Pavement Ends: Mountains to climb in Missouri

It's a good thing the government doesn't have a specific definition for a "mountain" versus a "hill."

With a strict definition of mountain, Missouri's terrain may not make the cut. We'd be stuck with the "Ozark Hills" instead of the Ozark Mountains, while "Taum Sauk Hill" wouldn't have the same impact as Taum Sauk Mountain.

Folks from Colorado or California might scoff at some of our mountains. They have peaks that exceed 14,000 feet; we have high points that exceed 1,400 feet. Nevertheless, the Ozarks are anything but flat. Just try climbing to the top of Buford Mountain or Black Mountain: Your sore feet will provide all the evidence you need about the ruggedness and wildness of Missouri's mountains.

This is a roundup of some of Southeast Missouri's more impressive peaks. The first two mountain summits are easy to reach by car. The rest require a steep climb on trails of varying quality. All of these peaks are on public land: national forest, state parks, state conservation areas and even a city park. So feel free to explore.

Taum Sauk Mountain (1,772 feet)

Headline Bold:Buford Mountain

In the 1930s, reaching the top of Missouri's highest peak required quite an ordeal. An amusing Southeast Missourian story from 1935 described an expedition by learned Cape Girardeau men to reach the mountain. They first had to park at the end of a road next to a goat herder's cabin, walk several miles to the base of the mountain, and then proceed straight up. Including a side trip to find the rumored Mina Sauk Waterfall, they hiked for a total of 25 miles that day.

In modern times, an expedition to Taum Sauk Mountain only requires finding the right turnoff, then walking along a wide concrete trail for a short distance to a boulder marking the high point.

Despite the fame as Missouri's highest point, the summit of Taum Sauk is relatively flat and covered in trees, so the view from the high point is nonexistent. Indeed, the best scenery is actually from an overlook along the access road.

__Directions:__ Take Highway 72 west to Arcadia, then follow the signs for Highway 21 south. Leaving Arcadia, this road climbs into the hills and reaches Tip Top Roadside Park. Just after the park, turn right on Route CC and follow it until the pavement ends. Take the right fork into Taum Sauk Mountain State Park park and follow the road until it ends at a parking lot for the trailhead.

Crane Mountain (approximately 1,500 feet)

Headline Bold:Van East Mountain

Just south of Arcadia, topographic maps show a peak called Crane Mountain on private property with an elevation of 1,255 feet.

This is not that mountain. Instead, a few miles farther south, another peak is unofficially called Crane Mountain, and it has a higher summit near 1,500 feet. At one time, this peak was home to a fire tower called Crane Lookout Tower -- hence the confusion with the names -- but that structure was dismantled decades ago. An old forest service road, however, still leads to the top. It's a rough ride, but the commanding views from the glades at the summit make the hassle worth it. A field guide from 1976, available from the Association of Missouri Geologists website, describes in detail the Precambrian rocks exposed here.

__Directions:__ From Arcadia, take Highway 21 south to Route E. Turn left on Route E and continue 3.4 miles to County Road 131 (Crane Pond Road). Turn right and follow the county road for 3.7 miles. Look for the sign for Forest Road 2192 on the left (Google Maps calls it County Road 131B). Follow this narrow forest road as it spirals to the top of the mountain. Park at the end of the road and walk a short distance to the right (west) to reach the best glades.

Hughes Mountain (approximately 1,210 feet)

Hughes Mountain

Hughes Mountain is also called the Devil's Honeycomb, and for good reason. The summit features columnar-jointed rocks that form vertical pillars with sharp edges. While not very tall, these columns are shaped into hexagons and other geometric shapes, sort of like a honeycomb. These rocks formed when volcanic lava slowly cooled and joints were created at crazy angles, allowing the rock to weather away over time into the pillars. With an elevation of just over 1,210 feet, Hughes Mountain would seem short even by Missouri standards, but the mountain still manages to dwarf the surrounding terrain, and so the honeycomb outcrops offer panoramic views for miles in every direction.

