All the scenic features and wilderness qualities which hikers, horse back riders, and mountain bikers seek can be found in the Ozarks.  These natural attractions, coupled with the sizeable amount of public-owned property in the Ozarks, have prompted many trail users and land-managing agencies to envision a trail that would someday traverse the Ozarks extending from St. Louis through western Arkansas.  Now, through a unique cooperative effort between state and federal agencies, private landowners, and trail users, this vision of a 500-mile trail across the Missouri Ozarks is becoming a reality. 

The Ozark Trail Association (OTA) was formed in 2002 to develop, maintain, preserve, promote, and protect the rugged natural beauty of the trail.  The Big Springs RC&D in cooperation with the OTA and other agencies, has assisted in grant research and writing to fund development and maintenance projects.  A $4,500 Recreational Trails Grant to establish 5 tool caches for maintenance activities on the Ozark Trail and other trails in the Mark Twain National Forest area was approved by DNR in 2002.  For more information on the Ozark Trail  www.ozarktrail.com

A 262 mile stretch of the Ozark Trail in southeastern Missouri became the newest addition to the National Recreation Trails System with the signature of Eastern Region Deputy Regional Forester Forest L. Starkey on May 28, 2008. 

                                                                              

        

Big Springs RC&D assists with coordinating volunteers to do trail maintenance activities in Carter & southeast Shannon Counties
 

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HWY 60 Ozark Trail Crossing Erosion Control Project

The expansion of HWY 60 to 4 lanes created the need to route the Ozark Trail under the highway for safety considerations for trail users and the traveling public.  A concrete culvert was constructed to allow trail users free and safe passage under the highway.  This resulted in an erosion and sediment problem which needed to be addressed.

Big Springs RC&D, Forest Service and MoDOT developed a plan that stabilized the erosion problem and removed the sediment from the culvert. This allowed a safer and cleaner passage for trail users.  The project was completed by MoDOT in October, 2008.

             

            Culvert inlet before rehab                                      Culvert inlet after rehab

 

  

               Culvert outlet before rehab                                           Culvert outlet after rehab

MoDOT Crew Rehabilitating Ozark Trail Crossing

 

 

Latest Revision: Thursday December 04, 2008 10:13:03 AM