Location: Reynold and Shannon Counties in Missouri runing north/south about 15 miles west of Centerville and Ellington, MO

Distance: 26.5-miles with the North entry point at the Junction of Hwy 72 and Hwy P in Reynolds County and the south ending point at Owl's Bend, Hwy 106 Bridge, in Shannon County, within the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

Water: Water is available in Blair Creek year around and from several other creeks that the trail crosses. Water from any streams must be treated but water availability should not be a problem anytime of the year.

Parking: Overnight parking is available at three locations: At the Junction of Hwy 72 and Hwy P on the north end; At the 6-mile trail point off Forest Road 2220 and at the picnic area at Owl's Bend at the south terminus.

Comments - Danny:I backpacked the north half of this section on Monday afternoon, 14 October 02. I was delayed getting out of town so we didn't actually hit the trail until 2PM from the 6 mile parking lot and landed at Harper Spring, 9 miles down the trail, about 6:30PM just as it was getting dark. The first part of the trail to at least a mile+ south of the Raised Fen Natural Area has been re-roughed out with the trail dozer and it was terrible walking in the soft dirt and boulders/rocks. This area is going to wash out and get in bad shape unless it is worked on very soon. Fortunately for us it was dry or we would have had a very rough time trying to hike though it. After passing through Barton Hollow past the waterfall and getting back up on the ridge at the gravel road we met up with 1/2 of the Hostelling International group. They had 1/2 their group going north from Owl's Bend (the group we met) and the other 1/2 going south from the 6-mile parking lot (a day ahead of us). They had switched over to this OT section due to the tornado damage on the Victory Section and were headed to the Wappapello Section next. The group we met were just getting back on the trail as they had lost the trail and followed an old road/trail up to the gravel road and then took the gravel road on north to the next trail crossing. I think they must have lost it at a down tree on the trail at the old logging road - easy to do as the signs were hard to see there and going around the tree to the north took you right onto the old road if you weren't watching for the trail. From here we went down into Laxton Hollow - plenty of water in this hollow too although the trail takes the high road on the east side of the hollow and ends up on the ridge top before dropping off where Laxton Hollow Creek enters Blair Creek. Here you cross the Laxton Hollow Creek and pass an old cellar built into the hill side before heading on down Blair Creek. The trail through here was pretty brushy and was hard to find in some spots as we approached within a mile of Harper Spring and the trail skimmed the bottom of a bluff right along the creek. Debris, brush/down trees hid the trail signs in a couple of areas so we had to search for the trail. As the Blair Creek valley widened out we were hiking through brush again that had a path cut with a brush hog but it needed to be cut down again. We finally arrived at Harper Spring and there was one male camper there already so we moved on across Lime Creek and found a relatively flat spot under some trees to camp for the night. With all the brush in this bottom it is difficult to get over to Blair Creek itself. We took water out of Lime Creek which also has a spring about a mile upstream. There is an old Spring House at Harper Spring but it is ponded in. It appeared to me that Beavers may have originally built a dam downstream of the spring house and it probably silted in creating a permanent pond. We didn't see any current Beaver tree cuttings but did see plenty of old ones. The spring house has a few feet of water in it. We didn't see any good campsites in this area at all and the guy camping there was essentially camped in the road as the brush was just too high. The spot we picked south of Lime Creek worked out good though - just enough room for a couple of tents. It was a beautiful night full of stars and a 1/2 moon but very, very damp.

