Mark Twain National Forest · Missouri

Bell Mountain

8.1 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 056125 · trail class 3 · typical grade 10-12% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse

Trailhead Bell Mountain Wilderness Trailhead Drive there

Bell Mountain Ottery Creek Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

season January to December

This trailhead accesses the Taum Sauk section of the Ozark Trail (OT).

This section of the Ozark Trail connects the Fredericktown Unit with the Potosi Unit traversing two state parks---Johnson Shut-ins and Taum Sauk Mountain---and the Devil's Tollgate and Bell Mountain Wilderness.

When entering the wilderness from the Ottery Creek Trailhead a short, 2 mile trail will take you to an intersection for the Taum Sauk Ozark Trail section and the Bell Mountain trail. If you head south you will be on the Taum Sauk, if you go north on the 1 mile connector trail you will be on the Bell Mountain trail.

The trail can be challenging as it is rugged and rocky, you start at the base of a mountain and work your way up, so there is a lot of climbing.

We recommend you download a digital map or print a map before heading into the wilderness.

If starting from Ottery Creek the trail loop is 12 miles. If you start at the Bell Mountain North Trailhead it's around an 11.7 mile hike.

Equestrian users are encouraged to start their trip at Bell Mountain North Trailhead.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Bell Mountain Wilderness Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

season January to December

This trailhead provides access to the Bell Mountain Wilderness from the north side. It has a few parking spots, but no amenities. There is usually just enough room for a small horse trailer.

There are two other trailheads that access this Wilderness:

Lindsey Mountain Trailhead

Ottery Creek Trailhead (OT Taum Sauk section)

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Mark Twain National Forest

All 294 trails in Mark Twain National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.