Location: South of Potosi, Missouri approximately 20 miles (15miles south on Hwy 21, then about 5 miles west on Hwy 32, then 2 miles south on Hwy A).

Distance: 11.9 miles of Hiking Trail, including a small segment of the Ozark Trail.

Water: Water is NOT available along the trail but can be gathered in Shut-in creek below the summit of Bell Mountain to the east. However, there is no trail down to the creek and it is very steep and rocky (hence the name Shut-in) !

Parking: Overnight parking is available at two locations, one along Highway A (5 miles south of Hwy 32) west of Bell Mountain and another northeast of Bell Mountain along Forest Road 2228 about 2-miles off of Hwy A to the east (watch for sign on Hwy A). A third parking area to the east (you will need the map), for Lindsey Mountain, is also available. Shut-in creek separates Lindsey and Bell Mountain with no marked trail in-between.

Comments: This is one of the best wilderness areas that I have been in in Missouri. The view from the top of Bell Mountain to the east is spectacular. The trail in from the north is very moderate until you get close to the top of the mountain. The trail from the southwest is the longest route to take to the top. There are also some beautiful vistas to the southwest while hiking up from the parking lot along Highway A. This is a nice trail for Fall colors ! It is also more rugged and is uphill all the way (and downhill back to the car). A loop can also be hiked in the center of the wilderness area to give one nearly a 10-mile hike as well. I have picked my way down the east side of Bell Mountain and hiked across Shut-in creek. Shut-in creek is very beautiful and worth the visit if you are so inclined. You can get down in about 15-20 minutes but expect twice as long to make the ascent back to the trail. With another hiker I have hiked across the wilderness area from the western parking lot to Bell Mountain to the parking lot for Lindsey mountain. This means crossing the Shut-in gorge. Since there is no trail it can be a difficult climb down and up with a lot of weight on your back. There are at least three ledges to climb over on the Bell Mountain side. It really looks like a wall from Lindsey Mountain ! There are no specific trail camps marked so keep it clean !

I hiked in this wilderness area 4 times in '95-'96 and the only person that I ever ran into was the one time that I took someone with me. This is one of my favorite places to get away ! I have hiked to the mountain top from all trailheads and have crossed over to the Lindsey Mountain trailhead when I had someone with me so that we could park cars at the Ozark Trail trailhead to the Southwest and at the Lindsey Mountain trailhead to the Northeast. If you like wilderness areas then you don't want to miss this one.

Maps: Trail maps available from the Potosi Ranger District (573-438-5427), Highway 8 West, P.O. Box 188, Potosi, MO 63664. Quad sheets: Johnson Mountain, Banner, Edgehill, and Johnson Shut-ins, MO, 7-1/2 minute USGS 1:24000 Quadrangles.