Marble Creek Trail
This nine-mile trail is a pleasant day hike and
an excellent mountain bike trip. This section will eventually
connect to the Taum Sauk section via Ketcherside Mountain.
For a larger image, click here (85KB file)
Overview
The Marble Creek trail is the little orphan of
the Ozark Trail, laying half-way between the Taum Sauk and
Wappapello sections, waiting to be connected. Private land
blocks the path in both directions, so until easements or purchases
are negotiated, the final route between the two is uncertain.
While the trail is point-to-point from Marble Creek Campground to
the Crane Lake trailhead, it features a loop around Crane Lake.
The southern-half of the loop is considered more scenic, as it
passes by the shut-ins below the dam and features great rock
formations.
Current Trail Conditions
As of 02/28/2010, the condition is:
Open
The trail from Marble Creek Campground to and around Crane Lake has been completely sawed recently. There are still some large root balls from May storms, so be careful and keep a look out for them.
Portions that were subject to logging may be difficult to follow at times. If you are unfamiliar with the trail, you should bring a topo map and compass or GPS.
Directions
From Ironton, take Highway 21 south for two
miles, then turn east on Highway E for 12 miles to Marble Creek
Recreation Area. From Fredericktown, take Highway 67 south,
then west on Highway E to Marble Creek Recreation Area. The
trail begins on the south side of Highway E.
Other links
Danny McMurphy's review
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