Where most guidebook authors finish, Dufur is just getting warmed up…This book contains fun facts not even a history teacher would know... Chuck MacDonald, St. Louis Times

So gearheads and outdoor-types rejoice. Forget those midnight drives across Kansas to get to Colorado's Rockies. Forget about the Appalachian Trail and the Smokies. Flip some pages and find some adventure close to home, without losing valuable playtime or tankloads of gas. Missouri is blessed with some incredible single track and this book will show you where.

In this book, Missouri mountain biking is divided into different regions, based upon geography and the population centers around the state: St. Louis, Columbia, Kansas City, Springfield, Rolla and the southeast region which encompasses most of the Ozark Trail.

Quite simply, most of the good stuff is close to or south of the Missouri River. That's because when the glaciers retreated 10,000 to 2 million years ago, they flattened northern Missouri, and began to recede near where the Missouri River now flows. That left our central and southern hills and Ozarks full of all of those bumps, drops, zigs and zags we love to call home. No matter where you are, there is surely a gorgeous setting and a great workout nearby.

This book includes 60 MTB trails from around the state. I have exhaustively researched trails, interviewed trail gypsies, scrounged for maps and old documents and hounded Conservation and Department of Natural Resource officials hoping to get the definitive word on trails open to mountain bikers.

It has been a true education. In my quest, I worked with many administrative-types who thought mountain biking had something to do with motocross. Oftentimes, I would have to request information on equestrian trails instead of mountain biking trails, since an alarming number of people at area visitors centers and such don't understand exactly what mountain biking is. In fact, many of the trails that are open to MTB'ers are called Equestrian Trails. A few signs did include us, but we are by and large just beginning to work our way into mainstream society.

We are on the mere cusp of being understood by civilization at large. So much education remains to be done, as my questions invariably got some response confusing mountain biking to motocross or some other form of motorized endeavor. We have a long way to go.

The result of numerous smiles and spills culminates itself in this book, where I have highlighted what feels like a record of 60 MTB rides. This surpasses the scope of trails outlined in Steve Henry's 1993 edition of The Mountain Biker's Guide to the Ozarks, which offers 36 Missouri trails, and Brian Mais and Gary Barnett's 1995 guidebook entitled The Fatheads Guide to Mountain Biking Missouri, which highlights 35 trails.

This book has taken me to the best natural areas Missouri offers-and, oh my, there are quite a few. Basically, there are some prime off-road biking within easy reach of every metropolitan area in the state, as well as many choice daytrip and weekend getaways hidden deep within the Ozarks.

In addition to up-to-date information, great maps and reliable directions, there are a couple of articles included in this book for those rainy day armchair odysseys. If you only have time to read one, I recommend the article on page 20 about what to do when you meet up with an equestrian.

Take care out there and don't forget-always invite a friend-it's the best way to increase stewardship of our beautiful outdoors and besides, they'll probably buy you lunch!

The Ozark Trail is like the Katy Trail on steroids. Whereas the Katy Trail is flat, straight and takes you through the Missouri River Valley, the Ozark Trail is anything but flat and straight. It blends all of the things that make the Ozarks so unique and inviting: forested, green rolling hills out to the horizon, clear Ozark streams, exposed granite and limestone relief, glades, waterfalls, and utter seclusion. The constantly changing relief of steep southern creek drainages makes this the perfect place to ride and soak in how gorgeous southern Missouri can be.

Not all of the OZT sections are open to MTB, but who cares!?! The sections that are open offer several lifetimes of unforgettable single track. If I could find a place down there to plug in my lap top I'd never come home.

The trail is envisioned to someday extend from St. Louis through the scenic Ozarks to the Arkansas border where it will connect with the Arkansas Ozark Trail and proceed west to the Arkansas-Oklahoma border.

Help make this proposal a reality by volunteering to do trail maintenance, construction, by supporting the agencies involved in trail management or by making monetary contributions specifically earmarked for Ozark Trail development.

Additional Thoughts: The official Ozark Trail marker is a white 4 x 6 inch rectangle with a green symbol. Two tilted markers placed one above the other warn of an abrupt turn in the trail in the direction of the tilt. Painted blazes are also used to identify the route. Always carry a map and compass.

Land Status: The development of the Ozark Trail is an ambitious project that has been undertaken by the members of the Ozark Trail Council, which includes state and federal land-managing agencies, trail groups and landowners.

Maps: Most of these OZT sections are highlighted in various free DNR brochures, including topos and highways. If you just have to spend money to make it feel like vacation, you can also order the various USGS maps detailed on each of the following trail sections.

Contact Info: If you would like more specific information on this trail, write to the Ozark Trail Coordinator c/o the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, MO 65102, or call 1 (800) 334-6946.

Since this is a multi-agency effort, below is a comprehensive list of agencies that develop and maintain different portions of the Ozark Trail.

Side Trip-Glade Top Trail

When you're ready to take a break from mountain biking, but not the scenery, check out the Glade Top Trail-Missouri's only National Scenic Byway.

This 23-mile gravel road (Forest Road 127) weaves though narrow ridgetops above the surrounding countryside. Travelers are treated to numerous views from the Springfield Plateau to the north and the St. Francis and Boston Mountains to the south.

The drive is accessible from Ava by taking Hwy 5 south to Hwy A and Douglas County Road A-409. From the south, take Hwy 95 just north of Longrun, or from Hwy 125 about four miles north of the intersection with U.S. Hwy 160.

The trail has hardly changed since CCC workers built the two-lane gravel road in the late 1930s. Local residents have long celebrated the brilliant red/orange fall foliage of the area by sponsoring the "Flaming Fall Review" each year in mid-October, with a barbecue and music festival.

A Spring Flowering Tour is also sponsored annually. This tour highlights the dogwood, serviceberry, redbud, and wild fruit trees along the National Forest Scenic Byway.

Year-round, abundant wildlife, such as white-tailed deer, wild turkey, quail, squirrels, rabbits and numerous songbirds are prevalent within this part of the Forest. The glades are also home for wildlife not often encountered in the Ozarks, such as the roadrunner, collared lizard, pygmy rattlesnake, scorpion, and the Bachman's Sparrow-an endangered species.