Bluestem Knoll Trail
Lake of the Ozarks State Park Hiking, Mtn Biking & Equestrian Trails

Bluestem Knoll Trail

    The Basics
  • Type: Hiking
  • Length: ¾ mile Loop
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time: ½ hour - 1 hour
  • Requirements: None
    Description
  • This ¾ mile loop trail takes visitors thru the Bluestem Knoll Savanna, where tall grasses and scattered trees, once common in this part of the state when settlers first arrived, are being restored in an effort by the Missouri Dept of Natural Resources to bring back native landscapes. The trail also features a connector trail, allowing the main trail to be broken into one ½ mile loop. The main trail is marked with yellow blazes, while the connector trail is marked with white blazes.
    Additional Info
  • Camping: No
  • Water: No water on trail
  • Trail Head(s): Just north of trail info center
  • Trail Markings: Yellow Blazes
  • Pets Allowed:
  • Recommended Season:

Coakley Hollow Trail

    The Basics
  • Type: Hiking
  • Length: 1 mile Loop
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time: ½ hour - 1 hour
  • Requirements: None
    Description
  • Beginning and ending at the Ozark Caverns, this one mile interpretive trail provides visitors access to the Coakley Hollow Fen, a designated Missouri Natural Area. A boardwalk thru the natural area, as well as a natural glade, are highlights of the trail. Also along the trail is an old dam and mill site. A self-guided brochure is available at the Ozark Caverns visitor center and trailhead.
    Additional Info
  • Camping: No
  • Water: No water on trail
  • Trail Head(s): Ozark Caverns
  • Trail Markings:
  • Pets Allowed:
  • Recommended Season:

Fawn's Ridge Trail

    The Basics
  • Type: Hiking
  • Length: 2 miles Loop
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time: 1 - 2 hours
  • Requirements: None
    Description
  • The first ½ mile section of this trail is paved and is accessible to those with disabilities or families with strollers. Wildlife abounds along this trail, especially in the morning hours. Along the rest of the trail, visitors might just find deer bedded down in this area of the park near the trail, hence the trail's name.
  • For those wishing for a longer hike, this trail connects to the Lake View Bend Trail near the gatehouse trailhead.
    Additional Info
  • Camping: No
  • Water: No water on trail
  • Trail Head(s):
  • Trail Markings: Yellow Blazes
  • Pets Allowed:
  • Recommended Season:

Honey Run Trail

    The Basics
  • Type: Hiking
  • Length: 2½ miles Loop
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Time: 1½ - 3 hours
  • Requirements: None
    Description
  • Beginning near the service area between Ozark Caverns and McCubbins Point, this loop trail leads visitors in a counter-clockwise direction along the forested slopes above and into Honey Run valley. During peroids of rain, Honey Run valley drains water all the way down into Lake of the Ozarks.
    Additional Info
  • Camping: No
  • Water: No water on trail
  • Trail Head(s):
  • Trail Markings: Yellow Blazes
  • Pets Allowed:
  • Recommended Season:

Lake Trail

    The Basics
  • Type: Hiking
  • Length: 1 mile Loop
  • Difficulty: Easy - Moderate
  • Time: ½ hour - 1 hour
  • Requirements: None
    Description
  • This easy looped trail provides guests of the cabins a nearby, short trail with access along the shoreline of the lake. The trail then loops back accross the gravel road to the cabins.
    Additional Info
  • Camping: No
  • Water: No water on trail
  • Trail Head(s): near the Outpost Cabins
  • Trail Markings: Green Blazes
  • Pets Allowed:
  • Recommended Season:

Lake View Bend Trail

    The Basics
  • Type: Hiking
  • Length: 1½ miles Loop
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Time: 1 - 2 hours
  • Requirements: None
    Description
  • This 1½ mile loop trail begins near the campground gatehouse, and provides access to campgrounds 3 and 4, as well as the amphitheater and beach. The trail passes beneath towering cliffs along the lake's edge, which were carved long ago by Grand Glaize Creek. Although the soil around the trail may seem rocky and barren, during spring time, there is an abundance of wildflowers scattered amongst the rocks, especially from March through May. During the summer, the hot, dry, rocky ground is a mecca for reptiles, including lizards and snakes. Campers and anglers enjoy the access to the water, and many anglers find this section of the park great for fishing. If you wish to make the trail longer, there is a connection to the Fawn's Ridge Trail near the gatehouse.
    Additional Info
  • Camping: No
  • Water: No water on trail
  • Trail Head(s):
  • Trail Markings: Blue Blazes
  • Pets Allowed:
  • Recommended Season:

