The original obelisk, created by the Ozark Trails Association in 1921, stood at the intersection of Main Street and Hyden – approximately one block east of the current obelisk’s position. The original obelisk was buried in the 1940s, then later exhumed and placed on an area ranch in the 1970s. In 1997, local residents paid for the replica to be constructed in a courtyard near the water tower. The Stratford obelisk stands 22 feet tall and has a plaque on it giving the history of the Ozark Trail. Continue traveling west on Route 66/Ozark Trail, and you’ll come to the next architectural attraction – the Ozark Trail Overpass. This railroad underpass, which was constructed in 1925, is just under 30 feet long.
And it avoids the slouchy shape of most traditional camping chairs, which can sag to create a hunch-and-slouch posture. Cyclists could probably live a car-free (or car-light) life, but there’s more here than just going from A to B. Road cyclists can create 25-mile-plus loops using the country roads that descend and ascend the 1,000-foot-tall Cumberland Plateau.
“My nieces/nephew and sister use it all the time when they come over and my dad enjoys just sitting outside his camper, listening to his music and rocking the day away.” Fayetteville barely made it under our population cap of 100,000, but this southern mountain town is a great sleeper destination for cyclists. Hundreds of miles of rural paved roads extend into the surrounding Siskiyou Range. Mountain bikers enjoy the 100-mile trail system in the 15,000-acre Ashland Watershed, where singletrack ascends to the top of 7,532-foot Mount Ashland and runs all the way back into town, more than 5,000 feet below. Ashland Mountain Adventures runs shuttles ($30 per person), so you can skip the climb up Mount Ashland and focus on the descent during your 13- to 25-mile (depending on the route) ride. Aspen-Snowmass and the Roaring Fork Valley was the first destination in Colorado to earn Gold Level Ride Center status from the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA).
There’s also a mesh pocket behind the backrest, to hold things you don’t need to access quickly. This chair comes with a sturdy carrying case, with an over-the-shoulder strap, and it’s simple to expand and fold up accordion-style. Testers with knee and hip issues reported that when they were getting in and out of this chair, its armrests felt more stable than those of any other model. So they felt comfortable leaning onto the frame for extra support. No other chair in our testing pool—except perhaps the extremely pricey Yeti Trailhead—came close to matching the King Kong’s build quality.
Recommended for anyone up to 500 pounds who is looking for a basic camp chair. Testers consistently ranked this chair as one of the most comfortable models (typically second to the Yeti Trailhead, which costs almost four times as much). The few testers who didn’t like it often preferred the Kijaro Dual Lock XXL Chair, which costs a little bit more but provides a roomier seat. Several Wirecutter staffers have owned the Coleman chair for years, using it on camping trips, in backyards, and at sporting events. For the most part, it’s held up well, but one common quibble is that the seat bottom begins to sag after several years of use.
Start your journey at the Rock Creek Bridge that was put in place in 1921, became part of Route 66 in 1926 and was bypassed in 1952. This Sapulpa bridge is one of the state’s best remaining examples of the steel-truss architecture that was popular in the pre-World War II era. With a patchwork of red bricks and concrete, you can truly feel the age of this narrow bridge, which is closed to vehicles but open to foot traffic. Helping build, maintain, or promote the Ozark Trail is a rewarding experience, and numerous opportunities are available to volunteers. Become a member of our organization or make a donation to help us keep our trail system beautiful.
The Ozark Trail Association was founded in 2002, and has added more than 50 miles of trail to date, most constructed by volunteers. The association continues to maintain and expand the Ozark Trail. April 29th, 2006 was proclaimed “Ozark Trail Day” by Missouri’s governor, and in May 2008 a portion of the trail was designated a National Recreational Trail. In 2013 Missouri was named Best Trails State at the International Trails Symposium, ozark trail chair due in part to the increasing popularity of the Ozark Trail. Our Mega events provide free camping, free lunch & dinner, live music, a giant bonfire, and fun raffles for kids and adults. It was a cooperative effort of seven governmental agencies, one private landowner, and several environmental groups banded together in what later became the Ozark Trail Council.
After a couple of camping trips, we concluded that a strap is more convenient than a bag—it’s quicker and easier for a kid to grab the chair and go, without parental help. It has the most comfortable and supportive seat shape of any chair we tested. The Dual Lock chair has a firmer backrest and seat bottom than the competition.
People who did like it tended to have smaller body types, so if you find that other camping chairs are too big for you, the Skyward ozark trail backpack might be a good fit. The Chair One is rated to hold up to 320 pounds—more than any other lightweight chair we tested aside from the Moon Lence. It has the highest weight capacity and largest seat of any chair we tested. Out of all the chairs we tested, this chair’s capacity—800 pounds—is the highest (the next-highest is the Yeti Trailhead’s 500-pound weight limit). Since 2016, our testers (with different body types and physical needs) have subjected camping chairs to multiple camping trips.
This wider and longer set will provide support for larger adults with the same upright style as the traditional bagged camping chair. Has been rated for 300 pounds, but can hold more weight comfortably. Double cup holders are also extra large to hold bigger drinks. Whether it’s a compact 2-person foldable table for intimate gatherings or a larger picnic table that comes complete with camping chairs for a family feast, there’s a size and style for every occasion. Most of our testers found the REI Co-op Skyward Chair to be one of the least comfortable chairs in our testing pool.