Hercules-Glades Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Hercules Glades Wilderness is a 12314 acres (50 km²) wilderness area in the U.S. state
of Missouri
. The United States Congress
designated it a wilderness in 1976 making it the oldest wilderness area in Missouri. It is one of eight wilderness areas in the Mark Twain National Forest
and is within the Ava-Cassville-Willow Springs ranger district, about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Branson, Missouri
. Often considered to hold some of the most scenic country in the midwest, Hercules Glades Wilderness derives its name from the open limestone
glade
s (balds) that dot its landscape. The high points of Coy Bald and Pilot Knob stand 600 feet above Long Creek and offer splendid views of the drainage. Long creek also offers views at small waterfalls and cascades along its path.
/hickory
forests interspersed with open post oak savannahs and rocky, desert-like glades are home to many species of plants and wildlife. This includes some species that are often considered to be southwestern species. prickly pear cacti
, roadrunner
, scorpion
s, collared lizard
, pygmy rattlesnakes, and even tarantulas call Hercules Glades Wilderness home, not to mention other wildlife more common in Missouri like the white-tailed deer
and wild turkey
. Hercules Glades Wilderness is also home to many species of plants that are Ozark endemics. Some of these plants are Bush's skullcap (Scutellaria bushii), Ozark corn salad (Valerianella ozarkana), purple penstemon (Penstemon cobaea var. purpureus), and Trelease's larkspur (Delphinium treleasei). Depending on past land-use histories (fire, grazing, and logging primarily) some places within Hercules Glades Wilderness exhibit floral diversities that rival most other areas in Missouri.
Hercules Glades has 32 miles (51 km) trail system that is popular for foot travel and horseback riding, and there are camping facilities available, with three main trailheads.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. The United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
designated it a wilderness in 1976 making it the oldest wilderness area in Missouri. It is one of eight wilderness areas in the Mark Twain National Forest
Mark Twain National Forest
Mark Twain National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the southern half of Missouri. MTNF was established on September 11, 1939. It is named for author Mark Twain, a Missouri native. The MTNF covers approximately 1.5 million acres , 78,000 acres of which are Wilderness, and National...
and is within the Ava-Cassville-Willow Springs ranger district, about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
. Often considered to hold some of the most scenic country in the midwest, Hercules Glades Wilderness derives its name from the open limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
glade
Glade (geography)
A glade or clearing is an open area within a woodland. Glades are often grassy meadows under the canopy of deciduous trees such as red alder or quaking aspen in western North America. They also represent openings in forests where local conditions such as avalanches, poor soils, or fire damage have...
s (balds) that dot its landscape. The high points of Coy Bald and Pilot Knob stand 600 feet above Long Creek and offer splendid views of the drainage. Long creek also offers views at small waterfalls and cascades along its path.
Flora and fauna
A mix of typical oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
/hickory
Hickory
Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
forests interspersed with open post oak savannahs and rocky, desert-like glades are home to many species of plants and wildlife. This includes some species that are often considered to be southwestern species. prickly pear cacti
Opuntia
Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
, roadrunner
Geococcyx
The roadrunners are two species of bird in the genus Geococcyx of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, native to North and Central America...
, scorpion
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
s, collared lizard
Common Collared Lizard
The Common collared lizard, Oklahoma collared lizard or collared lizard, Crotaphytus collaris, is a North American lizard that can reach a foot long in length , with a large head and powerful jaws. They are well known for the ability to run on their hind legs, looking like small dinosaurs...
, pygmy rattlesnakes, and even tarantulas call Hercules Glades Wilderness home, not to mention other wildlife more common in Missouri like the white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
and wild turkey
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
. Hercules Glades Wilderness is also home to many species of plants that are Ozark endemics. Some of these plants are Bush's skullcap (Scutellaria bushii), Ozark corn salad (Valerianella ozarkana), purple penstemon (Penstemon cobaea var. purpureus), and Trelease's larkspur (Delphinium treleasei). Depending on past land-use histories (fire, grazing, and logging primarily) some places within Hercules Glades Wilderness exhibit floral diversities that rival most other areas in Missouri.
Hercules Glades has 32 miles (51 km) trail system that is popular for foot travel and horseback riding, and there are camping facilities available, with three main trailheads.
See also
- Bell Mountain WildernessBell Mountain WildernessThe United States Congress designated the Bell Mountain Wilderness in 1980. The wilderness area now has a total of . Bell Mountain is located within the Potosi-Fredericktown Ranger District of the Mark Twain National Forest, south of Potosi, Missouri in the United States...
- Devils Backbone WildernessDevils Backbone WildernessThe Devils Backbone Wilderness is one of eight wilderness areas protected and preserved in the U.S. State of Missouri. The United States Congress designated the wilderness area in 1980, and it now has a total of 6,595 acres...
- Irish WildernessIrish WildernessThe Irish Wilderness is a wilderness area in the U.S. state of Missouri. The United States Congress designated it a wilderness in 1984. The Irish Wilderness is located within the Eleven Point Ranger District, of the Mark Twain National Forest, northeast of Alton, Missouri...
- Paddy Creek WildernessPaddy Creek WildernessThe Paddy Creek Wilderness is a wilderness area in the U.S. state of Missouri, United States. The United States Congress designated it wilderness in 1983. Paddy Creek Wilderness is located within the Houston-Rolla Ranger District, of the Mark Twain National Forest, northwest of Licking, Missouri....
- Piney Creek WildernessPiney Creek WildernessThe Piney Creek Wilderness is an wilderness area in the U.S. state of Missouri. The United States Congress designated it wilderness in 1980. The Piney Creek Wilderness is located within the Ava-Cassville-Willow Springs Ranger District, of the Mark Twain National Forest, east of Cassville, Missouri...
- Rockpile Mountain WildernessRockpile Mountain WildernessThe Rockpile Mountain Wilderness is a wilderness area in the U.S. state of Missouri. It takes its name from an ancient circle of granite rock, piled by some earlier man on top of the mountain. It is located in Madison County, Missouri southeast of Bell Mountain and southwest of Fredericktown,...