Spring Trail is a 1.4 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Camdenton, Missouri that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
kid friendly
birding
camping
hiking
nature trips
trail running
walking
forest
lake
views
waterfall
wild flowers
wildlife
rocky
The first .40 mile of Spring Trail is paved and accessible to visitors with physical limitations. This section takes hikers along the shoreline of Lake of the Ozarks and Ha Ha Tonka Spring. This is a great trail to hike for spring wildflowers. Pawpaw trees can be seen along the first section of trail and grow alongside the wooden boardwalk just before the spring. One of the first stopping points is at the site of the old gristmill, which was burned in 1931 to make room for Lake of the Ozarks. A spillway, raceway and grinding stone remain at the mill site. A small trail shelter with tables and an interpretive display are also located near the old mill site. Spring Trail continues toward Ha Ha Tonka Spring along the shore of the old millpond. The millpond is a great place to watch for wildlife, including turtles, frogs and toads, green herons and others. At the end of the millpond is another raceway that acts as a dam to the spring water during normal water levels. During periods of high water levels, Ha Ha Tonka Spring water runs over the raceway and flushes out the millpond into the lake. Shortly after the second raceway, the trail surface changes from pavement to wooden boardwalk. At this point, a small wooden overlook over the spring offers a nice view of the spring channel and is a great place to look for muskrats, otters, ducks and other aquatic wildlife. An interpretive panel on this overlook has information about the springs recharge area, temperature and aquatic plant life. The wooden boardwalk has several short sections of steps leading back to the site where the spring water surfaces and four more interpretive panels are attached to the railing. As hikers near the spring, they are challenged to squeeze between large rocks that were once part of the ceiling over this collapsed chasm. After exiting the rocks, there is an old pump south of the trail. This pump was used in the 1940s to pump spring water to a small log cabin at the top of the hill above you. The spring emerges from the water-filled cave at the base of the small bluff ahead. The average flow of the spring is 58 million gallons of water a day. It is a half-mile from the trailhead to the mouth of the spring. Many visitors turn back at this point. The next section of the Spring Trail ascends 316 wooden steps climbing 200 vertical feet and can be very strenuous for some hikers. At the top of the steps, hikers can choose to follow Dell Rim Trail to the left to go to the castle ruins, or turn right to continue on the upper section of Spring Trail. Very shortly, hikers will have a spectacular view over the spring waters and spy the 250 foot bluff with castle ruins atop. Continuing on the trail, catch a glimpse of the century old post office building along Highway D. Shortly after this, hikers can choose to take a White Connector back to the mill site to end the hike early or continue on another loop of Spring Trail by taking the trail to the left. This stretch parallels Highway D and eventually crosses a dolomite glade and then heads back into woodlands. This trail will wind back to the trailhead at the lake parking lot.
great
Trail passes through the woods and a glade before descending to a paved path that leads to the spring. After the spring there is a set of 216 stairs that will give you a heck of a workout. The trail then loops back to where it started.
Beautiful, relatively short hike with one steep ascent. Some slippery rocks, but mostly easy stairs in good condition. Great scenery. One gets to see the beautiful turquoise water of the spring up close and later from above as the trail ascends.
Take it easy or climb the part of the trail with stairs a few times for extra exercise :)
this trail offers a beautiful scenic atmosphere while challenging your endurance a little bit. my 2 and 7 year old loved it
easy family walk
The spring is beautiful! Worth the hike down and then back up again!
Beautiful trail! Definitely a work out if you choose to do the stairs!! Great history behind this area.
great hike stairs killed me
Cool place to hike. Easy trail
Love this place, the stairs might suck but it’s fun at the same time! Will be back again!
I connected to this trail from the Colosseum Trail and did not do the full wooden staircase trail on this trip. I always marvel at the beautiful, clear water and the turquoise blue of the spring at its origin.
The spring is stunning!!!
You can see the castle on the cliff from this trail. The spring water is really blue and clear. There's a cave that's difficult to get to, off the trail, but well worth it if you can make the very steep climb up and down.
Very nice hike. Lots to see. Highly recommended.
Good easy trail for kids and adults
Great trail. Even on the holiday weekend there was plenty of parking and the trail was not overly busy. Found you add distance diverting to castle trail etc. Still plenty to see and enjoy.
Very easy boardwalk trail next to the springs. Very pretty area. Lots to see along this in and out trail.
We started at the Spring trail trailhead, walked the steps up to the Dell Rim trail, continued to the Castle, came back to the Spring trail connector then added on the Island trail. There was hardly a section that was not spectacular!
awesome views. great wildlife
This trail is beautiful and perfect for the person not wanting to get their shoes dirty. It is also handicap friendly.
very nice trail, but it can be crowded at times
Super clear water and good wildlife with some pretty steep steps on your way down to the spring
Pretty trail, crowded though
We combined the spring and colosseum trails. The trail was well maintained but some of the wood steps need work. The area is beautiful and has a lot to see. I suggest the parking lot accord from the postoffice (Start high finish high). There are parking lots at colosseum and the island. Lots of stairs and great scenery.
Fun!
We just hiked the portion from the parking lot by the lake to the spring. Still a good distance but easy walking. Best time to go is at dusk. It was perfect as we walked along looking at the fog rolling over the water. Beautiful. Can't see a lot as far as the spring at the end goes.
Great trail. Beautiful spring water area.
Another favorite part of my weekend route at Ha Ha Tonka. Easy to add several trails that interconnect. The spring is always cool. Low fog in the early morning on hot summer days. The 316 steps out are good.
Great trail but it only took us 45 min. If you go clockwise you will have to climb up 300-something steps.