Glade Top Trail National
Scenic Byway near Ava, Missouri
Caney Mountain Picnic Area on the Glade Top Trail
Glade Top Trail
A National Forest Scenic Byway
information for this page supplied in part by the National Forest Service, Ava Office
23 Miles Of Beautiful
Landscape
Mark Twain National Forest's Glade Top Trail is Missouri's only
National Scenic Byway. The 23 mile trail weaves through narrow ridge tops above the
surrounding rolling countryside. Travelers are treated to numerous scenic views that reach
the Springfield Plateau to the northwest and south to the St. Francis and Boston Mountains
in Northern Arkansas.
The Glade Top Trail became a part of the National Forest Scenic
Byways system in 1989. The system contains over 3,500 miles of scenic roads located in 27
states. Each Byway has certain features that meet the recreational, historical,
educational, scientific, and cultural criteria required for designation.
Caney Lookout Tower on Glade Top Trail (not open to public).
Historically, the Glade Top Trail's significance is very important
to many of the Douglas, Taney, and Ozark County residents who worked for the Civilian
Conservation Corps in the late 1930s. The trail has changed very little since CCC workers
constructed the two-lane, all weather gravel road.
Local residents have long recognized the scenic values of the area
by sponsoring the "Flaming Fall Review" in celebration of the smoke tree's
brilliant red/orange fall foliage. Each year in mid-October, the Ava Chamber of Commerce,
in conjunction with the Ava Lion's Club, American Legion, and VFW, celebrates the annual
Review with a traditional barbecue and music festival.
Caney Picnic area on Glade Top Trail - Site of the Flaming Fall Review Festival
Complementing the "Flaming Fall Review," a Spring
Flowering Tour is annually sponsored by the Ava Area
Chamber of Commerce, this tour highlights the dogwood, serviceberry, redbud, and wild
fruit trees along the National Forest Scenic Byway.
Glade areas are characterized by shallow droughty soils and
limestone outcroppings. Eastern red cedar and oak trees are interspersed in open glades
supporting native tall prairie grasses.
For the wildlife lover, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, bobwhite
quail, squirrels, rabbits and numerous varieties of songbirds are prevalent within this
section of the Mark Twain National Forest. The glades also provide a home for wildlife not
often encountered in the Ozarks, such as the roadrunner, collared lizard, pygmy
rattlesnake, stinging scorpion, and the Bachman's Sparrow, a state endangered species.
Forest Service personnel can provide you with more information.
The National Forest Scenic Byways would not be nearly as successful if it were not for the
cooperation of numerous interested individuals and companies, such as Plymouth Division of
Chrysler Motor Corporation, Harley-Davidson, the American Automobile Association, The
Garden Club of America, National Parks and Conservation Association, and others.
The Glade Top Trail
Best Map
By far the best map of the Glade Top Trail is published and sold by the USDA Forest
Service. These maps are available in several of the Forest Service Ranger offices around
the State of Missouri. You can go to the offices to buy them, or order them online. The
links are given below.
The map you want is for the Ava, Cassville, and Willow Springs
Ranger Districts. It has a light green cover with a photo of a couple canoeing on a river.
The $10 cost is well worth the price. Bring a magnifying glass, you will need it! This map
has some wonderful detail.
You can order this map online from the Forest Service: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/marktwain/maps/
You can also stop by the Ranger Station in Ava. They are open 8:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Their address is P.O. Box 188, 1103 S. Jefferson
Street, Ava, Missouri 65608 The Station phone is 1-417-683-5722
Glade Top Trails Flaming Fall Review
Festival
This event has been going on since about 1960. Live music, pumpkin painting, various other
entertainment, and meals sold for less than $10 a person brings people together at the
Caney Mountain picnic site. This is a gorgeous location with some of the best fall foliage
color in the Ozarks. There are restrooms and parking here. Each year the event is
organized by the Ava Chamber of Commerce.
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