The Current River and the rest of Ozark National Scenic Riverways this weekend will serve as the backdrop to a celebration of the outdoors and the cultural history of the region/NPS

Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri will be celebrating both outdoor recreation and the rich cultural history of the Ozarks this weekend.

National Trails Day activities will take place throughout the weekend to encourage visitors to learn more about hiking in the area. A Civil War encampment at Round Spring will bring to life the struggle and hardships experienced by the settlers in the Ozarks during that turbulent period of our nation’s history.

Activities include:

• Friday, June 2: Special campfire programs by the Ozark Trail Association at 8:30 p.m. at the Round Spring and Pulltite campground amphitheaters.
• Saturday, June 3: Help volunteers construct a new trail, the Round Spring spur of the Ozark Trail. This section of trail will connect Round Spring to the Blair Creek Section of the Ozark Trail. Check in at the Round Spring Visitor Center at 9 a.m. to participate.
• On Saturday at 8:30 p.m., attend a special campfire presentation with soldiers of the 1st Missouri Engineers at Round Spring Campground amphitheater.
• Sunday, June 4: The Pulltite Prize Hike will be held in the Pulltite Campground starting Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Participants will check in at the Pulltite Ranger Station and receive a hiking guide for the Pulltite Trail. After hiking the trail, return to the Pulltite Ranger Station to pick out a special prize from the American Hiking Society.
• Friday through Sunday: Civil War soldiers will return to Round Spring on Friday and remain camped along the spring branch until Sunday afternoon. This living history encampment will include equipment displays, period cooking, laundress display, Army drill for young recruits, and period children’s games. The unit represented is the 1st Missouri Engineers of the West. They started out in 1861 as Bissell’s Engineers of the West and in 1864 were redesignated as the 1st Missouri Engineers.

Each year, on the first Saturday of June, the American Hiking Society and the trails community invite Americans of all ages and abilities to find their own adventure and discover their unique story at one of the thousands of events hosted throughout the country. By coordinating a wide array of trail activities on a single day, National Trails Day attracts new trail users and helps connect existing trail enthusiasts with local clubs and organizations with the hopes of creating trail advocates and stewards.