be camping, fishing, mountain biking, or picnicking.

Plus, it’s near many hiking trails, including the Cedar Glide Trail, the Norton Trail, and the Magnolia Hollow Trail. If you’re a hiker or trail runner, you’ll be pleased by how many trails and parks Missouri has to offer. A perk of hiking lesser-traveled trails are fewer (or non-existent) permits and parking fees. The Ozark Trail does not have permit, parking, or registration requirements for its trail sections.

Whether you are setting off on a quick day hike, exploring the city, shopping, or anything else, the Ozark Trail 14 Liter Hydration Hiking Backpack will help you stay organized and hydrated while you are on the go. The Helinox Chair One weighs about 2 pounds, compresses smaller than a 2-liter bottle of soda, and is the most comfortable and easy to stow of the three top backpacking chairs we tested. Like competing chairs, the Chair One has a nylon and mesh seat and aluminum legs, which are linked with shock cord (the chair legs are made out of the same material as high-end tent poles). After six months of regularly using the Coleman Cooler Quad Chair, we think it’s the best choice for most people who are seeking an upright chair for car camping, tailgating, and outdoor gatherings. We noticed during the first of our three camping trips—a weekend in California’s Joshua Tree National Park, with a total of seven families—that, given the choice, campers prefer to take the biggest seat.

Bring enough water for your trip or a way to purify water to make it safe to drink. Many of the creeks and streams look crystal clear, but it’s still smart to make sure any impurities are removed with pumps or tablets before drinking. Whether you’re planning an epic thru-hike or an out-and-back weekend excursion, this guide will help you get started on your Missouri adventure. Trailspace’s community of gear reviewers has field-tested and rated the top daypacks. I don’t make it a habit of buying my gear from Walmart, but this was a excellent purchase. I use this pack on a daily basis to carry my office clothes while I ride my bike to work and to carry light loads while out Geocaching.

Despite the Renetto’s weight, our testers found it easy to carry and simple to set up and adjust. We discovered that even though most testers had not previously considered a shade-equipped camp chair, once they used one they appreciated the comfort and convenience of built-in sun blocking. The 8th is a par 5 with multiple fairway bunkers both left and right. Keep your tee shot left and safely away from the trees on the right to give yourself a clear shot at the green.

One of the best parts of backpacking is settling around a campfire and enjoying a hot dinner after a long day of hiking. You may find it helpful to make a list of meals for each day you are out on the trail to ensure that you are not over- or under-packing for your trip. Before we tried the Renetto Original Canopy Chair, we had never considered buying a shade-equipped camp chair. The shaded Renetto chairs were consistently the first seats snagged at a beautiful but harshly exposed Indian Grove group campsite. Camping trips, beach days, picnics in the park, outdoor movies and theater performances, a fresh-air get-together with friends—there are countless occasions when you might use a camp chair. The Renetto Original Canopy Chair, a cleverly designed specialty seat, is ideal for anyone who wants sun protection and doesn’t mind a heavier, bulkier chair.

Keep an eye out for a short spur trail between Sutton Bluff campground and Highway TT which leads to Grasshopper Hollow, the largest fen (peat-forming wetland) in non-glaciated North America. We like to go on day hikes around our area and my other backpacks are much bulkier and heavier than this one. We live close to Zion National Park and it gets very hot during the day, so you want to make sure to always have water with you. Welcome to Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, an outdoor paradise located in Lampe, Missouri. Featuring 10,000 acres of natural beauty and rugged scenery, you’ll escape to serenity when you enter this Ozark Mountain location.

Camp out at the Hazel Creek Campground at the start of this section, or continue on for 12 miles as you pass through dense oak, hickory, and pine forests before reaching the Middle Fork/John Roth Memorial waypoint. Some hikers may choose to continue on Trace Creek to the Taum Sauk section, but OT thru-hikers should head west onto Middle Fork/John Roth Memorial section to complete the longer route. This hilly 26-mile segment gains over 2,600 feet ozark trail backpack of elevation over a contoured landscape crossing brooks, streams, and wetlands, as well as small savannahs of oak and hickory hardwoods. Camp at Highway DD trailhead near the section’s start or Harper Spring around the 15 mile-mark. Exploring Missouri’s scenic Ozark backcountry is one of the best reasons to head out on the trail. The Ozark Trail Association marks and improves the trail and ensures backpacking campsites are well maintained.

Even better, because it’s the end of summer and there are a lot of great Prime Day deals going on, you can grab it from Walmart for just $197 rather than the usual $227. A brute on the scorecard, but this long par 3 plays drastically downhill. A large ridge runs down the middle of the green with the left side serving as the high side. Payne’s Valley is an homage to Ozarks-native and World Golf Hall of Fame member, Payne Stewart. It is the first public-access golf course designed by 82-time PGA TOUR winner, Tiger Woods and his golf course design firm, TGR Design.