We hiked this loop with one night of backpacking in August 2019. The area has many backroads but the directions from usda site took us right to the trailhead. We chose the trailhead to the north rather than the trailhead off the Ozark Trail. From other reviews we weren’t sure if there would be water available and packed a nice full cube in addition to our bladders but found that there were multiple options to filter from due to recent rain of a small pond and a creek. The trail is well traveled and easy to follow. It is easy to find a spot with a great view over the bluff. We brought our dog and she had a great time! I could see the edge of Taum Sauk reservoir from where we camped, which I thought was cool!