Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Missouri / Mark Twain National Forest

Irish Wilderness: Whites Creek Trail

Mark Twain National Forest, Eleven Point/Doniphan Ranger District (off Highway J, south of US 60)

The Irish Wilderness is 16,277 acres of oak and hickory forest above the Eleven Point Wild and Scenic River, designated in 1984. The Forest Service says Father Hogan founded a settlement for Irish immigrants here in the mid-1800s, and during the Civil War the area became a “no man’s land” raided by both armies and bushwhackers. It was later logged and farmed, then replanted by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

The 18.6-mile Whites Creek Trail is the main route, a loop through karst country with sinkholes, two springs, and spurs to the river.

The hike

Most hikers start at Camp Five Pond, on the northeast side off Highway J, about 16 miles south of US 60 per the Forest Service, which lists parking for 12 vehicles. Brawley Pond, on the north side, holds four. Ouachita Maps notes the Camp Five road is a quarter mile of gravel off paved Highway J.

Ouachita Maps describes the loop counterclockwise at 19.6 miles including the spur back to Camp Five. Its waypoints give the Whites Creek crossing at mile 3.4 (dry on its trip), with a sinkhole just left of the trail beyond it, the Brawley Pond spur at mile 4.7, and Bliss Spring at mile 8.6, “running clear and cold” at the base of a bluff during a dry spell. The tread after Bliss Spring gets rougher. A spur to the river at mile 12.7 leads toward the Whites Creek Float Camp, and the trail climbs about 300 feet out of the hollow past Whites Creek Cave, which is barred and closed. Fiddler Spring comes at mile 14.5.

The guide says permanent pools line Whites Creek for about 1.4 miles even when the bed is dry, and recommends treating them because beavers, active along the banks, can carry giardia. Leaves covered the trail in November and in places it vanished entirely; markers are sparse, so you navigate mostly by the tread.

Gary Allman of Ozarks Walkabout hiked here in April 2025 and also found the trail hard to follow in places, crossed by old forest roads. He reports that March 2025 storms and high winds were severe in the area and warns of downed trees, especially on exposed ridges. He camped near Fiddler Spring, where a photo shows camp overlooking Whites Creek, and advises against camping too close to water in spring because of the noise.

The Forest Service notes copperheads, rattlesnakes, and cottonmouths, says bears are highly concentrated, and suggests avoiding the peak spring and fall seasons. It lists the Wilderness and Riverton quadrangles as covering the whole trail.

For another long Mark Twain National Forest loop, see the Big Piney Trail in Paddy Creek Wilderness.

Tips

Camping

Dispersed camping is allowed throughout the wilderness, with no toilets, fire grates, or treated water. The Forest Service asks you to camp at least 100 feet from trails, water, and other camps, out of sight and sound of others. The forest’s wilderness order bans fires and stoves within 100 feet of an established trail and limits groups to 10 people. No permit or fee is required. Horses are allowed; dogs must be leashed (6 feet or shorter). Contact the Eleven Point/Doniphan Ranger District at 573-996-2153.

Inside Intel: Ouachita Maps calls the area at Bliss Spring a “mediocre area for a small tent” and says “there is a much better place to camp down the spur trail towards the river,” about 0.2 mile away at a former homestead with a large flat area and a rock chimney. At Fiddler Spring it found “a small campsite with a fire ring and room for a couple tents.”

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Spring nights by Fiddler Spring:

Cold, clear spring water and damp hollows along Whites Creek can make an April night colder than the forecast suggests.

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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.