Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Missouri / Mark Twain National Forest

Hercules Glades Wilderness to Long Creek Falls

Mark Twain National Forest, Ava/Cassville/Willow Springs Ranger District (near Bradleyville)

Hercules-Glades Wilderness, about 10 miles northeast of Branson, is Missouri’s oldest designated wilderness, set aside in 1976. The Forest Service describes 12,413 acres of shallow soils, limestone outcrops, and open glades, with Coy Bald and Pilot Knob rising more than 600 feet above Long Creek.

The usual overnight is a walk down to Long Creek Falls and back, though nine trails make longer loops possible.

The hike

The Forest Service lists nine trails totaling 32 miles: Blair Ridge (2.6 miles), Coy Bald (4), Long Creek (5.4), Lower Pilot (1.7), Middle (1.3), Pees Hollow (5.5), Pete Hollow (1.3), Tower (6.7), and Upper Pilot (1.7). It warns that trails are not well marked, some sections are steep, and “there are no bridges crossing streams.”

There are three trailheads. Hercules Tower, on the east side near Bradleyville, has parking for 12 vehicles in three lots, a restroom, and a 100-foot fire tower built in 1936 that is closed to the public. Blair Ridge, also reached from Bradleyville, holds four vehicles and connects to the Long Creek Trail and Long Creek Falls. Coy Bald, on the west side from Forsyth, holds six, but the road to it is closed to vehicles under a May 2026 order (see the notice above).

Compulsive Hiker, writing in 2017, describes 3.3 miles from the Tower trailhead to a campsite near Long Creek Falls, noting the hike in was mostly downhill. The Forest Service calls the falls a 10-foot waterfall that dries up in summer or dry weather, and the 2017 group found no water going over it.

Ozarks Walkabout’s three-day trip in September 2012 covered about 11 miles and 1,300 feet of climbing from the Coy Bald side. The group crossed the glades, camped north of Lower Pilot Knob, visited Rock Spring and an abandoned stone building near it, and spent a second night above the pool below Long Creek Falls, which was full even though Long Creek was dry at their crossing. They also passed tornado debris in the northwest glades, stock ponds holding water on the Devil’s Den West and Coy Bald ridges, and Sheep Frog Pond. They report cell service on the ridges and recommend a GPS, since unmarked trails can be confusing.

The Forest Service notes that copperheads and rattlesnakes may be encountered and black bears are occasionally seen, and lists biting insects, poison ivy, and heat as warm-season concerns. The wilderness is surrounded by private land.

For another southwest Missouri wilderness on Table Rock Lake, see Piney Creek Wilderness.

Tips

Camping

Dispersed camping is allowed in the wilderness. The Forest Service asks you to camp at least 100 feet from trails, water sources, and other camps, and out of sight and sound of trails and other camps. The forest’s wilderness order also bans fires, including stove fires, within 100 feet of an established trail, and limits groups to 10 people. There is no permit or fee. Bury human waste at least 6 inches deep and pack out all trash. Dogs must be leashed (6 feet or shorter). Don’t cut live trees; Ozarks Walkabout notes that downed wood is usually easy to find away from the fire ring.

Inside Intel: No camper accounts recommending a specific site were found. Both trip reports camped near Long Creek Falls; Ozarks Walkabout describes a popular site above the pool with an existing fire ring, and picked its other night’s spot for being “not too steep” with “no dead trees threatening to fall on our tent.”

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Unbridged creeks in Hercules Glades:

The Forest Service says there are no bridges over streams here and advises avoiding very wet periods. Our comparison asks whether the Arc'teryx Beta SL is worth it over two cheaper shells.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.