Kaintuck OHV Area

The Berryman Trail OHV Area is one of the most celebrated off-highway vehicle and mountain bike trail systems in the Mark Twain National Forest, located in the St. Francois Ranger District in Washington County at the heart of Missouri's St. Francois Mountains — the oldest exposed rocks in Missouri, Precambrian granite and rhyolite knobs rising above the surrounding Ozark Plateau in a cluster of rocky, forested hills that geologists call the Missouri Rhineland for the granitic outcrops that give the landscape its European character. The Berryman Trail itself is a 24-mile loop trail originally built for equestrian and foot travel and now designated for OHV use, threading through the St. Francois Mountain terrain between Berryman and Brazil Creek campgrounds on a route that has become a benchmark Ozark trail destination — the granite and rhyolite substrate producing the rocky, rooted trail character that distinguishes St. Francois Mountain riding from the chert and dolomite terrain of the Springfield Plateau to the west. The St. Francois Mountains are geologically ancient and topographically distinct from the rest of the Missouri Ozarks: the Precambrian igneous cores of the mountains are exposed as the resistant summits of Buford Mountain, Taum Sauk Mountain (the highest point in Missouri at 1,772 feet), Proffit Mountain, and the rounded knobs of the Shut-Ins country where the Black River cuts through the igneous rock in the shut-in gorges that define Missouri's most dramatic river scenery. ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, and mountain bikes on designated routes; Mark Twain NF permit required. Potosi/Fredericktown Ranger District (573-438-5427) manages trail conditions and the Berryman OHV permit system.

The Big Piney Ranger District of the Mark Twain National Forest manages OHV trails in the north-central Missouri Ozarks of Pulaski, Texas, and Phelps counties — the rolling forested plateau country around Waynesville and the Big Piney River corridor that forms a distinct northern Ozark riding zone, positioned between the St. Francois Mountains district (Berryman Trail, Washington County) to the east and the Ava/Cassville districts of the deeper southern Missouri Ozarks to the south. The Big Piney River is one of Missouri's designated Ozark National Scenic Riverways tributaries — a clear-water Ozark stream that drains the Big Piney plateau through the forested Springfield-to-Salem Plateau transition zone before joining the Gasconade River to the north. The OHV trail network follows designated routes through the Mark Twain NF's Pulaski County blocks, threading through the shortleaf pine and mixed-hardwood forest on the plateau terrain above the Big Piney and its tributaries. Pulaski County is home to Fort Leonard Wood, the Army training installation whose surrounding national forest buffer creates the large undeveloped forest block that the Big Piney OHV system occupies — the military reservation and the national forest together form one of the largest contiguous forested areas in Missouri outside the Mark Twain NF's southern districts. The terrain is classic Missouri Ozark plateau: chert-covered uplands under open shortleaf pine and scarlet oak, the rocky creek bottoms dropping to clear-water tributaries of the Big Piney, and the cedar glades on the drier south-facing slopes. Mark Twain NF permit required. Big Piney Ranger District at Waynesville (573-774-5711) manages current trail conditions and seasonal closures.

Chadwick Motorized Trails is the primary OHV riding area in the Mark Twain National Forest — nearly 80 miles of interconnected trail winding through 12 square miles of Ozark ridge tops, forested hollows, and rocky creek drainages in Christian County, approximately 20 miles south of Branson and 35 miles southeast of Springfield. The Ozark topography gives Chadwick a trail character distinct from the flat-terrain parks of the northern plains: trails climb from creek-bottom hardwood hollows to ridge-top viewpoints, cross multiple seasonal stream crossings, and traverse some of the most rugged and biologically diverse forest in Missouri. ATVs, UTVs, and motorcycles up to 50 inches wide are permitted on the marked trail system. A dedicated 3-acre family play area and 5-acre observed trials zone serve those wanting structured challenge rather than trail riding. A National Forest OHV permit is required; permits are available at the Ava/Cassville/Willow Springs Ranger District office or self-issued at the trailhead. The primary Chadwick trailhead off US-160 has parking and basic facilities. Primitive camping is available at several established sites within the riding area. Contact the Cassville Ranger District (417-847-2144) for current conditions and any seasonal closures.

The Eleven Point Ranger District of the Mark Twain National Forest manages OHV trails in the deepest Ozark country of southern Missouri — Oregon County, the least populated county in Missouri, where the Ozark Plateau's dissected tableland is at its most remote and the hollows, springs, and Current River and Eleven Point River corridors define a landscape that has changed less than any other part of Missouri since the 19th century. The Eleven Point River gives the district its name — the river is federally designated as a National Wild and Scenic River for its crystal-clear spring-fed character, and the OHV trails operate in the national forest land adjacent to (but outside) the river's protected corridor. The trail network follows the ridge-top terrain between the Eleven Point and Current River drainages through the heart of the Oregon Plateau, the elevated forested tableland that forms the core of Missouri's Ozark backcountry. Terrain is quintessential Missouri Ozarks: chert-covered ridge tops under open shortleaf pine and scarlet oak; the forested hollows dropping to clear-water spring-fed streams; the characteristic dolomite and chert substrate that produces the glassy Ozark spring water; and the occasional cedar glade opening on the drier south-facing slopes. The Eleven Point area is physically separated from the district's western neighbors (Chadwick and Sutton Bluff) by 50+ miles of Ozark backcountry, making it a genuinely distinct OHV destination serving the Poplar Bluff, Cape Girardeau, and West Plains markets rather than the Branson or Springfield riders who use Chadwick. ATVs, UTVs, and off-highway motorcycles on designated routes; Mark Twain NF permit required. Eleven Point Ranger District at Winona (573-325-4233) manages current trail status.