SierraScape September 2014 - February 2015
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by Toni Armstrong
Secretary
EMG Chapter
Many authors and thinkers have expounded on the value of Wilderness. Their musings on the restoring powers of solitude and of experiencing are even more important in todays wired world.
The practical definition of wilderness is simple: no roads, no structures, no vehicles, no machinery. The list of allowed activities include: hiking, hunting, backpacking, horseback riding, canoeing, fishing and camping. In Missouri we are fortunate to have 8 outstanding wilderness areas. Seven of the areas are part of the Mark Twain National Forest and one area is part of the US Fish and Wildlife Refuge. The Forest Service has maps and trail descriptions on their web site. www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/mtnf/specialplaces.
Bell Mountain Wilderness
Mountain tops of the igneous St. Francois Mountains, the most ancient part of the Ozark Mountains are accessible via Bell Mountain Wilderness. The views are commanding as you stand on the top of Bell Mountain. The wilderness is navigated by a loop hiking trail with two trail heads that afford different length options for visits. Bell Mountain Wilderness is in Iron County south of Caledonia off State Road A. It is one of the most accessible wilderness area to St. Louis. At 9000 acres, there is lots of wilderness to explore at Bell Mountain Wilderness.
Hercules Glades Wilderness
Smoke tree, collared lizards, glade cone flower, prairie
dock and vistas greet you as meander from the hardwood forest
into a glade. Hercules Glades Wilderness is a series of small
to large glades dotted across 12,315 acres located in Taney County,
east of Branson. Hercules Glades' miles of trails are best explored
by foot or horseback. The Lookout Trail is a 4.5 mile loop trail
that begins in the hardwood forest and meanders thru a series
of glades with stunning views of the hillsides across the valley.
Coy Bald Trail offers a longer trail from a second trail head.
Paddy Creek Wilderness
The pines twisted growth from the large sandstone outcropping
makes a perfect scenic lunch spot. You feel like you are on
top of the world as you look down on the tops of the pine trees
in Paddy Creek Wilderness. Along the 17 mile loop trail, you
stop to enjoy the small waterfall that gurgles over moss draped
sandstone ledge as you cross Little Paddy Creek. The trails
that lures backpackers and horseback riders with its views is
accessible from two trailheads –
Roby Lake Recreation Area
and Paddy Creek campground. Shorter hike are possible so that
you can enjoy the area for a day trip. Paddy Creek Wilderness
is in Texas County west of Licking.
Devil's Backbone Wilderness
The trail opens to a view of the sunlight sparkling off the North Fork River and skips along the river before turning away as you enjoy Devil's Backbone Wilderness. The area is explored via 13 miles of trail or by paddle on the 1.5 miles of the North Fork of the White River that traverses the wilderness area. The wilderness is accessed by four different trailheads offering different length of trails. Devil's Backbone Wilderness is west of West Plains in Ozark County and is a favorite for turkey hunting and fishing.
Mingo Swamp
The water drips from the paddle as you glide past towering
cypress trees. Mingo Swamp is a watery world filled with surprises.
At 8,000 acres the swamp is best explored by canoes, though visitors
have a board walk and dikes to access the swamp. Access to Monopoly
Lake and the heart of the swamp is via the slow, black waters
of the Mingo River. Mingo Swamp reminds us of how southeast
Missouri was covered by
cypress-tupelo swamps
200+ years ago. Mingo Wilderness is part of
Mingo Wildlife Refuge
and is administered by the
US Fish and Wildlife Service.
It is located in Stoddard
County north of Puxico on Highway 51.
Irish Wilderness
The yellow-crowned night heron warily watches as you quietly
slip past, the heron's crown blowing in the breeze. The Irish
Wilderness, 16,227 acres is the largest of Missouri's wilderness
areas. It is bounded on one side by the
Eleven Point River.
The 18.6 mile
Whites Creek Trail
leads from the river through
the forest past clumps of blue spiderwort and the spotted horsemint.
The Whites Creek Trail is a favorite of back packers looking
for solitude. The Irish Wilderness is located in Oregon County
25 miles west of Doniphan MO off Highway 160.
Piney Creek Wilderness
The brilliant scarlet of the fall foliage contrasts with the earthy brown trunk of the large cedar tree as you round a bend of the trail. The "sidewalk", a 1/3 mile limestone slab of rock is part of the Pineview Lookout Tower Trail. The "sidewalk" has many horseshoe scuff marks, trail rides are popular in Piney Creek Wilderness. Three trailheads allow visitors different length trail options within the wilderness. A side trail winds its way to Table Rock Lake. Piney Creek Wilderness is 8,178 acres with 13.1 miles of trails in Barry & Stone Counties west of Branson, MO.
Rock Pile Mountain Wilderness
The boulders scattered through Rock Pile Mountain Wilderness beckon you to clamber on them. Pockets of stately old basswood, Kentucky coffee and oak trees are tucked away on the smallest of Missouri's wilderness area. The 7 mile round trip trail to the mysterious ring of rock – natural or man derived - draws hikers to Rock Pile Mountain. The wilderness area is crisscrossed with old logging roads. The glades on the flanks of Rock Pile Wilderness produce views of the Ozark Mountains. The wilderness is in Madison County southwest of Fredericktown.