Coot Tower - SCR 216

Trail Overview

Coot Tower or Shannon County Road 216 is a simple gravel-based road to the Missouri Department of Conservation Fire Tower and land on Coot Mountain. The road is simple and graceful, with well-maintained gravel from Missouri Route V, climbing up 480 feet from the lowest point of 759 feet elevation to the highest point at 1243 feet. The sights surrounding the road feature the rolling hills of the Ozark landscape with the low valleys holding the Jacks Fork River and Current River. When approaching the tower, the service gate will likely be closed and locked, but with a short 0.2 mile hike, the tower can be witnessed and accessed to see a birdseye view of the Current heading east, and the surrounding hills surrounding the Eminence, MO and Two Rivers region of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Please respect the tower and be careful if climbing it.

Photos of Coot Tower - SCR 216

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Difficulty

Coot Tower is a simple 1/10 base-rated gravel road, showing only mild forms of erosion in spots, having a mild grade going up the hill, with the potential of small natural 6" cobbles on the edges of the road and natural rock sticking out at the surface in the road. Expect the normal gravel road complications of potholes, mounding, and washboards.

History

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the tower was originally made with wood in 1939 and later rebuilt as a 68-foot steel tower in 1967. Due to the timing of the 1939 construction, the CCC likely built the wooden tower, but the later steel tower was reconstructed by the Department of Conservation.

Technical Rating