Chinquapin Trail a unique outdoor destination for fall

Looking for a way to enjoy the outdoors during fall? Consider visiting a trail in McDonald County’s backyard. The Chinquapin Trail journeys 3.25 miles into Big Sugar Creek State Park, northeast of Pineville.

The trailhead is located 6.1 miles down Big Sugar Creek Road, on the north side.

Chinquapin Trail is a moderately trafficked loop with a mild elevation gain of 337 feet throughout.

Big Sugar Creek, the park’s namesake, is part of the Elk River watershed that drains west into Oklahoma as part of the Arkansas River Basin. Most Ozark rivers drain north and east into the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. This means Big Sugar Creek and its tributaries are home to many species that don’t occur anywhere else, including the redspot chub, Neosho orangethroat, and northern crayfish.

Due to these distinct natural features, 1,613 acres of the park were designated as Elk River Breaks Natural Area by the Missouri Natural Areas Committee in 2000.

The path begins near a stream and winds through towering trees, wildflowers, tall grasses, crystalclear pools of water, and cavernous bluffs. After a quarter of a mile, hikers are given the option to take the path clockwise or counterclockwise.

The western half of the loop features more watercrossings and overlooks from atop the rocky terrain, whereas the eastern half offers sights of grassy hillsides and native wildflowers.

These woodlands are some of the few remainders of a landscape that once blanketed Missouri, according to information about the park. They feature old growths of shortleaf pine, oaks, and hickory trees branching over hillsides painted with royal catchfly, prairie aster, and purple coneflower.

A secondary trail can be found in the middle of the loop, for those who wish to make a beeline for the trailhead at this point, rather than looping back to the start.

More than 345 types of flora and fauna can be found within the park and 134 kinds of birds have been spotted.

Notable and rare plants found in the park include the Ozark Chinquapin tree, Ozark corn salad wildflower, mock orange (a rare shrub) and low prickly pear cactus. Animals found in the park include eastern cottontails, armadillos, gray fox and the occasional beaver.

PHOTOS BY MEGAN DAVIS/McDONALD COUNTY PRESS A tree has grown through an antique tractor along the east half of the trail’s loop. The equipment remains nearly completely intact.

The Chinquapin Trail is located on Big Sugar Creek Road, northeast of Pineville. The trail is 3.3 miles long and features a variety of plant and animal life unique to the Ozarks. The trail is marked by bright yellow blazes (pictured at right), which...