Ozark Trail: Courtois Section | Day 17
Day 17 of thru hiking the Ozark Trail on the Courtois Section.
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My Ozark Trail Backpacking Gear List
Can I backpack 25 miles in a single day!?? When I set out on my Ozark Trail thru hike the idea of hiking 25 miles in a single day was beyond me. Covering that many miles in a day was something only “true” thru hikers could achieve. My plan for the 48-mile Courtois Section of the Ozark Trail was to break it up over three 16-mile days. And then I started walking…
Courtois Section
Day 17 - October 30, 2024
Hazel Creek Campground to Courtois Mile 23.5
Rate: Moderate | Traffic: Moderate
Distance: 25.8mi | Elevation Gain: 2,690ft
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Courtois Section Ozark Trail Association Map
US Forest Service
Mark Twain National Forest
Potosi/Fredericktown Ranger District
10019 West State Highway 8
Potosi MO 63664
573-438-5427
www.fs.usda.gov/mtnf
Logging area just north of Hazel Creek Campground on the Courtois Section of the Ozark Trail.
The Final Push
For most Ozark Trail thru hikers, their hike begins on the Courtois Section at Onondaga Cave State Park. For me, it was the final section. It took me 16 days of hiking to reach it, and I was happy to be on the final push.
Courtois Section
At 48-miles, the Courtois Section is the longest section of the Ozark Trail thru hike backbone. Also the northern most section of the trail system the rolling hills and active trail use makes for pleasant hiking through the Missouri outdoors. Named after Courtois Creek, the trail also crosses Hazel Creek in the south and Huzzah Creek in the north meaning there is ample water supply along the way.
Crossing a power line clearing on the Courtois Section of the Ozark Trail.
Setting out from Hazel Creek Campground
My day started at Hazel Creek Campground, a primitive campground along Hazel Creek, which I essentially had to myself for the night. There was one RV at the other end of the grounds. After packing up camp I set out on the trail with the plan of hiking 16 miles to OTA Map Mile 31, just north of the Berryman Loop Trail southern campgrounds.
Hiking Fast
At 1:00pm I arrived at Lost Creek, 12-miles covered in just under 5 hours (including a breakfast stop). I was a little shocked. I was averaging 3mph on the trail, which was fast. That’s when the idea of attempting to hike the Courtois Section in two days started fermenting in my head.
Contemplating attempting backpacking the Courtois Section in 2 days.
Could I Cover 25 Miles in a Day?
You hear stories of Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail thru hikers putting down 25 or even 30 mile days on their treks. Essentially starting before sunrise and hiking through sunset. Granted, I did not have the elevation changes those trails comprise, but I never thought I’d be able to hike that many miles in a single day.
Knowing that I was going to arrive at my planned stopping point in a little less than two hours, and the prospect of sitting around all afternoon was a little boring, the idea of cutting the Courtois Section in half grew from a question into a challenge. Could I do it? Was my body up for it? Did I have the time.
Breezing past my planned stopping point at 3:00pm my decision was made. I was going to go for it. I wanted to know if I could do it!
Racing the Sun
I reached Courtois Mile 24 around 5:45pm, deep into sunset. The trail cut along the edges of a hill so there weren’t the best trailside camping spots available. I found a spot that wasn’t grate, but was at least suitable for my tent. But I also knew that I was roughly 1.5-miles away from the northern Berryman Trailhead, and having spent 16-days on the Ozark Trail, I knew there were generally primitive campsites at trail connections. I thought about it for a hot second, said F-It and pushed on.
My gamble paid off. Just past the Berryman Trailhead across Harmon Spring Rd there was a nice campsite beside Little Brazil Creek. I had made it with just enough light left to set up camp without having to pull out my headlamp.
Total miles tracked on my phone via AllTrails = 25.8. Add in the additional distance walking back and forth to my phone while filming (roughly a mile) and I had backpacked a marathon.
Ozark Trail Day 17 portrait, Courtois Section.
Missouri’s Ozark Trail
The Ozark Trail contains over 430 miles of trail divided into 14 mostly connected sections throughout southeast Missouri. The established thru-hike covers eight of the connected sections and runs from Onondaga Cave State Park in Leasburg, roughly 84 miles southwest of St. Louis, to the Eleven Point Terminus near Thomasville, 23 miles north of the Arkansas border. Throw in the off-shoot Taum Sauk Section and you have nearly 300 miles of thru-hikeable trail.