Moon Loop

From the parking lot, south uphill to an area of cedars where the loop starts. Going clockwise, you'll drop down through hardwoods to the creek. Cross the creek, not the side-trail to the east. Continue south and wind through nice hardwood forest.The trail runs due west along a fence line and then turns back to the north. Drop into the creek again and then uphill through a large old-field area. The trail turns back to the east to meet back up the north-south trail to the parking lot.

Like most of this section of the Mark Twain National Forest, this area was heavily degraded farmland purchased after the dust-bowl years. The name Moon Loop refers to "the moon-like appearance of the area cause by soil erosion in the 1930s."