If you live in the Springfield Missouri area or are visiting Branson and the Ozarks, Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area (it’s not a state park) is a must visit place for a day hike, mountain biking or riding. The Red Trail offers some fairly easy hiking, but be prepared for creek crossings and some rugged Ozarks terrain. After heavy rain the trails can be muddy and the creeks dangerous to cross.There are only two bridges over the creeks at Busiek, so if you are doing any of the larger loops expect to ford the creeks at least once, if not more often! There is a bridge across Woods Fork on the east side of Busiek, it is located just south of the eastern end of the parking lot. The second is located, at the shooting range, on the west side of Busiek. Length: 2.95 MilesElevation gain/loss: 472 ft.Maximum slope: 45% (probably less)Starting fairly level from the East parking lot, going counter-clockwise this trail begins with a crossing of Woods Creek – there is no bridge. Apart from crossing the creek it starts as a nice easy stroll, the terrain does get quite rough in places, though there are no really dangerous surfaces.Going clockwise, the trail begins with a nice even walk until you get to the Woods Creek crossing, shortly after the that the trail get rough and starts to climb.
Whichever way round the trail you go, you’ll have to cross the creek twice.Mapped by GPS: May 13, June 20, 2012. Length: 4.1 MilesElevation gain/loss: 698ft.Maximum slope: 32%A complete loop (ignoring the short cut) is 3.9 Miles.To get to the trail from the South trailhead you can add another.3 Miles (.6 Miles altogether) and add 80 feet of elevation. That’s assuming you start by going up to the ridge. The alternate route, going East and dropping down to the creek, is an additional.66 Miles (1.2 Miles altogether) and adds 190 feet of elevation.If you start from the East trail head you can add.4 Miles in total and 50 feet gain in elevation.Starting fairly level from the East parking lot, this trail includes a couple of hard rough climbs on stone covered trails. There are three crossings of Woods Creek and no bridges, so be prepared to get wet when the creek is running.
Come hold and pet our animals during your visit to the Skagit Tulip Festival! The Tulip Festival Petting Farm is presented by the kids of the Beaks, Noses & Bills 4-H Club of Skagit County. Baby goats, bunnies, lambs, chickens, ducklings, some exotics, and even baby pigs. This fundraiser supports the kids' animal projects through their entire year. $5/person suggested donation. Argyl/Ferry Farm is a singletrack mountain bike trail in Fredericksburg, Virginia. View maps, videos, photos, and reviews of Argyl/Ferry Farm bike trail in Fredericksburg.
Key points to note are the Carter Family Cemetary, the open glades, some unmarked intermittent falls, and areas that have previously been cleared for farming.Mapped by GPS: June 20, 2012. Length: 2.58 Miles (‘Hill’ Loop only)Elevation gain/loss: 574 ft.Maximum slope: 32%The above distance assumes you hike this trail from the South Trailhead off of HWY A.Starting at the South Trailhead, the Silver Trail consists of a longish descent to a loop with a 300 ft. Steep ascent (1:3 and 1:2) and descent.
The steep ascents/ descents include loose gravel and so can be quite difficult going. Be prepared for some heavy mud in places after rain. There’s a couple of small creeks to cross, both can normally be stepped over without getting your feet wet.
Getting round the seeps that cross the trail after rain without getting your feet wet is a bit more of a challenge.If you are out of condition the steep 300 ft. Hill in the middle of the hike is a challenge, as is the long climb back to the parking lot, which seems to go on forever!Mapped by GPS: February 3, 2013 –. Length: 4.55 MilesElevation gain/loss: 485 ft.Maximum slope: 24%The above distance includes getting to and from the parking lot. The walk along the valley floor can be muddy and involves multiple crossings of Camp Creek (no bridges except by the shooting range). Going anti-clockwise the climb up is quite rough in places although not particularly steep.
