The trails at Hercules Glades have been re-named (2018), so we’ve switched out the map and links to ones that show the new trail names. We’ve got a load of GPS data giving fire ring locations and other points of interest: springs, stock ponds, old buildings etc… which we’ll be publishing at some point.
Link: Downloadable / printable version.
Official Websites and Brochures for Hercules Glades
Brochure: Welcome to Hercules Glades Wilderness (pdf)
Website: USDA: Hercules Glades Wilderness
Hercules Glades — Revised Trail Names
| Old Trail Name | New Trail Name |
| Blair Ridge | Blair Ridge |
| Cedar | Middle |
| Coy Bald | Coy Bald |
| Devil’s Den | Lower Pilot |
| Glades / Devil’s Den East | Upper Pilot |
| Long Creek | Long Creek – but it takes an extended route along what was Rock Spring Trail |
| Pees Hollow | Pees Hollow |
| Pilot | Tower |
| Rock Spring | Long Creek |
Hercules Glades Trails – GPS Tracks
Pees Hollow
Beaver Creek Bluffs
This trip requires a lot of bushwhacking — there are no trails to the bluffs.
Getting to the Coy Bald Trailhead – Hercules Glades Wilderness from Highway 65 (Springfield & Branson)
Hercules Glades can is easily accessible from both Springfield and Branson Missouri, by taking Highway 65. From Highway 65 take Highway 160 east through Forsyth. Stop and enjoy some of the very nice views of Lake Taneycomo along the way. The Coy Bald trailhead is on Cross Timber Road, 19.4 miles along Highway 160 from Highway 65. The unpaved road can get rough, so check your ground clearance. At our last visit the road had been recently regraded and the road was fairly easy going after the first couple of turns.
View Route to Hercules Glades Wilderness Coy Bald Trailhead from Hwy 65 in a larger map
Traveling East on Highway 160, Cross Timber Road which leads to the Hercules Glades Wilderness Coy Bald Trailhead. You can see it on Google Street View below.
The paved road ends at a ford. Do check the depth before crossing and remember that a sudden storm may trap you on the wrong side of the ford.
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Some 30 years ago about five of us would hike in about 5 miles to devils den we did that for about 10 yrs in a row until members of our group started dieing off. It just didn’t feel the same any more after that. Thank the Lord that we never killed a deer in there I have no idea how we would have got one out of there. But we had lots of good times and made some awesome memories.
A friend found the (very old) remains of a still way up in Devil’s Den. I suspect that still might have been the source of Devil’s Den’s name.