Ozark National Scenic Riverways
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways protects the river system which includes the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers as well as hundreds of freshwater springs, caves, trails and historic sites. Phone 573-323-4236 Trails Accessibility
Map of Big Spring Trail System Website
Lick Log Trail: “1 mile loop trail—easy with no steep grades. Trailhead is located off Fox Pen Road (County Road 205) about two miles north of Eminence on Route 19. …… This hike offers a wide range of Ozark habitats from an upland forest of oak-pine to dolomite glades, Rhyolite glades, fens (wetlands), and igneous “shut-ins”—each with unique flora and fauna.”
Welch Spring Trail: 0.8 miles round trip, off Hwy. K north of Akers. Described as an “easy walk from the trailhead parking area north along a rock/earth impoundment out to Welch Spring—which emits 78.2 million gallons of crystal clear water a day from a cave at the base of a limestone cliff.” Review by AllTrails
Slough Trail:1.2 miles round trip. “An easy stroll that begins just north of the ‘Big Spring”. The trail goes through a stand of cane and a riparian forest along the slough. Described by Waymarking.com