Today I participated in a guided hike to see the bison, or as most people call them buffalo, at Prairie State Park. The guide was very informative and the hike very short so when we reached the bison and the guide turned back to the visitor center, I and a few others continued on down the trail.
I did not get close to the bison as that can be very dangerous but I kept them in sight and continued on the path that went to the west and curved around and came up north of the visitor center. Eventually I came to a road which lead back to the parking lot.
This is mostly a grass trail and during the rainy season could be very wet and possibly be tick infested. I would rate the trails as easy.
Overall, it was a nice day to get outside and enjoy nature and see bison in the wild.
Because the bugs and ticks are still out and abundant this year, today I opted for a paved trail. In the All Trails app this is called the Fulbright Spring Greenway and rated an easy 7.9 mile trail.
At the trailhead, there is a descent sized parking lot and port-a-potties. There is also a little swing set and a bench so the kids can play and the adults can rest awhile. This trail does allow bicycles and everyone I met today on bikes were courteous and gave warning when they were approaching. A little way in, you will come to a fork in the road. I went right on the David C. Murray Trailhead (2.78). Most of this trail is shaded. There are a couple of creek crossings so if it has recently rained, you may have to cross water. There are also a few small inclines on the path I traveled today but nothing too strenuous. This trail does travel along side a shooting range so pay attention to the signs and do not follow the path into the range.
When you reach the Retiree Bridge, keep to the left and enter what used to be the Fulbright Landfill. You will eventually reach another trailhead and I followed the Ritter Springs Trailhead (1.85) until I reached the stop sign at Farm Road 88. There was quite a bit of traffic today so I didn’t want to walk on the road and I turned back at this point.
When I reached the intersection of the David C. Murray Trailhead and Truman Elementary Trailhead, I followed the Truman Elementary Trailhead until I reached the housing development. This was about a mile or so and then I turned around and went back to the parking lot.
The trail was fairly busy today with people walking dogs, people running, and others just out enjoying a walk. All in all, this was a very nice walk and should I need a paved trail in the future, I will come back and maybe start at the Ritter Springs Trailhead.
I visited Dogwood Canyon today. Due to all the rain in the area recently, a lot of the trails were closed or muddy so I opted for a paved trail and Dogwood Canyon did not disappoint. This trail is about 3 miles from the start to the end. There are a few dirt trails that lead off the paved path but I wasn’t able to travel on them during this trip.
All the falls in the park are manmade. You can rent bicycles instead of walking on the trail if you choose. Or there is a tram that will take you from the front to the back of the park and also through other parts of the park that are unavailable for walking or biking. All in all it was a nice trail. At the end of the paved trail where the turn around is, there is a waterfall with yellow trout in it. This is a very popular spot on the trail. This part of the trail is on the Arkansas side so you can say you walked from Missouri to Arkansas all in one day.
I was able to get about 7 miles in for the day.
At the entrance of the park, there is a museum that has interesting items on display. There are a couple of bathrooms along the trail. During the busy season, there are places to get food along the trail as well. There is an entrance fee to get into the park.
I hiked all of the trails at the Ruth and Paul Henning State Forest near Branson, Missouri to celebrate Trails Day and as a part of Earth Day week.
It was a very easy trail to visit the lookout tower, which I only made it part way up due to my fear of heights, and then I did the Red, Yellow, Blue, and Orange trails (basically covered every trail there.) Most of the time the trails were easy and then there would be that little bit that was more moderately challenging due to the rocks and tree roots, not to mention the elevation.
I saw several small waterfalls at various places. The trails were mostly clear other than a few spots that were wet due mostly to the water runoff from underground which made the trail a little muddy. I was able to see a few spring blooms but nothing real exciting stood out. The butterflies were probably the best part for me.
When I arrived, which was just after sunrise, there were only two other cars in the parking lot. When I finished, and got back to the car, the lot was pretty much full. I never did see anyone on the way down, and only started seeing people when I was starting back up.
It is rated a hard trail and but it was pretty easy to navigate. It wasn’t well marked but the trail to the waterfall was well used so I had no trouble finding it. There are a couple of signs along the way to help with direction.
