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Mark Twain National Forest
Ridge Runner Trail

The Ridge Runner National Recreation Trail is 22 miles long and connects two major recreation areas -Noblett Lake and North Fork.

Its southern part, from Blue Hole Trailhead to North Fork Campground (14 miles), is also a part of the Ozark Trail.

There are two loops as extensions to the main trail. At the north end, Noblett Lake Loop is 6 miles, along with another 2 miles on the Ridge Runner, a total of 8 miles around the lake. To the south, the North Fork Loop is 3 miles, plus 9 miles on the Ridge Runner, a total of 12 miles. Noblett Lake Loop: The loop starts at the picnic ground and runs into woods of sugar maple, shortleaf pine, and black and white oak. In some places red maple, sassafras and pawpaw trees can be found. Many wildflowers dot the rugged terrain. In May, there are the lavender-colored horsemint as well as spiderwort -some are purple and some are dark blue. Other plants with purple flowers are milkwort, four-leaf milkweed, and wild geranium. The white flowers include false solomon's seal and mayapple. Among other species, compass plant's yellow and fire pink's red contrast each other. Maidenhair fern, bloodroot, and liverleaf are also found on both sides of the trail. At one spot, three or four tall black oak trees are standing on slabs of rock outcrops which protrude into the air. Neither the rock nor the trees have much soil foundation. If one thinks these trees may fall to the ground anytime, a few fallen trunks nearby testify that the theory is true.

From the entrance to Noblett Creek, for a distance of about a mile, the trail is well defined by frequent use. The crystal clear water flowing knee-high in the creek is ice cold. Like many Ozark streams, flash flooding is possible after a rain. The trail then crosses an old woods road back into the dense forest, where sugar maple and pine trees are very large, some topping eighty feet in height. The trail crosses a couple smaller creeks near the Hellroaring Spring and heads westward before turning south. It gushes out from twin openings in the rocks on the right bank of the channel. It drops over a small ledge in a noisy, splashing fall that drains off into Noblett Lake, only about fifty yards away. Hellroaring Spring got its name in that the sound of its rushing flow from the hillside can carry for a considerable distance through the quiet woods. On the streambank, you can find a muscle tree or blue beech known for its very hard wood. Black raspberries indicate at one time this area was inhabited by people. This stretch of the trail overlooks the dam and the campground across the creek.


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[from Outside magazine]