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Middle Fork Section OT - North
2 reviews
4.5 of 5
The northern half of the Middle Fork Section of the Ozark Trail is thirteen miles of sweet, point-to-point, singletrack.
This is a trail you fly on.
It winds through Ozark hardwood and pine forests, around hollows and through creeks. The only technical aspects of the trail are half dozen or so small creek crossings. Several good climbs add challenge to the ride. The descents that follow are fast and fabulous.
A beginner in good shape could certainly ride this trail, but kid you not expert riders love it. Many believe that it''s better than Berryman, the only IMBA epic in the Ozarks.
This trail is under construction and has only one official trailhead. However, you can access the 15 completed miles of trail on the northern end at three points.
Highway DD Trailhead- This is just south of the Council Bluff Recreational Area, on the east side of Highway DD just north of Highway 32. From Highway 32 & 21, take Highway 32 west for about 15-18 miles, then go north on Highway DD for 100-200 yards to the trailhead.
County Road 73- From Highway 32 & 21, take Highway 32 west 20 miles or so. County Road 73 is on the south side of 32, about 3-4 miles past Highway DD. Take CR73 south about a mile or so to reach the trail crossing.
Neals Creek- From Highway 32 at Bixby, take county road 79 (across from Bixby store) south about three miles to an unofficial parking area near Barton Fen. The trail is on the north side of the road.
You can get a map of the trail on the Ozark Trail Association website.
Summary: Ok, let me say this trail is out of order until a full fledged trail clearing is underway. We just rode the full 25 miles, from DD to Hwy J. There is trees down everywhere. Overall it seemed like it would be a great trail, we were off our bikes most of the time though. The downhills are sweet, to say the least but do expect to do some serious climbing. I ran a 32x17 singlespeed gear and got my butt handed to me. If you're not going up you're going down on this trail. Most definently recommend to ride Summer of 07. Should be prestine by then. We're going back that's for sure. I recommend riding Counsil Bluffs on day and Middlefork the next.
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Summary: I love this trail. Having riden Berryman, Womble, Council Bluff, Landahl and others, I rate it right up there with them. It's different from all of them though. It's very fast. It has nothing technical on it but the creek crossings. The downhills are just awesome.
That's the reason to ride this trail, the downhills. They're as fast as you want them to be.
Recommended Route: I'd recommend fromt the north to the south, in that you climb through the one ugly clearcut section and then enjoy another great downhill. You could start either from Council Bluff Lake or the Highway DD trailhead.
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