Best long hike in the park.
The trail is the longest in the park. It's 12 miles long and has a north and south loop. The trail offers the most diversity in the park. The trail has seasonal creeks, ponds, rock outcrops, scenic over looks of the lake and a high possibility of running into wildlife. There are multiple options to hike or ride to get longer or shorter activities. There are multiple connectors to bail out and make it shorter. On the south loop there is a white connector 2 that makes the trail longer by about 2.25 miles, there is also a spur that is .3 miles long and lead to a scenic overlook. On the north loop there is a white connector 3 that is about .6 miles long. The trail will cross roads at some point so don't be caught off guard.
Directions to the trailhead.
From Osage Beach take Highway 42 to the state park entrance. You will then be on 134 and want to stay on this road until you pass state park buildings and a gravel road. You will head up a big hill and then see two gravel parking lots on both sides of the road. I recommend using the parking lot on the right and start from there.