Bell Mountain Wilderness
Bell Mountain Wilderness, located in Missouri's St. Francois Mountains, features a rugged landscape of oak-hickory forests dotted with pine, elm, grassy glades, and lichen-covered granite outcroppings. This unique blend of mature forest, pine stands, and open glades reveals the diverse ecology of the Missouri Ozarks. Wildlife sightings may include white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, and birds like pileated woodpeckers and wood thrushes, especially in the oak-hickory canopy. Named after a family that once farmed here, the area is great for a day of hiking, with 11.9 miles of trails, including a section of the Ozark Trail. Bell and Lindsey Mountains provide scenic views over striking rock formations and granite glades.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Missouri |
| Size | 9,183 acres |
| Designated | 1980, by Congress |
| Center point | 37.63° N, 90.87° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11) |
Boundary map
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
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
None of the 1 federal campground within ten miles sits inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trailheads and sites
The Forest Service lists 1 recreation site inside this wilderness, among them 1 trailhead. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- 2 miLindsey Mountain Trailhead ↗Trailhead · January to December
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
4 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 15 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Bell Mountain ↗ | 8.1 | |
| Ozark Trail - Taum Sauk ↗ | 3.2 | |
| Lindsey Mountain Trail | 2.1 | |
| Bell Mountain Connector | 1.1 |
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.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 8.3 miQueen, Harrison, House ↗Caledonia, MO
- 9.8 miImmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church ↗Pilot Knob, MO
- 9.9 miFort Davidson ↗Pilot Knob, MO
- 10.8 miIronton Lodge Hall ↗Ironton, MO
- 10.8 miIron County Courthouse Buildings ↗Ironton, MO
- 10.9 miSt. Paul's Episcopal Church ↗Ironton, MO
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.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Bell Mountain Wilderness?
9,183 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Bell Mountain Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Bell Mountain Wilderness in?
Missouri.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Bell Mountain Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1980.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Bell Mountain Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Bell Mountain Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 37.633° N, 90.869° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Bell Mountain Wilderness?
The National Register has 6 listings within 15 miles, including Queen, Harrison, House and Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- 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.