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Missouri trails · Council Bluff Trail

Council Bluff Trail

A 11.9-mile loop in Missouri, with 157 ft of climbing. Reaches Chapel Hill Beach and other beach/lake destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length
11.9 mi
Elevation gain
157 ft
Difficulty
Hard
Max grade
20%
Steepest mile
+130 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
0.5 mi
Shape
loop
Managed by
U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

1,062 – 1,212 ft1234567891011

The climbing leans toward the first third: 49% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 4.0. It gives back about 293 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Council Bluff Trail

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Council Bluff Lake Trail Wild Boar Ridge Campground Trailhead. About 1 h 29 min drive (49 mi) from Farmington. 37.72724, -90.92882 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:44 a.m., the sun rises at 7:10 a.m. and sets at 6:28 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:54 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 17 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 11.9-mile route takes roughly 4 h 28 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 11:39 a.m. — 6 h 49 min before sunset.

Loop options

Nearby trails