Ozark Trail (MTB)

Most of the Ozark Trail (about 298 miles including the Berryman Loop and Council Bluff Lake Trail) is open to bicycles. I'm involved as a volunteer with the Ozark Trail Association, and I'm interested in what parts of the trail I can ride on.

So far, I have not ridden on any of it.

How far can I ride? Early in August 2023, I rode the Galena Trail in St. Joe State Park. I rode 9.29 miles in about 2⅓ hours elapsed time. Of course, that trail was design for MTB, and most of the steep climbs were very short. I also did a lot of heavy breathing on that ride. I guess I could probably ride the whole Victory section in about five hours?

I also need to keep in mind that I'll need to ride back to my car. If I buy a 2-bike rack, I can take another bike that is more suitable for roads and shuttle myself following my bike-hike plan.

For sentimental reasons, I think I'd like to do my first OT ride on the Wappapello section. The northern 15 miles are probably ridable. The rest might give me a heart attack on a bike. The ride back by road could be via Hwy FF and CR 380 (gravel), which is about 15½ miles.

Between the Rivers (29 mi)

The whole section is multi-use and open to bicycles. There is also a set of trails around Big Spring, but I'm not sure whether bikes are allowed on it.

Blair Creek (9 mi)

It looks like only the northern 9 miles of this section allow bicycles. Something about the USFS Boundary.

Courtois (40 + 13 mi)

The northern 7.6 miles of this section are not open to bicycles, because it is in the Huzzah Conservation Area. The rest of the section is bikable. The Berryman loop comes off of this section, and it is also bikable.

Current River (0 mi)

It seems that the whole section is off limits to MTB riders. So is the Peck Ranch By-Pass.

Eleven Point (29 mi)

The whole section is multi-use and open to bicycles.

Karkaghne (29 mi)

The whole section is multi-use and open to bicycles.

Marble Creek (12 mi)

The whole section is multi-use and open to bicycles.

Middle Fork (22 mi)

Most of the section is multi-use and open to bicycles, but there is a short 1¼ miles around Barton Fen that is open only to foot traffic, and bicycles are expected to bypass this on CR-79.

North Fork (20 mi)

Most of this section is open to MTB, the 20 miles or so north of Highway CC. South of CC is closed to bicycles. The Ridge Runner Trail at Noblett Lake might be open to bicycles. Not sure about the Hammonds Mill Trails. The Devil's Backbone Wilderness is closed to bicycles.

Taum Sauk (0 mi)

It seems that the whole section is off limits to MTB riders. So is the Goggins Mountain Trail and the other various trails in Johnson's Shut-ins.

Trace Creek (26 + 12 mi)

It appears that the whole section is multi-use and open to bicycles. The connecting Council Bluff Lake Trail is also open to bicycles (but not horses). The nearby Bell Mountain Trail is not open to bicycles, being in Wilderness Area.

Upper Current (0 mi)

It seems that the whole section is closed to MTB use.

Victory (19 mi)

The whole section is multi-use and open to bicycles.

Wappapello (38 mi)

The whole section is multi-use and open to bicycles.

Plan: Start from Sam A. Baker and keep going as long as I feel okay. The longest I ride should be to the Hwy 67 trailhead. That's 15.3 miles on trail and 15.5 miles back on gravel. That's probably 4 hours elapsed time on the trail, and maybe 1½ hours riding back on gravel and paved roads.

Plan: Ride the Wappapello Loop between US-67 and Hwy F. It's a loop, so no need to shuttle or backtrack. This won't be an easy part of the trail to ride, though.