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Trails / Missouri / Ozark Trail

Ozark Trail: Trace Creek Section

Mark Twain National Forest, Potosi/Fredericktown Ranger District (Washington and Iron counties)

The Trace Creek Section is one of the oldest parts of the Ozark Trail. The Ozark Trail Association (OTA) says its northern 18 miles were built in 1968 and the last six miles were added in 1983. It runs about 26 miles southwest of Potosi, from Hazel Creek past Council Bluff Lake to Highway A, where it meets the Taum Sauk Section.

Partway along, the trail forks: one branch continues on Trace Creek toward Taum Sauk, and the other heads to the Middle Fork Section.

The hike

The Forest Service describes the route as running south from Hazel Creek, “crossing hollows, ridgetops, small streams, and several highways.” The trail passes Council Bluff, and a few miles later it forks. The southeast branch keeps the Trace Creek name for several miles before reaching the Taum Sauk Section at Highway A; the southwest branch leads to the Highway DD trailhead and the Middle Fork Section.

Visit Missouri puts Council Bluff Recreation Area at about mile 15, with a lake and a 12-mile loop around it. The OTA says a spur near the section’s midpoint connects to that loop and that you can also join it at Telleck Branch, so Council Bluff makes an easy side trip.

The OTA rates the section moderate, and its condition notes report the trail north of Highway 32 in “very good shape,” with some downed trees south of Highway C and a few more south of the Middle Fork connector. The section is open to hikers, bikes, and horses.

Hiking Project lists the trail at 26.8 miles, with far more climbing than the OTA’s figures suggest. One 2023 check-in there describes “lots of up and downs” with “pretty steep pitches in a few places,” and calls the creek valleys “delightful” even if the views don’t match the southern sections. A 2020 check-in warns that the Hazel Creek crossing is hard and suggests looking for the second crossing, and mentions seeing wild boars near miles 11 to 13.

A hiker writing on Callie Hikes walked the northern 18 or so miles over a late-May weekend in 2025, starting from the Highway DD/32 trailhead and ending at Hazel Creek Campground. She reports flowing creeks and several deep crossings, waist-high weeds in places, and heavy tick pressure: “There are ticks everywhere. That is not an understatement.”

To the north, the trail continues as the Courtois Section; to the south, the Taum Sauk Section and the Middle Fork Section.

Tips

Camping

The Forest Service allows dispersed camping along the trail, at least 100 feet from it, with no toilets, structures, trash cans, treated water, or fire grates. Bury human waste and pack out all trash. The OTA lists Hazel Creek as a campground on this section, and Council Bluff Recreation Area is reached by a spur.

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

Inside Intel: No camper accounts recommending a specific site on this section were found. The Callie Hikes trip report describes camping at unnamed spots near flowing creeks.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Cool nights in the Trace Creek hollows:

Cold air pools in the creek valleys between Hazel Creek and Highway A, so a warm bag earns its weight on spring and fall trips. See which sleeping bags testers rate.

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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.