The Ozark Trail Association is a grass-roots non-profit volunteer group dedicated to the construction, maintenance and promotion of the Ozark Trail. We were incorporated in December, 2002.

We provide volunteer resources to Ozark Trail land managers to build new trail, repair and maintain existing trail, and promote awareness and use of the trail. We hold training workshops, schedule work events, monitor trail conditions, manage the Adopt-A-Trail program assist in trail planning. We also run this website as means of publicizing the Ozark Trail and providing the public with much-needed trail information and maps.

The Ozark Trail is nearly 400 miles of trail that winds through the Missouri Ozarks, the result of an idea conceived in 1977 to run a trail from St. Louis to the Arkansas border and eventually connect with the Ozark Highlands Trail in Arkansas to create a 700-mile thru-trail. Much of the trail is open to bicycle and equestrian traffic, and the entire trail is open for hiking.

The Ozark Trail Council. Its purpose is to promote the Ozark Trail; to establish guidelines for its construction, maintenance, marking, and mapping; to publicize the trail; and generally to provide an organizational framework within which all matters relating to the Ozark Trail in Missouri can be discussed and resolved. Landowners, land managers, and trail users are all represented on the Council. Key members include: Mark Twain National Forest, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Pioneer Forest, the Sierra Club, the Ozark Society, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, and the Conservation Federation of Missouri.

The Ozark Trail Council collectively determine the general route, while individual land stewards are responsible for specific section layout and construction.

We’re a volunteer group which leads the OTC, but the purpose of the council is to provide representation for land stewards and various trail users. We provide the OTC land stewards with volunteer resources to build and maintain trail.

A portion of the membership dues is spent on member patches, brochures, printing and mailing.  The remainder is spent on trail construction, maintenance and promotion, less small administration costs.

Yes. Contact our Adopt-A-Trail Coordinator for more information.

None. Just show up at an outing or event! You’ll be productive from the start, and gain experience as you go. If you like, you can attend one of our trail workshops.

Yes! We encourage family participation. Be aware that some areas require pets to be on leashes. A guardian must accompany anyone under the age of 18.

Trail crew training will be held periodically across the Ozark region as needed. We are also working with the Forest Service to have chainsaw certification training in Rolla or Potosi. Our St. Louis training is held in at Powder Valley and Kirkwood Parks. We’re working with groups in West Plains and Poplar Bluff to hold training workshops in those areas. Visit the Events page for current events.

Not all the work is strenuous.  If you’re comfortable walking with a pair of loppers pruning small limbs, we can use your help! We’ve have several people over the age of 70 working on the trail.

File a report.

Each land steward sets the rules for trail use on their property. A land manager may restrict horse and bike traffic due to fragile land issues, existing agency regulations or some other reason. Restrictions are not determined by the OTC or the OTA; please contact the individual land steward for more information.

It depends largely on volunteers like you helping to build and maintain the trail. It will also depend on obtaining easements or land purchases where the proposed trail corridor falls outside publicly owned lands. The Ozark Trail Association is not involved in land purchases, nor do we determine the overall trail corridor (this is the job of the Ozark Trail Council).

There is no connection between Walmart’s Ozark Trail-branded products and Missouri’s Ozark Trail. The Ozark Trail trail system was in place prior to Walmart’s use of this brand name. If you have a question about a product Walmart sells under this brand, contact the store where you purchased it.

Yes. We received IRS “501(c)(3)” status in 2004, so all donations are tax deductible.

Ozark Trail Association
406 W. High St.
Potosi, MO 63664
(573) 436-0540