On the way down, it will be narrow in spots, rocky, and tree root covered but there are also stone “steps” that will help with some of the gravity as you will be descending about 1400 feet. It is so hard to describe the magnitude of the waterfall. Even though it was only a trickle the day I was there, the sheer size of it and the beauty is so nice and because I was there alone, so very peaceful.
On the way back, I decided to follow the trail down to the river. It only added another 1.4 miles or so to the original 5 miles. The river trail is relatively easy. The river was mostly dry the day I was there so I was able to walk out into the center and across it. It too was very pretty.
The fall colors added to the beauty of the entire hike. The hike back to the top did get me out of breathe a couple of times. The steps did help with the ascent. I did have to crawl over a few downed trees and over a few rocks but overall a very nice hike and well worth the drive.
To find the parking lot, which is very small, you will see a sign that says No Parking, look just to the right of this sign and you will see a small driveway. This will lead you to the parking lot. It isn’t very big but this seems to be a popular trail so I would arrive early if possible.
This is rated a hard hike but until you reach the Goat Trail it really is pretty easy. You will be going down and walking on rocks and tree roots. There are a few times when you will crawl over or until a downed tree but this was a great fall hike and the colors were so pretty.
When I reached the intersection of the Center Point Trail and the Goat Trail I did use the AllTrails App to see where I was. There really isn’t any markings along the way but the Goat Trail is very popular and the path is well worn. Just stay to the right to find the path. Once on it, the trail will become a little more difficult, steep, narrow, but beautiful.
I was able to see the river below once I reached the rock cliffs. The height of just how far up you are and the distance you can see is just remarkable.
The walk back to the car really wasn’t very difficult but this is when I started to encounter more visitors. While at the rocks, I only saw one other person.
It was a beautiful day to be out hiking in the woods. January 1st is “First Day Hike” and I decided to visit Neosho, Missouri. Although the High Ground Bike Preserve is a designated bike trail, hiking is allowed. I was the only one on the trail today until I was leaving and then others were getting on the trail.
I started at the main trailhead in the park area. I hiked counterclockwise and therefore did the Homestead Loop first. The trails were mostly dirt and smaller rocks. Once in a while, there would be a tree root to watch out for. The trail isn’t really marked but it is well worn and easily followed. I kept coming across, “DO NOT ENTER DOWNHILL AREA” signs and couldn’t figure out where they started so I could travel down. About half way around, I came to a second parking area and that is the trailhead for the Rough Rider Ridge Trail.
I did see many gray squirrels and a couple of deer while on the trail. If you start and go right, not to far down the trail you will see the ruins of a couple of buildings. Keep following the Homestead Trail and eventually you will come upon the ruins and be able to get a closeup view of them. If this was a house at one time, I would have loved to live there. You are up on the top of the ridge and can see a great distance. It would have been a beautiful view each day.
Beginning at the ruins, I started to see candy canes placed along the trail. That was a nice addition to the scenery. At times you will travel through the woods, then you may come to a clearing, or the area may become more bush than tree. It appears that there may have been a fire in the area as many of the trees had burn marks. You can also tell that at some point, there had been wind damage because there were several trees that had fallen and the trail had been cleared. I also found a lawn chair at the bottom of a ravine; in one area there were several tires just randomly placed, which was odd; and then a can just off by itself. Seeing these items in what seemed like random places makes you wonder how they got there because it would not have been an easy task to get them there. There were also old concrete chunks in odd places and a “junk/trash” pile.
After I completed the intended loop and because I was the only one on the trail, I decided to go up one of the DO NOT ENTER areas to see if I could find out there the downhill begins. I went up the La-Z-Boy Downhill and came to the area where it and the Gone Rogue and Wildcat Chase trails begin. I still couldn’t figure out how I missed seeing this area so I followed a trail that led up to them and ended back up on the Homestead Trail. (At the intersection where you can go right and stay on the Homestead Trail or go left on an unmarked trail, follow the unmarked trail and it will take you to the beginning of the downhill trails.)
