Hiking is pretty much one of the simplest and most rewarding outdoor recreation activities you can try. All you need is your feet and a place to go. You can hike for the pure joy of feeling your body move and exercise as you climb hills and wander the trails of the Ozarks. Or you can hike while you enjoy other activities like photography or birdwatching. The Ozarks are filled with wonderful places to explore and miles and miles of trails. You can find every kind of trail from a gentle stroll along a winding creek to intense and difficult climbs that challenge even the most fit among us.

Places to Go Hiking

There are thousands of places where you can hike on public land in the Ozarks. We are building a hiking directory with information on as many as we can. Click through to our directory to see what we’ve got so far. We’re sure you’ll find some new places to explore.
read more

Posts on Hiking

Read our posts describing places we’ve hiked and discussing the technique, the lifestyle, and the joys of hiking in the Ozarks.
read more

Hiking Gear

Though no gear is actually required for hiking, there are some items that can make your hike more enjoyable. Explore our Hiking Gear section to see what gear we recommend for hiking in the Ozarks.
read more

Hiking Resources

In the Ozarks, we have much public land that is available for recreation. Each of those properties is managed by a government agency, some local, some state, and some federal. Here are some of the agencies which own and manage our public lands in the Ozarks.
read more

Hiking Maps

We’ve found the official trail guides and brochures are sometimes out of date. We are producing our own maps from the GPS data collected as we are hiking and backpacking. As time allows we’re creating new maps and adding them here. KMZ files are included for download, so that you can view them in Google Earth or on your GPS if it accepts KMZ files. The files also include full USGS topo maps.
read more