The Ozark administrative region of the Missouri Department of Conservation encompasses Carter, Dent, Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Phelps, Pulaski, Ripley, Shannon, Texas, and Wright counties. The regional conservation office is in West Plains.
Conservation Area Description Size County Location Allen (Wilbur) Memorial Conservation Area This area contains forest, old fields, cropland, and grassland. Facilities/features: primitive camping, picnic area, and a permanent stream (Gasconade River). Wright Angeline Conservation Area This rugged forest and old fields area has a hiking trail and of field roads open to horseback riders. It also offers access to the Jacks Fork and Current Rivers. Shannon Austin Lake This is a forest area. Facilities/features: boat ramp, picnic areas and a pavilion, fishing dock, and Austin Community Lake (22 acres). Texas Baptist Camp Access This forest area offers access to Big Piney River. There is a picnic area. Texas Barn Hollow Natural Area This is a mostly forest area. Texas Barnes (P F) Conservation Area This is a predominantly forest area. Texas Beaver Creek Conservation Area This is a forest area. Facilities/features: picnic areas and a pavilion, archery range, intermittent stream (Beaver Creek). Phelps Birch Creek Conservation Area This is a forest area. Shannon Blair Bridge Access This is a forest area. Facilities/features: boat ramp, picnic area and permanent stream (North Fork of the White River). Ozark Bohigian Conservation Area This area offers bank access to Mill Creek, especially for trout fishing. Phelps Boiling Spring Access This area offers access to the Big Piney River. There is a boat ramp and a picnic area. Texas Brown (Gerhild and Graham) Conservation Area This area is mostly forested, with four ponds. Dent Bull Shoals Lake Management Lands Bull Shoals Lake ML has more than of fishable water. Permanent streams in the area include Swan Creek, Beaver Creek, Big Creek, Pond Fork, Little Norfork, and Spring Creek. The area also contains large tracts of forest and wetlands. Taney, Ozark Buttin Rock Access The boat launch at this area is no longer available. Use the nearby Chilton Access. Shannon Buzzard Bluff Access This mostly forest area offers access to the Gasconade River. Facilities/features: primitive camping and picnic area. Wright Cabool Towersite This is a forest area. Texas Camp Branch Access This forest and cropland area offers access to the Gasconade River. Wright Caney Mountain Conservation Area This area contains forest, savanna, and dolomite glades. Facilities/features: firearms and archery ranges, Caney Mountain Natural Area (1,330 acres). Interpretive nature programs are held at various times during the year. Ozark Carter Creek Conservation Area This is a forest area with a permanent stream (Bear Spring). Carter Cedar Gap Conservation Area This is a forest area at the headwaters of Bryant Creek. Wright Cedar Grove Conservation Area This is an entirely forested area. Dent Chilton (Joshua T.) Memorial Access This area features a boat ramp and a canoe launch on the Jacks Fork River. It also has a privy and a pavilion. Shannon Clement (R F) Memorial Forest and Wildlife Area This is a forest area. Dent Cook (Flo ) Access This mostly forest area offers access to Bryant Creek (the upper end of Norfork lake). There is a boat ramp. Ozark Cover (Dan and Maureen) Memorial Wildlife Area This area is mostly forest with old fields and glades. There is a small, fishable pond. Oregon Cover (Dan and Maureen) Prairie Conservation Area The area is located on a large sinkhole plain and includes several large sinkholes. Species associated with these sinkholes include yellow lady's slipper, Turk's cap lily, and the state-listed royal catchfly. There are hiking trails and 2 parking lots. Howell Current River Conservation Area This is a predominantly forest area. Facilities/features: picnic area, fishing jetties, Buford Pond (3 acres, fishable), Blue Springs Natural Area (17 acres), Cardareva Bluff Natural Area (95 aces), and a permanent stream (Current River). Shannon, Reynolds, Carter Davidson (Carrick W) - Robert G Paris Wildlife Area About a quarter of this area is wooded. The rest is grass, crop land, and old fields. There is a hiking trail, several ponds, and Middle Fork Creek. Howell Davis (Dean) Conservation Area This area features a hiking trail, a fishing pond, and an archery range. Howell Dogs Bluff Access This area offers access to the Big Piney River. There is a boat ramp. Texas Doniphan Towersite This area is mostly forest. No hunting is allowed. Ripley Eck (Peter A) Conservation Area It contains an old growth, pine-oak forest and Eck Natural Area. Texas Fort Leonard Wood Towersite This is a forest area. Pulaski Fourche Creek Conservation Area The West Fork of Fourche Creek runs through this area. Ripley Fuson (John Alva, MD) Conservation Area Facilities/features: picnic area and intermittent stream (Parks Creek). Wright Gasconade Hills Conservation Area This is a forest area bordering the Gasconade River. Pulaski Gist Ranch Conservation Area This area is predominantly forest with glades, savanna, and old fields. Facilities/features: primitive camping and 2 intermittent streams (Peters Creek, Sanders Branch). Texas Grandin Towersite This is a forest area. (This may no longer be an MDC property, but information is inconclusive as of 2026-09.) Ripley Greenville Ford Access This area offers bank access to the Little Black River and a picnic table. Ripley Grundy Memorial Wildlife Area This is a forest area with a -loop field archery range trail. Douglas Hebron Access This is a forest area. Facilities/features: boat ramp, primitive camping, and a permanent stream (North Fork of the White River). Douglas Hemenway Conservation Area This area contains old fields, forest, and wetlands. Ripley Houston Towersite This is a forest area. Texas Hunter Towersite This is a forest area with a fire tower. Carter Indian Trail Conservation Area This