Enjoy views of the Ozark landscape as you gain 500 feet of elevation up 2.5 miles to the top of Stegall Mountain. Camp out at the top overnight, catching a glimpse of a full sky of stars if it’s clear. The next section along Trace Creek is an enjoyable, quiet walk in the woods. Some hikers may choose to continue on Trace Creek to the Taum Sauk section, but OT thru-hikers should head west onto Middle Fork/John Roth Memorial section to complete the longer route. This hilly 26-mile segment gains over 2,600 feet of elevation over a contoured landscape crossing brooks, streams, and wetlands, as well as small savannahs of oak and hickory hardwoods.
The Ozark Trail 45 Qt Rolling Thermocooler also comes with an internal tray, which the other two do not. He averaged 25 miles per day, with his longest clocking in at 32 miles. “The AT, PCT, and CDT have a higher profile, but not many people can take three to five months out of their lives to do a thru-hike. Be prepared to adjust plans based on the conditions you encounter. Have backup plans in case of gear and equipment failures. So, I reached out on the private Facebook group “Ozark Trail Section Hikers and Backpackers” and eventually talked to seven other successful OT thru-hikers.
Join Outside+ to get access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more. If you’re searching east of the Rockies for stunning scenery, technical terrain, and a long hike option sans the AT crowds, this is your pick. Along the way you’ll cross paths with fewer people than you can count on two hands—just keep an eye out for mountain bikers and horseback riders who frequent the multi-use sections of ozark trail chairs the trail. By default, this unexpectedly ended up being my go-to daily bag for several months. It’s been stuffed to capacity with almost everything I had to carry, including, but not limited to, outerwear, lunch, groceries, laptop, iPad, a Bose speaker, and combinations thereof. You may encounter some natural hazards when hiking through the wilderness, but it shouldn’t deter you from enjoying the outdoors.
“[The Ozark Trail] is more raw than other trails I’ve thru-hiked. There are few bridges over creek crossings and hardly any developed campsites,” Letner said. Lorentz averaged 14 miles per day, with her longest day being 19 miles.
More than once in the dark I’ve attached a rain fly upside down and we had to restart that particular step. This tent was close to foolproof when it came to the rain fly because it was already connected. He chose March for his hike because there are fewer ticks and daylight hours start getting longer.
The Ozark does need those pegs in the ground to be self-standing so setting up on rocks would be infeasible (at least without applying some clever tenting skills). I also liked how my head wasn’t directly beside the door, which often occurs for an end-door tent. If something crawled through the zipper door it wouldn’t immediately be inches from my face but instead would have to work its way a few more feet to my head. At the same time, my head wasn’t zero or six feet from the door, but about two or three feet at all times.
Many of the creeks and streams look crystal clear, but it’s still smart to make sure any impurities are removed with pumps or tablets before drinking the water. Immerse yourself in the rugged beauty of the Missouri Ozarks on the Ozark Trail. The 430-mile trail system is comprised of mostly linked trail sections that wind through rolling hills and valleys, past stone bluffs and along sparkling streams.