Missouri trails · Paddy Creek-Big Piney Trail
Paddy Creek-Big Piney Trail
A 15.9-mile network in Missouri, with 429 ft of climbing. Reaches Paddy Creek Natural Arch. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 1,498 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Paddy Creek Natural Arch (arch)
Heads up
Getting there
PADDY CREEK TRAILHEAD — parking nearby, restroom, water. About 2 h 06 min drive (83 mi, 11 of them unpaved) from Sullivan. 37.55827, -92.04722 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:48 a.m., the sun rises at 7:15 a.m. and sets at 6:32 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:58 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 17 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 15.9-mile route takes roughly 6 h 07 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 1:22 p.m. — 5 h 10 min before sunset.
Loop options
- PADDY CREEK-BIG PINEY TRAIL + PADDY CREEK-BIG PINEY SPUR — 10.4 mi loop, 1,595 ft gain