Ozark Trail: Packing, Planning and Resupply
Ozark Trail Thru Hike: Packing, Planning and Resupply
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Planning on thru-hiking Missouri’s Ozark Trail but don’t know where to start? Here’s the planning, packing and resupply system I used on my Ozark Trail Thru Hike. Everything I packed and carried in my backpack, and the resupply strategy I used while backpacking the Ozark Trail.
Planning
Planning for my Ozark Trail Thru Hike mostly consisted of looking at maps. The Ozark Trail Association (OTA) is a great resource for all things OT, particularly its Trip Planning page. They also provide detailed maps of all the sections of the trail, both large paper version and PDFs. I would cross-reference the OTA maps with maps on AllTrails to plan out my daily routes. The AllTrails community of users also has created a wealth of knowledge of each section of trail in the form of waypoints pinned on the maps.
My initial plan had me out on the trail for 24 days. I estimated that I could hike 12-15 miles per day, and planned stopping points at either water sources, campgrounds, or trailheads. What I would quickly come to learn is that I underestimated the amount of miles I would be able to cover in a day. Once out on the trail I was able to hike an average of 15-18 miles per day, a hiking pace of roughly 2.5-3 mph. I would arrive at my planned 12-mile stopping point around 2:30 PM and it just seemed silly to stop while I still had daylight. Might as well keep walking. Thankfully, due to all the time I spent looking at the maps, as well as the paper maps I had on-hand and the downloaded GPS maps from AllTrails I could navigate to suitable spot further along the trail.
In total I shaved 6 days off my Ozark Trail Thru Hike. Part of that was skipping some off-shoot excursion, a primary one being the five miles to Big Spring Campground. The thought of hiking five miles off trail and then five miles back too the trail was just too much for me while I was out there. I also was able to cover the 48-mile Courtois Section in two days as opposed to three. Yes, that’s two 25-mile days, which certainly surprised me. If you’re planning to thru-hike the Ozark Trail I would plan on completing each section in two days, so 15-mile days. I know that sounds like a lot, but you can do it.
Packing
The question everyone wants to know is, “how much did your pack weigh?” To be honest, I didn’t know before setting out. I’m decently good about being conscious of weight when I purchase gear so most of my gear items are on the lighter side. When it came to the thru-hike, I really just packed what I thought I needed and headed out. Oh and my pack weight… I weighed it after I returned and it came in at roughly 35 pounds.
Essential Gear
One thing I did do prior to hitting the trail was starting to wear my pack on my morning three mile walks around my neighborhood about a month-and-a-half before hitting the trail. This allowed my body to get used to the weight of the pack, even for just an hour, and it served as a great conversation starter with my neighbors who wanted to know where I was going.
Resupply
Resupplying on the Ozark Trail was the most tricky aspect of planning my thru-hike. Unlike more established thru-hike trails (Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, etc.) the Ozark Trail is relatively new and doesn’t directly go through any towns. Nor are there established resupply points along the trail.
The OTA does have a list of potential resupply businesses on its Thru Hiking page. Based on the route I had planned I zeroed in on The Landing Motel and Brushy Creek Lodge as potential places to mail myself resupply boxes. When I called both of these locations the nice people I spoke with on the phone informed me they did not do any sort of OT resupply. Honestly it didn’t seem like that had any real idea of what I was asking.
Recharging
The other big question was keeping batteries charged. Because I was planning on filming my entire thru hike (simply using my iPhone 14) I would need to be able to charge it over night. My phone also had the GPS maps and served as my communication with my wife - along side a Spot X GPS Tracker as a backup. I have three power banks that I brought with me giving an estimated 10 recharges on my phone. I’d still need to recharged those battery packs.
The best way to do that, I figured, was to book night at established campgrounds that had electric hook-ups (generally for a higher fee). The campgrounds I targeted were: Big Spring, Sutton Bluff, and Johnson’s Shut-Ins. All of these campgrounds do have charging, but I didn’t end up utilizing them because…
After learning I couldn’t mail myself resupply packages I had to pivot to Plan B: Have Support. Thankfully my lovely wife volunteered to drive down from St. Louis and meet me on the trail with a fresh resupply every five to six days. Being the wonderful person that she is, she rented AirBnBs for each night close to the trail and turned these resupplies into little mini vacations. It gave me a chance to shower, wash clothes, recharge batteries, sleep in a bed, and snack while spending time in parts of Missouri we wouldn’t otherwise visit. It was actually very lovely, and it make Abby feel like she was an active part of the trip - which she totally was!
Missouri’s Ozark Trail
The Ozark Trail contains over 430 miles of trail divided into 14 mostly connected sections throughout southeast Missouri. The established thru-hike covers eight of the connected sections and runs from Onondaga Cave State Park in Leasburg, roughly 84 miles southwest of St. Louis, to the Eleven Point Terminus near Thomasville, 23 miles north of the Arkansas border. Throw in the off-shoot Taum Sauk Section and you have nearly 300 miles of thru-hikeable trail.