Mark Twain National Forest

Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) is a US National Forest. It is mainly in the southern half of Missouri. The MTNF was established on September 11, 1939. It is named for author Mark Twain, a Missouri native. The MTNF covers 1,491,840 acres (6,037.3 km²), 78,000 acres (320 km²) of which are wilderness, and National Wild and Scenic River area. MTNF spans 29 counties. It represents 11% of all forested land in Missouri. MTNF is divided into six distinct ranger districts: "Ava-Cassville-Willow Springs", "Eleven Point", "Houston-Rolla-Cedar Creek", "Poplar Bluff", "Potosi-Fredericktown", and the "Salem. The six ranger districts actually cover nine overall unique tracts of forests. The headquarters of the MTNF are in Rolla, Missouri.

Some unique features of the Mark Twain include Greer Spring. It is the largest spring on National Forest land. It is part of the Eleven Point National Scenic River. The spring pumps an average of 214 million gallons of water per day into the river.^[1] The public can also visit the Glade Top Trail National Scenic Byway, which offers views of over 30 miles (48 km) to the Boston Mountains in Arkansas. Part of the Ozark Trail system winds through the National Forest.

1. ↑ "Water Resources Center - DNR". mo.gov. Retrieved 26 August 2015.