Ozark Trail: Courtois Section

Mark Twain National Forest and Huzzah Conservation Area (Crawford and Washington counties)

The Courtois Section is where the Ozark Trail begins. The Ozark Trail Association (OTA) lists it at 48 miles, the longest of the trail’s sections, running south from the trail’s northern end near Onondaga Cave State Park, across Courtois Creek and Huzzah Conservation Area, along the western half of the Berryman Loop Trail, and on to the Trace Creek Section.

Terrain Magazine, in an April 2025 account of a thru-hike, says “the state parks have the highlights” and the Ozark Trail is “the connector trail between them all,” and it notes the Mile 0 marker and the Bat Cave in the first five miles.

The hike

The Outbound’s hike-and-float route, added by Ben Spaunhorst, describes the first day from the Onondaga trailhead near Leasburg. The first 4.5 miles run through hardwood and pine forest, crossing several old forest roads. Around mile 4.5 the trail drops to the Courtois and follows it for about half a mile below bluffs, passes a campground near mile 5, and then fords the creek. The Bat Cave is just past the crossing, and an overlook of the Huzzah Valley comes around mile 8. That write-up ends the 12.6-mile hiking day at Bass River Resort, a private campground, and floats about 12 miles back to the start the next day.

Farther along, Hiking Project describes a stretch of rocky singletrack along the creek, a crossing of Butts Road, and then mostly doubletrack to the edge of Huzzah Conservation Area. A newer stretch, completed in spring 2010, links Huzzah, Bass Resort, and Harmon Spring. The OTA says the trail uses the western half of the Berryman Loop Trail and adds a roughly 12-mile southern section to reach the Trace Creek Section near Hazel Creek. It notes that Harmon Spring to Hazel Creek is popular with mountain bikers and horse riders, and that bottomland near Harmon Spring can be weedy in summer.

The ford of Courtois Creek is the main hazard. Reported depths range from mid-shin (The Outbound) to waist-deep in October 2024 (Terrain Magazine) and chest-deep on a December trip described by one hiker on Callie Hikes, who turned back rather than cross again in subzero cold. The OTA says the creek can flood within Huzzah Conservation Area.

A Hiking Project check-in from 2019 describes walking from Onondaga to Harmon Spring, 22 miles over two nights, and calls the descent to Courtois Creek “very over grow[n].”

From Hazel Creek, the trail continues south as the Trace Creek Section.

Tips

Check the creek first. Call Bass’ River Resort or Ozark Outdoors (per the OTA) about Courtois Creek levels, and don’t cross in high water.
Know the land you’re on. Huzzah Conservation Area is foot traffic only, and camping there is restricted (see below).
Plan parking. The Outbound says the lot across from the Onondaga trailhead holds two or three vehicles; overflow is at Ozark Outdoors Resort, where you should check in with staff.
Harmon Spring access needs a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle, per the OTA; the OTA suggests reaching the area from Brazil Creek via the Berryman Loop instead.
Wear orange in November. Missouri’s November firearms deer season runs Nov. 14 to 24, 2026 (MDC), and hunting is allowed on Huzzah Conservation Area.

Camping

On Mark Twain National Forest land, primitive camping is allowed at least 100 feet from the trail, according to the OTA. There are no facilities, so carry out trash and bury human waste. Huzzah Conservation Area is managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation, which allows camping only in designated areas, limits stays to 14 consecutive days in any 30-day period, and requires a special use permit for groups of more than 10. The OTA describes Huzzah camping as limited to the campground. The OTA also lists Berryman Camp and Hazel Creek as campgrounds on this section.

The Mark Twain National Forest alerts page lists a closed area around the old Palmer Lead Smelter near Hazel Creek Campground, and a separate notice about elevated lead levels at some recreation sites in southeast Missouri’s lead-mining region.

Inside Intel: No camper accounts recommending a specific backcountry site on this section were found. The Outbound says there are “several good campsites along the trail” and that water is plentiful, and its overnight plan uses Bass River Resort’s private campground, which it suggests booking ahead in summer.

Trail facts

Distance: 48 miles (OTA); 48.8 miles (Hiking Project)
Route type: Point-to-point; shorter hike-and-float option of about 12.6 miles hiking
Difficulty: Moderate (OTA)
Elevation gain: About 4,200 feet north to south (OTA)
Campsites: Dispersed on national forest land; campgrounds at Berryman, Hazel Creek, and (designated) Huzzah Conservation Area
Water: Courtois Creek and other creeks; treat all water
Permits: None found for dispersed camping on national forest land
Hazards: Courtois Creek ford; flooding; ticks
Trailheads: Onondaga (near Leasburg); Berryman area; Harmon Spring (4WD); Hazel Creek
Last verified: October 8, 2026

The Lowdown

Fording Courtois Creek on the Ozark Trail:

Hikers have reported Courtois Creek anywhere from mid-shin to chest-deep, and one turned back in December rather than cross again in subzero cold. Learn when to cross and when to wait.

See the water-crossing tips →

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.