__Directions:__ From Fredericktown, take Highway 72 west to Arcadia and then follow the signs for Highway 21 north. Continue on Highway 21 past Elephant Rocks and Caledonia, then turn right on Route M. Look for the parking area for Hughes Mountain Natural Area on the right.

Shepherd Mountain (1,608 feet)

Shepherd Mountain is a rarity among Missouri mountains: It's owned by a city government. In 2013, the City of Ironton opened a 3.5-mile loop trail providing access to the summit as well as several historic points of interest: iron mines worked during the early history of Missouri, and cannon emplacements used in the Civil War. The trail also passes the last remnants of a ski lift.

This hike is not exactly a cake walk. Just past the trailhead, hikers are confronted with a choice: the "steep" route or the "less steep" route. Both climb the same vertical distance; the only difference is how quickly that happens. Near the top, the trail circles around the crest of the mountain to offer multiple panoramic views of Ironton, Arcadia, Pilot Knob the town, and Pilot Knob the mountain.

__Directions:__ From Fredericktown, take Highway 72 west to Arcadia, then follow the signs for Highway 21 north. Before reaching the town of Pilot Knob, look for a sign on the left announcing the Shepherd Mountain Hiking Trail. Turn left into the driveway for a pharmacy, then bear right on a gravel drive. This leads to the parking lot and trailhead.

Van East Mountain (approximately 1,330 feet)

This mountain's curious name is likely a misspelling. From what I can gather, this peak was named for Guillaume Frederic Van Hees, an early landowner in Iron and Madison counties, and the first person to lay claim to some of the acreage making up the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, along a county road, a small creek passes through the picturesque Weiss Shut-ins. An informal trail leads to the summit, but it's necessary to explore around the south face to find glades that offer views through the trees.

__Directions:__ From Fredericktown, take Highway 72 west and turn left on Route D. Follow the road past Silver Mines Recreation Area until the pavement ends. Continue ahead on County Road 518. Drive 1.6 miles until the road comes to a low-water bridge over Rock Creek. Just before this bridge, park on the right side of the road next to an informal campsite. Walk across the bridge and look for the beginning of a trail on the right. Follow this trail for approximately three-quarters of a mile to reach the summit.

Buford Mountain (1,740 feet)

At one time, it was thought that Buford Mountain was the second-highest point in Missouri, although surveyors have since found slightly higher points in Webster and Wright counties in Southwest Missouri. Despite losing its ranking, Buford Mountain still rises almost 800 feet above Arcadia Valley and the nearby town of Belleview.

The trail to the top is nothing to sneeze at. It's a long, steep, rocky climb. But the hike doesn't end there. The highest point, nicknamed "Big Buford," is choked with trees. To see anything, it's necessary to hike another couple miles to reach a second peak, Bald Knob (elevation 1,574 feet), which features an open glade with a spectacular view into the Arcadia Valley.

__Directions:__ From Arcadia, take Highway 21 north. Turn left at the intersection with Route N to remain on Highway 21. Before reaching Elephant Rocks State Park, turn right on Old Highway 21 (County Road 36). Follow this road to the intersection with Route U and turn right. After a short distance on Route U, the access road for Buford Mountain Conservation Area will be on the left.

Black Mountain (1,506 feet)

Black Mountain

This mountain is the highest point in Madison County. The east side, dropping to the St. Francis River below, features an elevation change of 950 feet in less than a mile -- possibly the tallest single slope in Missouri.

Places with drastic changes in elevation sometimes have waterfalls, and Black Mountain certainly delivers. A wet-weather creek plunges across a series of cascades and waterfalls into a small canyon before reaching the St. Francis River. Although treacherous, this creek provides a connection between the blacktop road below (Route E) and the mountain's peak.

This mountain's rounded summit is covered in trees, but a few glades along the south flank offer stunning views of farmland below.

This is a challenging hike, and the directions are too complicated to include here. Go to the Pavement Ends blog archive at seMissourian.com and look for the post from August 4, 2013, which describes in detail how to hike to the top.