Day 4 of my thru-hike of Missouri’s Ozark Trail and I’ve arrived at my first big question… Do I hike to Big Spring Campground, which is 5 miles off the trail, or do I pass by it, shaving a day off my total hike?

Hiking the Between the Rivers Section of the Ozark Trail is all about water planning. It’s Day 3 and I set out on the Between the Rivers Section hiking 15.4 miles from the 3152 Trailhead to Milligan Spring.

Day 2 of 18 of my Ozark Trail through hike in Missouri. I finish out the Eleven Point Section with a 14.5 mile hike from McCormack Lake to 3152 Trailhead. How much of the Eleven Point River did I actually see?

Day 1 of 18 of my Ozark Trail through hike in Missouri. My wife Abby dropped me off at the Eleven Point Terminus, or Western Trailhead of the Eleven Point Section, and I hike 19.5 miles to McCormack Lake Campground.

Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area is located in the heart of downtown Branson Missouri. Situated just north of Lake Taneycomo, the 140 acre park offers 5.3 miles of hiking trails that can be enjoyed by locals and visitors to Branson Missouri.

Table Rock State Park in Branson, Missouri bills itself as Branson’s Natural Getaway. I’m hiking the Red Trail which is a 2.9 mile loop hike in the White River Valley Trail System through out the Missouri State Park.

Designated a National Natural Landscape in 1974, the Trail Through Time in Pickle Springs Natural Area might be Missouri’s most scenic 2 mile hiking trail.

My trio of Kansas City hikes concludes with a trip to Fleming Park beside Lake Jacomo to hike the Rock Ledges Loop Trails, two trails that form a 3.1 mile hike atop and below a ledge of lovely rock formations.

I set out on one of the coldest winter days of the year to hike Rocky Falls to Klepzig Mill. Unfortunately I didn't complete the hike. I did however experience a frozen Rocky Falls, one of the best waterfalls in Missouri.