We left Harper Spring about 9:30 Tuesday morning 15 October 02. We had both heard deer running through the camp that night and heard them snorting too, among other critters that we heard. We would have left earlier but the dew was very heavy so we waited for the sun to pop over the ridge to dry out Terry's tent fly plus we wanted to take some pictures around the spring area and spent some time chatting with the male camper that was camped there. The trail continues on south along the west bank for about 2-1/2 miles but well off the creek bed for the most part, either up on the bluff above the creek or separated by brushy bottom areas. With the canopy that was still out it was difficult to catch a good look at Blair Creek but it has plenty of water flowing down it and we did find one good spot for pictures where we could see up the creek. Walking down the creek would probably be fun too. Eventually you cross over to the east bank at a pretty wide area of the creek. A gravel road also crosses here and we took a long break and cooled off our feet in the creek. This would be a very difficult crossing with high water. From this crossing the trail follows south down the dirt/gravel road for a little over a mile to Holmes Hollow where you turn SE into Holmes Hollow. There is a cemetary off to the east side of the trail/road just before getting to Holmes Hollow. About a 1/4 mile or less back into Holmes Hollow the trail goes over the top of a cave opening that isn't marked on the map (USFS brochure) but it seems to be known locally as we could tell from the tramped use of the area and some of the trash around the mouth of the cave. After going up Holmes Hollow a 1/2 mile the trail turns almost due south and goes straight up the hill without any switchbacks, quite a climb with your backpack. The 20-mile point is at the top of the hill. From the top though, it is downhill, more or less, for the next mile+ with Little Blair Creek at the bottom. As we crossed Little Blair Creek there was a rock fire ring and an established campsite. The only established campsite that we had seen since we started at mile six. After the creek crossing the trail heads straight up the hill again - another steep climb without any switchbacks. As you near the road on top of the ridge you leave the Pioneer Forest and then the trail follows an old road on top the ridge until it drops off into Pogue Hollow. The old trail through the forest here was very pretty. The trail then on over to the bluffs at Owls' Bend was non-descrip but an easy trail to finish up on for the most part. You come out on the north point of Owl's Bend with a spectacular view of the Current River Valley. It reminded me very much of the view on the Meramec that you get from the top of Green's Cave Bluff upstream from Meramec State Park about 2 miles. There was another established campsite at this overview - would be a great place to camp and watch the sunrise and only a couple of miles from the parking lot at Owl's Bend. We hiked on to Owl's Bend from here, arriving about 4:30 or so. The map doesn't really tell you how to get back over to the parking lot without walking the road but we found a sign on the south side of the road marked service road only, a grassy road, that we decided to try and it took us right down behind the visitor center and save over a mile of hiking along side the road to get back to our vehicle. We camped at Owl's Bend Tuesday night after retreiving the other vehicle from the mile-6 parking lot. There was only one other person in the campground that night. We were up before sunrise on Wednesday morning and the dew was again very heavy. The temperature kept dropping after we arose and eventually it started freezing on our cars but didn't last long once the sun popped over the horizon. We ate breakfast, packed up and were ready to day hike on the Current River Section.

Comments - Robert Smith: Notes from Robert Smith, undated: I have hiked the Blair Creek section. I only did it once, and I went from north to south. Overall, it is a fairly nice section, but the first six miles are the pits. Most of that portion takes you very close to homes, and nearly all of the county's dogs come out to meet you. There is also a portion (I think it is from mile 3 to mile 6) where you walk on an abandoned railroad. The ties have been removed, but the indentations from the ties are still there, and you need to match your step accordingly. It gets pretty tiresome. In short, unless one needs to "collect" the entire section of the trail, the best bet would be to park at the trailhead at mile 6. Water is not much of a problem. There are a few dry miles, but I had no difficulty finding plenty of sources. I camped near mile 15, which is in a valley. If I remember correctly, there was an old springhouse there. This is a particularly nice hike if you are interested in the colorful history of the area. There are some ruins, and there is an old church out there, which seems to still be in use. There was also a large cave (huge entrance), which appears to have been used by locals, possibly for church services. Naturally, there is the usual amount of beer cans, but nobody bothered me throughout the trip. The last few miles, just north of Owls Bend, have some really nice vistas. Unfortunately, when I went, that part of the trip was spoiled by a driving rain, so I didn't get to see much. Overall, I don't think anyone would have a problem with water, and it was not particularly difficult. It has some nice views. Just be aware of those first six miles. Parking at Bunker has been safe for me. I have left my truck there twice without incident (except that someone threw a beercan in the back one time). Parking at Owls Bend is more secure than most places and has the added advantage of a latrine and camping area. There is also a very nice fen at about mile 10. When I was there, there were a few interpretative signs, which explained the whole fen thing.

Maps: The Blair Creek Section Ozark Trail Map/Brochure that is available from the US Forest Service and the Ozark Trail Coordinator. The map/brochure is very adequate for this trip.