Missouri trails · Hercules Glade Tower
A 6.4-mile out-and-back in Missouri, with 405 ft of climbing. Reaches Lower Pilot Knob. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
The climbing leans toward the final third: 54% of the ascent falls between mile 4.3 and mile 6.4. It gives back about 229 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
Hercules Glades Wilderness Long Creek Trail Traihead — parking nearby. 36.68459, -92.88353 · directions
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:15 a.m., the sun rises at 6:41 a.m. and sets at 7:41 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:07 p.m. (CDT) — 13 h 00 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 12.8-mile round trip takes roughly 5 h 09 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 11:50 a.m. — 7 h 51 min before sunset.