large area is primarily forest. Facilities/features: primitive camping, Indian Trail Fish Hatchery/Blackwell Lake (35 acres), picnic area, numerous small ponds, 2 permanent streams (Fishwater Creek, Crooked Creek). Dent Jerome Access This area offers access to the Gasconade River. There is a boat ramp. Phelps Little Black Conservation Area This is a predominantly forest area. Facilities/features: Picnic area, archery range, fishless ponds, intermittent stream (Barton Branch), and permanent stream (North and South Prongs of the Little Black River). Ripley Little Prairie Conservation Area This area contains forest and old fields. Facilities/features: boat ramp, picnic areas, fishing dock, and Towell Lake (100 acres). Phelps Maramec Spring Fish Hatchery The fish hatchery is owned and operated by MDC. It is inside Maramec Spring Park, which is operated by the James Foundation, and charges an entry fee. Phelps Martin (George and Vida) Access This forest area offers access to the Warm Fork of the Spring River. Oregon Mason Bridge Access This forest area offers access to the Big Piney River. There is a boat ramp. Texas Massengill (Richard) Conservation Area This area contains forest and old fields. Douglas Midvale Conservation Area This is a forest area. Texas Miller Lake Facilities/features: boat ramp, picnic areas, and Miller Community Lake (20 acres). Carter Mineral Springs Access This forest area offers access to the Big Piney River. There is a boat ramp. Texas Mitschele Access This area offers access to the Gasconade River. There is a boat ramp. Pulaski Montauk Fish Hatchery The hatchery is on the headwaters of the Current River. Facilities/features: 5 fishing jetties, 2 springs (Montauk Springs, Bluff Springs), Montauk Lake (5 acres). Dent Montauk Towersite This is a forest area. Dent Mountain View Towersite This is a forest area with a fire lookout tower. Howell Mudpuppy Conservation Area Facilities/features: fishable pond (1 acre), intermittent stream (Flat Creek), and a permanent Stream (Little Black River). Ripley Myrtle Access This forest area offers access to the Eleven Point River. There is a boat ramp. Oregon Norfork Lake Management Lands This area contains mostly forest along with cropland, wetlands and glades. Facilities/features: boat ramp, boat rental, boat dock, improved camping, picnic area, and Norfork Lake (1,000 acres). Ozark Odin Access This forest, old fields, and grassland area offers access to the Gasconade River. Wright Patrick Bridge Access This area is mostly forest. Facilities/features: picnic areas and 2 permanent streams (Althea Spring, North Fork of the White River). Ozark Peck Ranch Conservation Area This area is predominantly forest with nearly in glades, along with old fields, savanna, cropland and some wetlands. Facilities/features: primitive camping, picnic areas, firearms range, viewing deck, two deer/turkey blinds, one intermittent s Shannon, Carter Riddle Bridge Access This area offers access to the Gasconade River. There is a boat ramp. Pulaski Rippee Conservation Area This area is predominantly forest. Facilities/features: primitive camping, picnic areas, 2 permanent streams (Rippee Creek, Bryant Creek), Bryant Creek Natural Area (riparian corridor). Douglas Rocky Creek Conservation Area With almost of public land, the Rocky Creek Conservation Area provides for a wide range of outdoor activities. These include nature viewing, bird watching, hiking, dispersed primitive camping, and many hunting and fishing opportunities. It also provides a canoe launch on the Current River. Shannon, Reynolds, Carter Rose Hill Towersite This is a forest area. Oregon Ross Access This area offers access to the Big Piney River. Pulaski Roubidoux Creek Conservation Area This is a grassland, wetlands, and forest area on the Gasconade River and Roubidoux Creek. Pulaski Ryden Cave Conservation Area This is a forest area. Pulaski Sand Pond Conservation Area This area has a unique dune-swale ecosystem. It also offers opportunities for hiking, wildlife viewing, and hunting. Ripley Schlicht Springs Access This is a mostly forest area offering access to the Gasconade River. There is a boat ramp. Pulaski Shannon Ranch Conservation Area This area contains forest, grassland, savanna and glades. Facilities/features: primitive camping and several intermittent streams. Douglas Shawnee Mac Lakes Conservation Area This area contains forest and grassland. Facilities/features: 2 boat ramps, primitive camping, picnic area, pavilion, a fishing jetty, and 2 fishable lakes (Ziske Lake, ; Turner Lake, 17 acres). Dent Short Bend Access This forest and old fields area offers access to the Meramec River. Dent Simmons Ford Access This area offers access to the Big Piney River. Texas Sims Valley Lake Facilities/features: boat ramp, picnic area, and Sims Valley Community Lake (41 acres). Howell South Prong Access This forest area offers access to the South Prong of Jacks Fork. Texas Summersville Towersite This was the former location of a fire tower in the midst of Gist Ranch Conservation Area. Texas Sunklands Conservation Area This is a predominantly forest area with savanna and glades. Facilities/features: Sunklands Natural Area, numerous small streams, and permanent stream (Current River). Shannon Sycamore Access This forest area offers access to Bryant Creek. Ozark Tecumseh Towersite This is a forest area. Ozark Timber Knob Towersite This area is completely forested and contains a fire tower. Ozark Tingler Prairie Conservation Area This area contains prairie and forest. Facilities/features: Tingler Lake (3 acres) and permanent stream. Howell Twin Pines Conservation Education Center Twin Pines has a visitor center, hiking trail, archery range, outside exhibits, and forest management demonstration areas. Shannon Vanderhoef (Archie and Gracie) Memorial State Forest This area is mostly forest. Facilities/features: picnic area, viewing deck, and permanent stream (South Fork of the Spring River). Howell Vera Cr