Kaintuck Hollow Trail
Mark Twain National Forest
Copyright 2006-2007 Missouri Trailblazing.com.  All Rights Reserved
Location:
Phelps County

Trail Manager:
Mark Twain National Forest
104 Hwy 63 South
Houston,  MO  65483

Phone:
417-967-4194

Website:
www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/marktwain/recreation/hiking
Directions:  
From Rolla, take I-44 west 5 miles to the Doolittle Hwy T Exit.  Drive south 2.6 miles,
passing Doolittle and coming into Newburg.  (Newburg Police strictly enforce speed limits.)  
The street turns into Main and at the end, the road curves sharply left and the name changes
to East Main .  Go 1 block, the road curves sharply to the right and the name changes to
Water Street .  Cross over the railroad tracks and the Piney River .  After .3 miles the road
turns into Hwy T and you come to Hwy P.  Turn right at Hwy P and go 2.8 miles to County
Road 7550, turn left.  There is a Mark Twain sign here.  Drive 2.1 miles to county road
1576 and turn left again, just past the Mill Creek Recreation Area.  Cross bridge, drive 1.1
miles and turn right into the parking lot.

GPS Co-ordinates:
Camping and Trailhead Lot:  N37. 51640, W-91. 55297

Trailer Parking:
Ample

Trail Maps:
Simple Colored Map
www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/marktwain/recreation/sites/kaintuck_hollow/Kaintuck_Trail_flyer.pdf

Miles of Trails:
21 miles in multiple loops.

Season:
Year-round.
*Caution:  Open to hunters during hunting seasons.

Fees:
No Camping or day use fees.

Equestrian Camping:
Yes, at the trailhead lot or primitive dispersed camping along the trail.

Trail Notes:
Trail is sparsely marked with white and orange diamonds.
Mushroom, Squirrel, Oak Leaf and Deer Track Trails:  All these trails go up the ridge
to the Acorn Trail, which runs along the top of the trail.  These trails are steep and rocky with
a few sandy spots mixed in here and there.   Some sections run through pine groves which
makes you feel like you're riding in Colorado or something for a short time.  The spell is
awesome!
Acorn Trail:  Runs along the ridge most of the way, but drops down to the bottom fields at
the north end.  Most of this trail is hard packed dirt.
Butterfly, Cardinal and Grouse Trails:  We tried to ride Grouse, but turned around,
thinking we couldn't pass through a gate we ran into, only to find out later that wasn't the trail,
it was a forest road.  We haven't gotten a chance to ride the others yet, but did find that the
trails intersect along the Acorn trail right where they're supposed to and are pretty easy to
find.  We'll check these trails out the next time we ride here.
Cedar Trail:  This trail runs along Kaintuck Hollow Road (1576) in the field bottoms.  This
trail is flat, and gets very overgrown and buggy in the summer.
There are several interesting things to see here including a very large spring and a natural
bridge.  Don't cross Kaintuck or Mill Creeks during high water.

Cart/Wagon Driving:
Gravel roads open to vehicular traffic could be driven on, but the actual trail would not be
feasible for carts or wagons due to the rugged nature of the trail.

Water Available:
Creeks, streams and ponds for the horses, no drinking water.

Other Facilities:
Fire rings and picnic tables when they aren't destroyed.  This forest suffers from a lot
of abuse for some reason.  There was an outhouse at the corner of County Roads 7550
and 1576, but someone burned it down a few years back and they won't be replacing it.  
There's another small outhouse by Wilkins Spring.  

Other Activities:
Hiking, camping, mountain bike riding, hunting, and fishing.

Other Services:
Car Care, groceries, & a restaurant:  Rolla, 15 miles east.
Feed and Tack:  The Family Center
          Rolla
          1-573-364-9300

Emergency Information:
Cell Phone Signal:  Moderate
911 service is available.
Phelps County Sheriff:  573-364-1818
Hospital:  Phelps County Regional
  Rolla
  573-364-9300
Veterinarian:  Forum Drive Animal Hospital
  Rolla
  1-800-896-2221
Opening on one side of
the natural bridge.
Rocky Ledge going up,
not far from the natural
bridge
A portion of the
Mushroom trail.  It
doesn't show in the
photo, but this is a steep
uphill climb.
Another steep uphill
climb, this one on the
Squirrel Trail.  Shows
how rocky these hilly
trails are.
More pictures to
be added later.
Click on any
picture to enlarge it
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*Trail Alert: Open during Spring Turkey Hunting, 4/12 & 13 and 4/21 thru 5/11.