Hercules Tower - FS 154
Total Miles
0.3
Elevation
421.26 ft
Duration
0.25 Hours
Technical Rating
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Trail Overview
Hercules Tower FS 154 is a gravel forest road within the Mark Twain National Forest Ava Unit, as part of the larger Glade Top National Scenic Byway area. Aside from being a repeater site and historical point of interest, the purpose of the Hercules Tower is to gather, stage, plan a rest or meal, and/or logistically meet during an outing. The circle lot around the tower is big enough to host 50+ vehicles if needed, with picnic tables, a vault toilet, fire rings, and trash cans. Three separate hiking trails branch off the circle lot, Long Creek Trail, Pilot Trail, and the Pees Hollow Trail, which go in various directions into the Hercules-Glades Wilderness which rests primarily west of the tower site. It is advised to use an offline map if desiring a hike on these trails as they branch several times and are several miles long, leading to the opposite side of the wilderness to the Merrick Road / Coy Bald FS 566.
Photos of Hercules Tower - FS 154
Difficulty
The FS 154 is a simple, 1/10 rated generally well-maintained gravel road. Expect the potential gravel road complications of mounding, potholes, and washboarding.
History
The tower is 100 feet tall, built in 1936 according to the Forest Service. In June 1936 the Douglas County Herald stated that a hydraulic ram was installed to pull water from a nearby spring uphill to the tower site. The same publication also referred to this area as the Pondfork Unit, 2+ years before the 1939 decision to name the entire forest, Mark Twain National Forest (at least for the first time), to be temporarily changed to National Forest of Missouri (1973-1976) when what was Mark Twain merged with Clark National Forest, then in 1976 (for the 2nd time) officially renamed Mark Twain National Forest, as it has remained up to now (12/2024). On 11/30/24, one of the first OnX Trail Talks events was held here, using the site as a logistical spot to meet, have donuts and coffee, free swag and membership giveaways, and talk offroading, trail riding, and stewardship, before heading out to the trails of the area, attendance was 18 rigs, 26 people, 2 trail guides, not bad for a Thanksgiving weekend.
Status Reports
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