Take a day trip deep within Missouri's Ozarks and immerse yourself in nature on a scenic hiking trail to one of Missouri's largest natural springs. Less than two-and-a-half hours from Springfield, tucked in the wooded Mark Twain National Forest, is a short hike through a dense forest of woodland dogwoods and wildflowers ending at a gorgeous hidden cave spring. Greer Spring Trail in Oregon County, Missouri, is a dog-friendly, two-mile there-and-back trail that is considered moderately challenging,
according to the hiking app AllTrails.
The trailhead to this hidden gem is in a parking lot encompassed by a forest of oak, pine, and hickory trees, with bright red firepink wildflowers sprinkled throughout. The Greer Spring Trail is a short downhill journey from the parking lot. Be sure to wear supportive hiking shoes and consider bringing trekking poles for extra stability. They will be helpful on the return hike.
Read more: The 5 Best Hidden Hot Spring Hikes In California
Hiking The Geer Spring Trail
As you explore Geer Spring Trail, you'll meander through different ecosystems and a variety of trees, including sugar maple, shortleaf pine, and yellow poplar. The hike will take you over wooden bridges and down staircases, and the trail eventually narrows as you get nearer to the spring. You catch your first glimpse of the spring from a viewing platform and can hear the rushing of the stream. As you get closer, the water roars louder.
After walking down one last set of steps, you'll have arrived at the second-largest spring in the state. You take a deep breath and soak in the beauty of Geer Spring. The area around the spring is lush, green, and misty throughout the year. The river-like spring has a daily flow of about 220 million gallons of water that cascades through a canyon before joining the Eleven Point River over a mile downstream. The bubbling spring is surrounded by mossy dolomite bluffs and cliffs covered in hydrangea and wild columbine flowers. On the left is a small cave, where you notice a small plaque memorializing local community member Samuel G. Beaty and one of two spring outlets.
When To See The Wildflowers On Greer Spring Trail
While you enjoy exploring Greer Spring, make sure to save enough time and energy for the hike back up to the trailhead. This is where those trekking poles we advised you to pack might come in handy -- they'll help you make your way back up the moderately steep incline. Fortunately, there are also a few benches to rest on, if you need. That'll be a good time to admire the Jacob's ladder, yellow trout lily, and bird's-foot violet wildflowers growing along the trail. These sorts of wildflowers aren't uncommon throughout the Ozarks as a whole; in fact, according to travel expert and television host Samantha Brown, this scenic region is a hot spot for Midwesterners looking for great hikes and beautiful vistas.
You'll experience the best blooms on the Greer Spring Trail from March through mid-June. That's when you'll see the best pops of pastels in Virginia waterleaf, hepatica, harbinger-of-spring, and downy phlox wildflowers peppered through the trail. With an enchanting wooded forest, babbling spring creek, and colorful wildflowers, it's hard not to enjoy the unspoiled Ozark paradise at Missouri's Greer Spring Trail.
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Read the original article on Islands.
