Current River Section
Although this section begins at the Current
River, it quickly turns off toward Stegall Mountain. Some
believe it is the most scenic trail in Missouri.
For a larger image, click here (~100KB file)
Description from the Ozark Trail Council Brochure
The trail begins by crossing to the west bank of
the Current River on the Highway 106 bridge. It then heads
south, generally paralleling the river for approximately two miles.
From that point it proceeds up Indian Creek, crosses a saddle on the
south end of Barnett Mountain, and descends to Rocky Creek.
The trail passes a beautiful shut-ins area between Buzzard Mountain
and Mill Mountain before heading for Stegall Mountain. Glades
atop Stegall Mountain allow expansive and unrestricted views of the
Ozark landscape. From Stegall Mountain the trail heads
southeast through Peck Ranch Wildlife Area toward Highway 60.
Current Trail Conditions
As of 03/10/2010, the condition is:
Open
Spring maintenance including sawing, lopping, and leaf blowing has left this section in great shape!
Make sure you have a good map and compass or gps between Stegall and Peck Ranch as the MDC burn area can be difficult to follow if you are not familiar with this section.
There will be seasonal growth in the bottomland areas of the trail, but the corridor should be generally free of downfall. If you enjoy hiking/backpacking in the summer, this is a good destination. It has a lot of good swimming holes to cool down from the heat. Just remember that you'll encounter an occasional weedy patch with all the rain this area has received.
Directions
There are four trailheads on this section.
The trail can also be accessed from Rocky Falls, but there is no
overnight parking.
- Owls Bend Campground- Take Highway
106 west from Ellington to Owls Bend. The trail for this
section begins on the west side of the Current River bridge on the
south side of Highway 106.
- Powder Mill Ferry Parking-
Take Highway 106 west from Ellington about 2 miles past the
Current River bridge and go south on the access road to Powder
Mill Ferry. As you get close to Powder Mill, veer right on a
gravel road and go 1 mile south to the parking area.
-
Peck Ranch- (we are contacting Peck Ranch to determine the
"official" parking area)
- Highway 60- (we are
contacting the USFS for the exact directions to this trailhead)
Further Information
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