The longest continuous stretch available for hiking in as of 2008[update] is 225 miles (362 km), from Onondaga Cave State Park to the Eleven Point River.

Some sections have restrictions on their use in order to be compatible with the goals and purposes of the various public and private landholders whose property the trail crosses.

It was determined that a trail spanning the Ozarks from suburban St. Louis southwest to Arkansas could be routed over mostly existing public lands with a minimum amount of right-of-way needing to be obtained from private landowners.

The general route of the Ozark Trail is determined by the Ozark Trail Council, which was formed by seven governmental agencies including the United States Forest Service, the Missouri State Parks Department, the Missouri Conservation Commission, et al., plus several environmental groups and a private landowner with significant holdings.

The Ozark Trail Association and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources mapped out a new route to replace the damaged section, which was completed in mid-2009.