Saturday I had the enjoyment of getting out to do some hiking with Matt. The selected destination was a fairly sizable conservation area south of Ava, MO called Caney Mountain. It included a collection of small forested mountains/hills that rose up above the surrounding countryside. The area appears to be mainly geared toward hunting, but there are a few hiking trails and picnic areas as well.
Several caves were marked on the map, but we were unsuccessful at locating any of them.
Towards the middle of the area was an old cabin. It was located up on a bluff above a spring. From the spring, all you could see was the remains of this old stone stairway.
Here is the view from about halfway up the stairs. An old cabin, typical of what people used to live in around these parts.
This is the spring that the cabin was located near. Quite a setup indeed!
This area was home to the state champion Black Gum tree. Unfortunately the tree, probably weakened by the recent drought had been toppled over in a storm probably within the last week. Most unfortunate. The sign stated the tree was 106′ tall and 10 feet around.
The main loop through the area had several “vistas” where you could see for many miles across the surrounding lower countryside. It would probably be a great place to view some Ozarks fall foliage!
