Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

Although you can certainly appreciate wilderness from afar—online, on television, or in books—first-hand experiences in nature such as campng or hunting enable you to enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas provide. Wilderness areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” opportunities to see wildlife, a chance to renew and refresh, and the health benefits of exercising outside. You can even bring your well-behaved dog to many wilderness areas.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

Piney Creek Wilderness lies on the west side of Missouri’s Table Rock Lake. Logged by railroad companies in the late 1800s and later farmed by settlers, the area was once known for its fertile soil that produced abundant tomatoes and strawberries. By the early 1950s, however, the last of these households had been abandoned.

The ridgetops rise over 400 feet above the drainages, with shortleaf pine, oak, and hickory forests covering the high ground. Along the creek beds, hardwoods like sycamore, ash, elm, buckeye, and walnut thrive. Numerous small springs feed the area’s waterways, and Piney Creek—the main stream—runs through its entire five-mile watershed before reaching scenic Table Rock Lake.

This Wilderness offers 12.1 miles of trails, including a primary east-west trail that follows Piney Creek for about four miles. From the Pineview Tower Trailhead, two paths of about 1.5 miles each lead south toward Piney Creek, with additional foot and horse trails branching off, some following old roadbeds.

Wildlife typical of the Ozarks abounds here, including armadillos, great blue herons, and pileated woodpeckers. Visitors should also be mindful of the area’s reptile population, which includes copperheads, eastern timber rattlesnakes, and western pygmy rattlers. With its diverse landscapes, rich history, and vibrant ecosystem, Piney Creek Wilderness offers a quintessential Ozark experience.

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Piney Creek Wilderness.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.

Location

Maps

Digital and paper maps are critical tools for wilderness visitors. Online maps can help you plan and prepare for your visit ahead of time. You can also carry digital maps with you on your GPS unit or other handheld GPS device. Having a paper map with you in the backcountry, as well as solid orienteering skills, however, ensures that you can still route-find in the event that your electronic device fails.

Online Maps

Interactive Map of the Piney Creek Wilderness
FS Topographic Map
Google Earth

Missouri Wildernesses

Printed Maps

Fetching MyTopo from Database

USGS Store

Rules & Regulations

Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited in all wilderness areas. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters.

Wilderness-Specific Regulations

Learn more about why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.

Contacts

Applicable Wilderness Law(s)

Public Law 96-560

Date: December 22, 1980
Acreage: 8,400 acres

Colorado Wilderness Act - Public Law 96-560 (12/22/1980) To designate certain National Forest System lands in the States of Colorado, South Dakota, Missouri, South Carolina, and Louisiana for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System

For more information (To download or see all affected Wilderness areas) visit our law library for 96-560 or special provisions for 96-560 or legislative history for 96-560.

Want to Volunteer for Wilderness?

People who volunteer their time to steward our wilderness areas are an essential part of wilderness management. Contact the following groups to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Groups are listed alphabetically by the state(s) in which the wilderness is located.