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Celebrate the Ozarks


Enjoy the unique beauty of Missouri's Ozarks karsts, glades, and beautiful springs.

Find Your Next Adventure

The Forest is waiting, come explore!

Mark Twain National Forest has a wide range of popular recreation opportunities. The forest has over 750 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and motorized use. 

Sections of the Ozark Trail wind through the forest. More than 350 miles of perennial streams, suitable for floating canoeing and kayaking, meander through its canopied expanses. Our campgrounds offer visitors a variety of forest experiences, including semi-primitive and wilderness camping for solitude.

Forest Reflections

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a toilet on a crane being put into place at Caney Day Use

Mark Twain National Forest had a fantastic year in 2024, with unique recreation opportunities like the eclipse, to big restoration and cleanup events, and many natural resource education events.  See some of the highlights in our annual accomplishment report.

Read the Annual Report

Recreation Opportunities

compass sitting on moss
Mark Twain National Forest has every type of hiking adventure you could think of. Staying at a campground and want a short, keep the kids busy hike?…
row of ATVs lined up at a trailhead
Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) riding is a great way to enjoy your national forest.  But to do it right and prevent natural resource damage,  OHV riders…
a red and a yellow kayak next to a river
These are links to check on stream flow and flooding forecast for the Mark Twain National Forest. NOAA Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service,…
View All Opportunities

Passes and Permits

People on orange ATVs

Maps and Guides

screenshot of a topographic map

Safety and Ethics

the leave no trace logo

Timber Sales

cut timber

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project

CFLR