USFS · Missouri

Mark Twain National Forest

Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) is a U.S. National Forest located in the southern half of Missouri, composed of nine disconnected parcels. MTNF was established on September 11, 1939. It is named for author Mark Twain, a Missouri native. The MTNF covers 3,068,800 acres (4,795 sq mi) of which 1,506,100 acres (2,353.3 sq mi) is public owned, 78,000 acres (122 sq mi) of which are Wilderness, and National Scenic River area. MTNF spans 29 counties and represents 11% of all forested land in Missouri. MTNF's nine tracts are divided into six distinct ranger districts: Ava-Cassville-Willow Springs, Eleven Point, Houston-Rolla, Cedar Creek, Poplar Bluff, Potosi-Fredericktown, and the Salem. Its headquarters are in Rolla, Missouri.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest3.1 million acresUSFSMO65 campgrounds within 10 mi141 Forest Service sites295 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateMissouri
Size3.1 million acres
Forest Service code0905, region 09
Center point36.80° N, 91.17° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

Boundary map

9 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Mark Twain National Forest30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 2.96 inches of precipitation, 1.7 inches of snowFebruary: 3.39 inches of precipitation, 0.8 inches of snowMarch: 4.45 inches of precipitation, 0.9 inches of snowApril: 4.66 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 5.57 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.31 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.01 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.92 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 3.46 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 3.77 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 4.44 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 3.29 inches of precipitation, 0.8 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 33.1°F averageFebruary: 36.9°F averageMarch: 46.0°F averageApril: 56.0°F averageMay: 64.5°F averageJune: 73.4°F averageJuly: 77.1°F averageAugust: 76.1°F averageSeptember: 68.1°F averageOctober: 56.5°F averageNovember: 45.0°F averageDecember: 35.8°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Alton, 15 miles from the center point at 813 feet, station USC00230127 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 47 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 4 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

32 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 33 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

USACE · Inside
Aunts Creek
Reservable56 sites
FS · Inside
Bar-K Wrangler Camp
First-comeMO
USACE · Inside
Baxter
Reservable54 sites
FS · Inside
Berryman Campground
First-come8 sites
USACE · Inside
Big M
Reservable62 sites
USACE · Inside
Campbell Point
Reservable73 sites
FS · Inside
Cobb Ridge
Reservable49 sites
FS · Inside
Council Bluff Recreation Area
Reservable57 sites
Show 4 more

53 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 141

The Forest Service lists 141 recreation sites in this forest, among them 57 trailheads, 23 campgrounds, 12 paddling accesss, 11 dispersed campings. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 81 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 295 named trails in this forest, 822 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
11-Point River Trail ↗45.1
Ozark Trail - 11-Pt River ↗28.9
Ozark Trail - Karkaghne ↗28.6
Ozark Trail Between the Rivers ↗28
Berryman Trail ↗26.5
Ozark Trail - Trace Creek ↗25.5
Ozark Trail - Middle Fork ↗23.2
Ozark Trail-Victory ↗19.2
Cedar Creek - South ↗18.9
Whites Creek Trail ↗17.5

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 295 trails in Mark Twain National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Scenic Riverways · 7 mi
Ozark National Scenic Riverways
National Military Park · 8 mi
Pea Ridge National Military Park
National Historical Park · 15 mi
Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park
National Battlefield · 18 mi
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
National Register listings within 15 miles · 275 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Missouri and hiking across the country

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Rail-trails Iowa & Missouri
    Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • The Ozarks: 43 spectacular hikes in Arkansas and Missouri
    Jim Warnock, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Walks of a Lifetime in America
    Manning, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Mark Twain National Forest?

3.1 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Mark Twain National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Mark Twain National Forest in?

Missouri.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Mark Twain National Forest?

Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Mark Twain National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 36.800° N, 91.170° W. Ozark National Scenic Riverways is 7 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Which national parks are near Mark Twain National Forest?

Ozark National Scenic Riverways (7 mi), Pea Ridge National Military Park (8 mi) and Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park (15 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Mark Twain National Forest?

The National Register has 275 listings within 15 miles, including Westminster College Gymnasium and Wilder, Laura Ingalls, House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Description: Mark Twain National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.