Type of Use: Foot
Length/Rating: 0.5-Mile Loop/Moderate
Other Recreation Activities: Fishing, boating, birdwatching, sightseeing, photography, picnicking, mushroom/berry picking. Hunting is allowed in season.
Nearby Facilities: Little Scotia Recreation Area, Big Scotia Rec-
reation Area, Loggers Lake Recreation Area, Sutton Bluff Recreation Area, Bell Mountain Wilderness.
Also nearby: Ozark Trail, Indian Trail State Forest, Taum Sauk State Park, Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, Montauk State Park, Deer Run State Forest, Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
The great blue heron reluctantly moves to the left bank when human intruders are on this trail. Then it takes another long leap, with wings flapping and legs stretching, back to its territory near the swamp. At the same time a swallow circles in the center of the pond with shallow and rapid wingbeats. Sometimes it dips to the water surface, carving a few ripples. A blue dragonfly makes unexpected turns among the reedy marsh plants, hunting for mosquitoes. It, in turn, could be a delicious brunch for a bird.
Birdwatchers and other visitors to Huzzah Ponds can park their vehicles at the picnic area or at the boat launch on the opposite side. A trail along the shore connects the two areas, encircling the main pond. Another pond is located to the northwest. A short distance from the boat launch there is a walk-in picnic site under a majestic white oak, whose leaves provide much needed shade for a boater on a hot summer day. Largemouth bass, bluegill, and channel catfish are in stock here. The trail may be extended in the future; a shelter, a fishing pier, and a boardwalk are also in the plans.
A grove of pine trees separates the day-use area from Highway 32. It is occupied by many boisterous songbirds. Across the spillway is a woodland with black, white, post, and blackjack oak, sassafras, and black cherry. Among the variety of spring wildflowers found here are purple wood sorrel, wood vetch, and violet, each a different shade of purple or blue. The white ones include anemone, spring beauty, and pussy-toes. In the open areas, you can find hoary puccoon, used as a dye plant by Native Americans. Missouri's State flower (hawthorn) and the State tree (flowering dogwood) are both present here.
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