Donna Kridelbaugh

Sep 16, 2019

NRT Ambassador Review

We visited Crane Lake Trail in the fall of 2018. It is a double loop trail with a total distance of approximately 5 miles. The referenced north loop circles around Crane Lake, which also is referred to as the lake loop, and is around 3 miles total. There is a short connector that crosses a shut-in just below the dam outlet to form the double loop. The south loop is approximately 2 miles in length. Crane Lake Trail follows part of the Marble Creek section of the Ozark Trail, which also is designated as a National Recreation Trail and more information (e.g., maps) can be found on the Ozark Trail Association website (ozarktrail.com). At the time of this review, the water level for Crane Lake had been drawn down to allow for evaluation of repairs to the dam. Please note that the connector just below the dam was a precarious water crossing because of the open outlet. Additionally, the southern side of the north/lake loop follows a Forest Service road (FS 2115), which does not make this an enjoyable hike as the road is very wide and muddy. The district plans to decommission this road and try to rehab in the future after repairs to the dam are made. It is recommended to check on trail conditions and any closures with the U.S. Forest Service district office before heading out on this trail. This project is still ongoing as of Fall 2019 and more information is regularly posted on the Mark Twain National Forest Facebook page as well. If we were to re-visit the area in the near future, we would stick to hiking the Ozark Trail portion of the trail.