Rocky Top Trail

    The Basics
  • Type: Hiking
  • Length: 3 miles Double Loop
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Time: 1½ - 3 hours
  • Requirements: None
    Description
  • A moderate, double loop or figure eight configuration, this trail takes hikers along two different 1½ mile loops, each unique, but both a part of the Rocky Top Glade. The first loop will travel through savannas and dry wooded slopes along a cove of the lake. The second loop travels along and up a north facing slope to an overlook of the lake atop a high bluff. It then travels back along a ridge top, which are characteristic of the Ozark Highlands. Wildlife such as lizards, sparrows, and the occasional Missouri tarantula can be spotted along the trail.
    Additional Info
  • Camping: No
  • Water: No water on trail
  • Trail Head(s):
  • Trail Markings: Yellow Blazes
  • Pets Allowed:
  • Recommended Season:

Shady Ridge Trail

    The Basics
  • Type: Hiking
  • Length: 1 mile Loop
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Time: ½ hour - 1 hour
  • Requirements: None
    Description
  • This moderate looped trail passes along the shoreline of Lake of the Ozarks near a small glade, then accesses an old road which connects with a fishing access area. The trail also provides a connection between the Grand Glaize Beach area to the Pa He Tsi area of the park. Hikers can also take a shorter, ¾ mile loop, which travels accross a ridge top back to the trailhead.
    Additional Info
  • Camping: No
  • Water: No water on trail
  • Trail Head(s): Grand Glaize Beach boat launch
  • Trail Markings: Red Blazes
  • Pets Allowed:
  • Recommended Season:

Squaw's Revenge Trail

    The Basics
  • Type: Hiking, Equestrian
  • Length: 2 miles Loop
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Time: 1 - 2 hours
  • Requirements: None
    Description
  • Marked with green blazes along its clockwise direction, this 2 mile looped trail will take hikers and horseback riders through the forested hills surrounding the lake, and atop bluffs that hold impressive views of the Grand Glaize Arm of the lake. The trail also passes along the same path as an old Civil War supply road. The Confederate soldiers using the road were ambushed by Union soldiers, and were buried in a small family cemetery in Glaize Valley, which the trail now passes.
    Additional Info
  • Camping: No
  • Water: No water on trail
  • Trail Head(s): behind the Ozark Homestead Riding Stables
  • Trail Markings: Green Blazes
  • Pets Allowed:
  • Recommended Season:

Trail of Four Winds

    The Basics
  • Type: Hiking, Backpacking, Mtn Biking, Equestrian
  • Length: 13 miles Loop
  • Difficulty: Moderate - Strenuous
  • Time: 2 hours - Overnight
  • Requirements: None
    Description
  • Offering the most scenic, as well as rugged, landscapes in the entire park, the Trail of Four Winds is a 13 mile loop, with two connecting trails, allowing for shorter or longer hikes. The total of all trails, the main loop and connecting trails, equals 16½ miles. Hikers and Equestrian riders may even lengthen their path by using this trail to connect to the Squaw's Revenge Trail, marked in green blazes.
  • Many different landscapes of the park can be seen along this trail, including oak-hickory forested ridge tops, bottom land forests, savannas, glades, and open grasslands. Visitors will also view stunning vistas of the lake, rock formations, an old quarry, and an area called Grand Glaize Marsh. A wooden boardwalk and overlook provide additional views of the lake and valley below.
    Additional Info
  • Camping: Primitive camping for backpackers
  • Water: No water on trail
  • Trail Head(s): Hwy 134, 1.2 miles past trail info center
  • Trail Markings: Red Blazes
  • Pets Allowed:
  • Recommended Season:

Woodland Trail

    The Basics
  • Type: Hiking, Backpacking
  • Length: 6 miles Loop
  • Difficulty: Moderate - Strenuous
  • Time: 3 hours - Overnight
  • Requirements: None
    Description
  • This trail takes hikers through one of the most scenic parts of the park during the spring and fall seasons, Patterson Hollow. Early homestaders once dotted the valley, now you can see how nature is reclaiming the land once again. During the spring, colorful dogwood trees and bright flowers dot the hollow, while in the fall, the colors of the oak and hickory trees, mixed against the green of the cedar trees, makes a beautiful display on a warm autumn afternoon. The trail also passes through the Patterson Hollow Wild Area, a 1,200-acre protected area of land that forms part of the drainage for Patterson Creek, which the trail crosses several times. Turkey, deer, woodpeckers, hawks, and even green herons can be seen along this secluded trail. Marked in blue arrows, this loop trail travels in a counter-clockwise direction, and offers two connector trails, allowing for shorter two or four miles hikes.
    Additional Info
  • Camping: A designated campsite is available to backpackers along the trail, about 5 miles in
  • Water: A natural spring is located near the backpacking campsite
  • Trail Head(s): On Hwy 134, behind trail information cabin
  • Trail Markings: Blue Blazes
  • Pets Allowed:
  • Recommended Season: Spring, Fall