This wasn’t the most exciting trail but I enjoyed every minute because it is a moderately hard trail and you will get a workout with all the ups and downs.
The Morse Park is rather large and it does seem to have lots of paved trails to walk as I saw several people walking their dogs. There are play areas, a fishing area, a skateboarding area, and several ball parks. I have a feeling that in the summer this park is very busy. I did see restrooms but I do not know if they were open.
Overall, a very nice trail and I will be returning when the ground is too wet to walk the dirt trails and see where the paved trails lead. This was a great way to start the new year.
Today I hiked the Pike Hollow Trail which is rated a moderate trail but I really didn’t find it to be very difficult. It started out in mowed grass, then dirt and some rocks, with very few inclines. The spider webs were HORRIBLE and I felt like a mummy wrapped in webs. It wasn’t the most exciting trail but it was nice to get out and explore another area. I did manage to scare up a wild turkey, racoon, turtle, squirrel, and a deer. There was a small creek crossing a couple of times but it was easy to cross without getting wet. For the most part it was a completely shaded trail. It did have a few outcroppings and an overlook area.
Soon after the trail starts you will see the Pinwoods Trail but keep to the left and follow the Pike Hollow Trail. A little later you will come to a white trail. This is the connector trail and is a very easy dirt trail. I followed the Pike Hollow Trail and about half way around you will come to the white connector trail again. When I reached this point, I did follow the white trail down and back up just to say I had covered it too. Then I continued on the Pike Hollow Trail. Toward the end of it you will connect with the Pinwoods Trail. I kept to the left and followed it to the end. Then I was back at the beginning and walking the gravel Pinwoods Trail.
It was a somewhat eerie feeling when the first sign you see is to be bear aware. Luckily I didn’t see any. The Pike Hollow Trail is about 4.5 miles and the Pinwood Trail is about .6 miles. It took me 3 hours to hike the Pike Hollow Trail and that was mostly due to the fact that quite often I had to stop and remove the cobwebs and spiders from me. The Pinwoods Trail only took about 11 minutes.
On the drive down and back, I did see a couple of deer, a rabbit, racoon, fox, and squirrel.
At the start of the trail there are a couple of picnic tables and a primitive restroom.
I have a few more photos from these trails on the Facebook page
The original plan was to hike the Mount Kessler Loop that the AllTrails app had but I lost GPS and signal early on so I wondered around and still managed to do about 10 miles. I really enjoyed my hike. The trail isn’t really marked well. You will find trail markers where the trail intersects but that is about all. If you hike when the leaves have fallen and cover the trail, like the conditions were for me today, you will need to watch for the path. It is still visible but in some places you will need to look hard. I would recommend downloading a map before you go or have a paper map with you. On the way back to the parking lot, I did come across a trail map which was helpful but at about the same time, I also had cell service again.
The trailhead isn’t really marked. When you pull into the parking lot where the AllTrails app takes you, you will see a “gravel” road and a path to the left with a wooden bridge. Take the path with the bridge. Soon you will come to a marker the has Last Call and Saddle Up, this is where I started. When you reach the edge of the woods, the Last Call trail is to the right and Saddle Up is to the left. They will intersect shortly on down the trail.
When I reached the intersection of Terrapin Station, Crazy Mary, and Fayetteville Traverse, I lost reception. I ended up following the Fayetteville Traverse Trail all the way to the road where it ends/begins with the parking lot. I was very glad I followed this trail as I came across an abandoned cabin, and because I started out on a 25 degree morning at sunrise, I came across some frost flowers at the top of the mountain in the clearing. After the flowers, you will come to an intersection of Rock City, Flight Training, and Fayetteville Traverse. Here I followed the Flight Training/Fayetteville Traverse trail all the way to the road. I turned back and because I had only seen one other person on the trail so far, I followed the trail that says One Way Do No Enter. This is a hard trail and if it is a busy time, I would definitely not recommend doing this as it is very steep but a great work out. You will need to back track the way you came, back to the intersection of Rock City, Flight Training, and Fayetteville Traverse. Once reaching this intersection again, I followed the Rock City trail and it lives up to its name. It is a very rocky trail but has lots of rock formations and very pretty today.