The drop back down is now a lot easier with the addition of some switch-backs in 2012. 2016: Some of the lower trails have been slightly diverted for vegetation recovery, but not enough to change the map.Mapped by GPS: April 16, 2012, checked in 2016. Unmarked Trails in Busiek State Forest and Wildlife AreaThere are no official names for these trails, so we’ve made some up. The trails are not marked on the brochure, and are not shown on the topo maps. Obviously there is no trail maintenance, and the trails may move over time.
Expect more hazards on these routes. MDC requests that visitors to Busiek remain on the marked trails. Length:.3 MilesElevation gain/loss: 76 ft, -94 ft.Maximum slope: 25%This trail is marked as closed at its junction with the Yellow Trail. It joins the Falls Trail and can be taken either East to the falls, or west to the Red Trail. The gradients are fairly steep and rough.The trail is named for the abandoned Panel Van to be found alongside the trail.
The distance given is from the Yellow Trail to the Falls.Mapped by GPS: June 20, 2012. Approach road to Busiek and the roads leading to the West and East Trailheads (Busiek Road).Google Street ViewBusiek South Trainhead – State Highway A off Highway 65Unfortunately the Google car hasn’t gone down State Hwy A so we can’t show the entrance to the south Trailhead on Google Streetview, but we’ve included some pictures and a map. Below is the view looking South approaching State Highway A. Turn Left (east) and the entrance is a small gravel road.2 miles along Highway A on the left. The road is steep and rough in places. We have no trouble getting up and down it with our van, but if you have low ground clearance it might be a problem.
The entrance to the gravel road leading to the Southern Trailhead at Busiek State Forest and Wildlife AreaCheck out our for using this site before you use our trail maps. Page UpdatesFebruary 2016: Minor text change and addition of photographs and map to show the location of the southern trailhead.January 2016: Fixed the broken Google Street View links/images. Amended text to include mention of the foot bridge over Woods Fork at the east parking lot (bridge construction was completed in 2015).September 2012: Major update to the trail map with unmarked trails on the East Side of Busiek mapped.
The Pilchuck Tree Farm consists of three main areas of land that are privately owned by the Pacific Denkmann Company. The Pilchuck Recreation Association is the umbrella organization that connects the land owner to the Horse and Bike clubs and any other interested user groups (hikers, geocachers, etc.)Victoria Tract (aka 300th, or the Glass School) is the western-most and is the most commonly ridden.
The trails are mostly dirt and decades of heavy use by equestrians and more recently cyclists has compacted much of the tread so it is very hard and smooth. There are over 50 miles of beginner to intermediate multi-use singletrack but a quarter of that sees the vast majority of bike traffic. There are also a few short intermediate-level bike-only trails. The single track closes during the wet season (typically November1-May 1, but dates may move if conditions are unseasonably wet or dry) but the roads are open year-round.Pilchuck Tract is east of Highway 9 and north of Grandview road. The terrain is much more rocky than Victoria Tract and as a result, the bike-only trails are much more demanding and require a intermediate to expert level of bike handling. The downhill trails tend to be old-school tech and are short but pack a lot of features (usually rock slabs) to keep the intensity level up.
The single track climbs are short, technical, and punchy. Pilchuck Tract is open year-round.Armstrong Tract (aka Bracken) has very sandy soil and the highest horse concentration of the three parcels. It is open year round, but is murder on drivetrain. Best leave this area to hikers and horses.The PRA suggests you donate $2 in the iron rangers whenever you ride. The money goes towards upkeep of the trails and facilities.
Please note: The land manager does not want to have maps published, so there are no GPS traces. There are hints in the most of the trail descriptions how to navigate from one trail to the next.Every one using the Pilchuck Tree Farm Must have a current annual Liability Release on file. If you have not filled one in please do so before you enter the Tree Farm by filling in a release in file section below, or filling one in provided to you at the Tree Farm entrances. You may mail them to: Pilchuck Recreational Association: P.O. BOX 2962, Arlington, WA 98223 or stuff them in the iron rangers at the trailheads.