Mark Twain National Forest · Missouri

John J Audubon Trail

12 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 056146 · trail class 3 · typical grade 10-12% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

Trailheads John J. Audubon Bidwell Creek Trailhead Drive there · John J. Audubon East Trailhead Drive there · John J. Audubon Trail System and West Trailhead Drive there

John J. Audubon Bidwell Creek Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

season January to December

The John J. Audubon Trail is a 12-mile, circular, wilderness trail established as a memorial pilgrimage through the area which the great naturalist/artist visited on his wide-ranging bird collecting trips while living in Ste. Genevieve.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

John J. Audubon East Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

season Janaury to December

The John J. Audubon Trail is a 12-mile, circular, wilderness trail established as a memorial pilgrimage through the area which the great naturalist/artist visited on his wide-ranging bird collecting trips while living in Ste. Genevieve.

Directions: From St. Louis, take I-55 south to Hwy. 32 (2nd Ste. Gen. exit); go west, then south on Hwy B; follow Hwy B to WW and go east 5.7 miles to Bidwell Creek Road; follow this for 0.5 miles then turn right at the Coldwater Club, following this road 0.4 miles; turn left on FR 2199 and go 6.5 miles to Bidwell Creek ford.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

John J. Audubon Trail System and West Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

No fees · season January to December

This is a 12-mile, circular, wilderness trail established as a memorial pilgrimage through the area which the great naturalist/artist visited on his wide-ranging bird collecting trips while living in Ste. Genevieve.

Download a printable map . A GeoPDF map is available through the Avenza app

Restrictions Camp at least 100 feet from the trail, treat all water used, bury human waste and pack out all trash

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.