The trail is mostly singletrack with a short stint on the road and crosses over several other roads. There is plenty of shoulder so you won't just pop out onto the road. At about the .7 mile point you will cross a small creek and the trail will T, take the left. At mile 2 you will cross a road and the trail will once again split. Go left here for the entire trail or straight to make a 4.5 mile loop. At 4.2 miles the trail will split again, go right downhill. At mile 5.2 the trail will come to a house being built get onto the road (Lakewood) and follow it to Bittersweet Rd, take right onto Bittersweet Rd. for about 200 meters. At this point you should see where you crossed Bittersweet at the 2 mile point. Take a left onto the trail and instead of going left at the split, go straight. Eventually you'll come back to Bittersweet Rd. Take a left and ride up to Carl's and back to your vehicle. There are several man made obstacles (jumps) to play around on if you follow these directions. Make sure you bring a spare tube if you are running tubes or a patch kit to fix any flats. There are several sharp rocks.
From Osage Beach, MO drive North on Hwy 54 to Bagnell Dam Blvd. Take left onto Bagnell Dam and drive about 2 miles to Horseshoe Bend Pkwy. Take left on Horseshoe and drive 4.5 miles you will pass Bittersweet Rd and see Carl's Market on your right. Park at Carl's Market. Once you are on your bike continue down Horseshoe Bend for about 200 meters. You see a Fire Department on right, take a right before you get to the Fire Department. There is a field behind it and trail starts there. You'll have to look for it but once you see it the trail is easy to follow.
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