Trans Ozarks Trails: 700 Miles Of Ozarks’ Beauty
Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas will have 700 miles of hiking trail to enjoy when two trails connect.
Merging the Ozark Trail and the Ozark Highlands Trail will result in a one-ofa-kind hiking experience that will showcase the area’s beauty and wildlife, officials say.
The Ozark Trail, a near 400-mile hiking trail, winds through the Missouri Ozarks. It stretches from Crawford County, southwest of St. Louis, to just north of the Missouri-Arkansas state-line in Howell County.
When complete, the Ozarks Highlands Trail will span 300 miles of trail in northern Arkansas, stretching from Lake Fort Smith State Park, across the Ozark National Forest, to the Buffalo National River.
The plan is to connect the two trails into the Trans Ozark Trail, so hikers will be able to observe and enjoy miles of the Ozarks natural beauty, officials said Tuesday, during a Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) free virtual program about the trails’ connectivity project.
MDC’s Springfield Conservation Nature Center, the Ozark Trail Association (OTA) and the Ozark Highlands Trail Association (OHTA) hosted the event.
James Hodges with the Ozark Highlands Trail Association became involved nearly two years ago after he retired from his 26-year Air Force engineer career. Hodges, who traveled the world among several military-stationed stints, was ready to settle down and spend time with his three boys. Hiking and floating became mainstays for them. He dove into volunteer work, helping a cause by cutting through red tape, working with private landowners and utilizing grants.
The group has worked diligently on several sections of the trail, with 76 “gap miles” that remain. “We want to ramp it up on completion,” he said.
Volunteers on the other trail continue to make progress as well.
Terry Hawn said progress on the project wouldn’t have happened without Hodges’ work. Hawn serves as the chairman of the maintenance and construction committee for the Ozark Trail Association. The 401-mile Ozark Trail is in need of more volunteers and sponsors. The bulk of the trail is located in the Mark Twain National Forest, he said.
The committee has undertaken trailhead maintenance, adding 11 new benches and overseeing a guidebook.
Most of the trail construction is hand-built, he said. That is mainly due to the terrain, which doesn’t easily allow for machinery.
The beauty of the trail system, he said, is that access is free. No reservations are needed and those who utilize the trail can go as far as they’d like.
“You can jump on the trail anywhere you want,” he said.
Kathie Brennan told attendees that the Ozark Trail is among the 10 top longest back country trails in the nation.
Thanks to dedicated volunteers, the value of time contributed totals $3.5 million in the last 18 years, she said.
Commitment for that trail started back in 1977 when the Corps of Engineers, Department of Conservation, U.S. Park Service and Mark Twain National Forest officials joined forces.
Officials with both trail associations are needing additional volunteers to complete the overall Trans Ozark Trail System. Anyone who would like to learn more about volunteering or becoming a sponsor can visit ozarktrail.com or ozarkhighlandstrail.com.