I took the Egg Beater trail to the Western Myth and then on to Spell Bound. This was also a challenging route to take. After Spell Bound, I took the Western Myth back to the intersection of the Goat Trail. I made my way back to the Serpentine, Trent Trail, and Fayetteville Traverse trails. Following the Trent Trail will put you back on the Terrapin Station trail and back to the intersection that will lead back to the parking lot.
If you want to follow this route, this is the best I can do for a description as I was just wondering around trying to find my way back but loving every minute of the hike. I was doing mostly moderate to hard trails. I do hope to go back one day and try to the Loop which was the original plan. I believe the Terrapin Station and Crazy Mary trails will take you passed some really neat rock formations.
It was a beautiful day today and by the time I ended it was about 44 degrees and I had taken my gloves and hat off. There was barely any wind. You couldn’t have asked for a better day to hike. At the end I did meet two bikers that were just started out so all in all I had the trails to myself today.
I did see a couple of deer near the parking lot at the first, but along the trail for about the first hour or so I saw many others here and there. The gray squirrels were in abundance.
It was a beautiful day for a hike today. I traveled over four different trails beginning with the Bashore Ridge Loop at sunrise (about 7:30 am) today when the gates were opened to the parking lot. There is quite a bit of parking at the Bashore Ridge Loop Trailhead and there is also a parking lot across the road. Based on the size of the parking lots, I’m pretty sure the Bashore Ridge Loop, Dutton Hollow Loop and the Little Clifty Creek Loop are very popular. There is a vault bathroom in the parking lot. I wasn’t able to travel the Little Clifty Creek Loop today as it was still closed from the tornado damage to the trail earlier this year. The park crew and/or volunteers have worked a lot of hours to get the Bashore Ridge Loop and Dutton Hollow Loop cleared for visitors. You could see the destruction all along the trail. I can only imagine how beautiful these trails were but they were still very pretty today.
I traveled on the Bashore Ridge Loop first and went counter clockwise. This is rated a moderate trail but I found it very easy to travel. It is a rocky and tree root trail. I did walk down to the Beaver Lake Overlook and was able to get pretty close to the water. It was very pretty at the water and it was early enough in the day that the fog was gliding over the water. I did meet two other people at this area. Other than that encounter, I had the Bashore Ridge Loop and Dutton Hollow Loop all to myself.
When I got back to the Bashore Ridge Loop and Dutton Hollow Loop intersection, I followed the Dutton Hollow Loop in a counter clockwise direction as well. This trail is rated as easy but I really found it about the same as the Bashore Ridge Loop trail. When I was at the bottom of the hollow, I did come across a couple of deer and a chipmunk. These were the only wildlife I saw all day.
There is a shooting range close by and because of the noise, this may be the reason there is very little wildlife to see. I did hear a couple of birds but even they weren’t singing. This may also be because it is winter right now. Overall, I found these two trails very nice to travel over.
From here I went about a mile away and visited the Historic Van Winkle Trail and Sinking Stream Trail. These also must be very popular trails as I did encounter three different families here. The parking lot is large, there is a vaulted bathroom and a picnic table here.
The Historic Van Winkle Trail will be paved for the first little bit and then it will become small gravel. There are signs along the short easy trail that tell the history of the area. There isn’t a lot to see but there is a small stream that runs through the area.
The Sinking Stream Trail is also an easy trail and is gravel, small rocks, and dirt surfaces. This time was loaded with so many frost flowers. (I did find frost flowers on all four trails today.) The trail follows and crosses the stream but you will have bridges to use to cross over the water. This trail was probably the quietest one for the day. It appears that during the spring/summer months, you will be able to find lots of flowering plants.
The day may have started out about 24 degrees but it was sunny with very little wind and ended about 35 degrees.
The Bashore and Dutton Hollows Loops are about 4 miles each. The Van Winkle and Sinking Stream Trails are about ½ mile each. On each of the trails, there are a few benches scattered along the trail but they are few and far between.
