I have walked, hiked and ridden along scenic routes in Missouri, but usually a trail is a bit of an effort to get to a vista and then it’s all worth it (usually). Recently, I toured the Glade Top Trail in southern Missouri, closest to Ava. This trail is best viewed by vehicle, although there are several places to stop and take in the striking vistas.
On a hot August day, we set out to Glade Top Trail. Not only due to the heat, and me not being excited for rugged, long hikes, this was such an enjoyable trail from the passenger seat, with AC blowing, and occasional stops to enjoy the views, of which they were nonstop. Glade Top is a 23 mile gravel road trail that offers long-distanced, scenic views on a clear day. A cool feature of this trail is that as it is at the top of ridges, views are in both directions.
The trail is a two lane road maintained by the U.S. Forest Service. Much like many of the Missouri Conservation areas I have visited, amenities are scarce and along with getting miles away from people and into nature, cellphones don’t always work. The exception to the isolation is occasionally, there are random private properties with houses off the trail. I was envious of their deep woods living, but also wondered how easy it was to get in and out of their paradise in inclement weather.
Bring snacks as even driving through will take a bit, in our case, a few hours including brief stops. There are a few campsites and picnic areas. I expected to run into other sightseers along the national byway, but the only people we saw were in a pair of side-by-sides, which seemed like the only better way to visit, weather permitting.
Since moving to Missouri, and taking up residence in the countryside, I have thoroughly enjoyed the seemingly planned show of wildflowers in steady rotation. From March with delicate smaller wildflowers popping up here and there, out from under logs, to April with dogwoods and mayapples to a June of black-eyed Susans, cone flowers and echinacea. I have watched wildflowers rise up and fade back like orchestral movements.
This August day boasted mostly varying shades of green, from trees, plants and shrubs, to fields and valleys. I did see chickory flowers, black-eyed Susans and little yellow flowers. One of our stops had large, black butterflies peacefully flitting from flower to flower in a field overlooking mountains in the distance.
Park signs announced that cutbacks affected the ability to maintain the trail to its ideal state, but the gravel roads were in great shape and trimmed back, and the pullover areas were neat. Glade Top Trail is a fun way to see near-aerial views of Southern Missouri, including part of the Mark Twain National Forest and a rich biodiversity of forest life.