PLEASE SCROLL DOWN to the list of tracts to see the available properties (a little further down this page).
PLEASE NOTE: We have NO other active projects with DIRECT frontage on the Mark Twain National Forest and despite searching for more land EVERY DAY we have been unable to locate any other quality acreage on the National Forest – when these tracts are gone, they are GONE!
Owner Financed land for sale ON the Mark Twain National Forest! These excellent tracts are brought to you by our Sales Partner “Outcast Land Inc.” – Outcast Land Inc. is known for focusing on the highest quality hunting and recreation land in the United States.
Outcast Land is committed to bringing you the HIGHEST QUALITY recreation land in the nation. All tracts are located in areas with a PROVEN track record for deer and turkey hunting. The “Hunting and Recreational Developments” brought to you by Outcast Land have basic Covenants in place to ENSURE that the tract you purchase can be used for hunting and recreation for generations to come. By they way, all tracts sold by Outcast Land are buildable for a cabin or home, subject to the basic property covenants (although most Outcast Land customers are more interested in deer “signs” then street signs).
Although the properties sold by Outcast Land Inc. are buildable for a home or cabin, they can not be used as a residence until after the owner financed loan has been paid in full. Although this does not affect the hunters or recreational users, it could affect folks who are looking for a place to immediately build and live. If you are looking for a place to immediately build and live than please contact us and we can let you know what is available that might suit your needs. This top-quality owner financed land is possibly the perfect place for hunting, camping, recreation and for creating lifelong memories with family and friends.
Having direct access to the Mark Twain National Forest gives you an almost endless source of additional land for hunting, fishing, camping, trail riding and recreation. You can have your cabin and/or campsite on your private tract and use the National Forest as your 20,000 acre backyard!
In the aerial photo above we are looking east over the Devil’s Backbone Project (from over the National Forest). The road you see on the right is the main easement road within the Devil’s Backbone Project (it had not yet been completed when this photo was taken) and toward the middle of the photo you can actually see one of the many roads/trails going through the National Forest.
This acreage is in an AMAZING area for deer and turkey hunting. This section of the National Forest has a proven track record for white-tailed deer as well as wild turkey.
Below you will find a map showing the the tracts in The Devil’s Backbone Project which is located in Howell County, Missouri. Directly below the map you will see a list showing the available tracts along with their prices/information. Click on the tract number of any available tract (within the list) to see the full information page for that tract.
Although electric is in the area it is not currently within the development. These are “off-grid” tracts which offer maximum privacy as well as National Forest access. Being outside of city limits means you will not find public water/sewer available (but also means these tracts are not subject to the strict regulations you would find within city limits). If you require a permanent water source you could drill a well or for occasional use a cistern (water collection/storage) can be a good choice. For septic, you can install a standard septic (which can be done yourself) or possibly dig a simple lagoon. For occasional use, an “rv style” toilet works well (as do dozens of other options). We had cell service in the areas we checked within the development (we use Verizon). The wireless internet in our work trucks seems to function fairly well in most areas we tried within the development (better in the cleared areas).
The green shaded areas on the map below are the Mark Twain National Forest which DIRECTLY borders many of these private tracts.
HUNTERS, CAMPERS AND RECREATIONAL LAND USERS have specific desires and requests when they are searching for their property. In general, these folks plan to camp and use their property more often than most people. They also generally do not plan to build a home and live on the property in the near future.
With these specific needs in mind, Outcast Land is proud to bring you this “Hunting and Recreational Development”. All of these tracts within this rural development are usable for hunting, camping, recreation and even building a home or cabin, but there are a couple of important distinctions that make these tracts special:
- All Outcast Land tracts are buildable but please keep in mind that they can not be used for a permanent residence until after the loan (to us) has been paid for in full. You can definitely build a cabin (or use a portable building) for camping/hunting but in order to live on the property the loan must be paid in full.
- Camping is allowed for 90 days a year, instead of the standard 45 days. This gives you twice as much camping/hunting time on your acreage.
- You can ALWAYS camp during the scheduled deer hunting (rifle season) and turkey hunting seasons (even if that would put you over the 90 day period). Outcast Land does NOT wish to limit your hunting opportunities on your property.
Other property covenants (setback distances, etc) will be very similar to the standard Property Covenants that you see within the InstantAcres.com “property covenants” section. To see the Outcast Land Property Covenants please click on the link below:
To see the Outcast Land Property Covenants please click here.
Hunters and Recreational land buyers generally have no interest in living on their property in the near future (although often they do plan for a retirement home/cabin on the property). BUT, many hunters, campers and recreational land buyers do tell us that it can be a hardship to have nearby neighbors living in portable buildings, camper trailers or homemade “tiny homes” while they attempt to enjoy their acreage for hunting & recreation with their friends and families.
We love “homesteaders” and you may also love “homesteaders” but these tracts from Outcast Land are not designed for the “homesteader”. These tracts are designed for the serious hunter/camper/recreational user who does not desire to be surrounded by homesteaders while hunting and using their property.
Please note that timber with a stump diameter larger than 8 inches may not be cut, sold or removed until the property has been paid for in full (we can often give written exceptions for creating a building site or a driveway/trail).
The amazing location of these tracts puts you just a few miles from West Plains, Missouri, the North Fork River and the Devils Backbone Wilderness Area within the Mark Twain National Forest!
The map below shows the tracts at the Devil’s Backbone Project (toward center of map), as well as the Mark Twain National Forest (darker green shaded area), West Plains, Missouri (lower right), North Fork River (lower left side) and the actual Devils Backbone Wilderness Area within the National Forest (lower left). The tiny town of Pomona, Missouri is about 5 miles northeast of the properties.
These tracts are a very rare find. Generally, if you are lucky enough to find land that borders the National Forest then it is often not close to a regional city. West Plains, Missouri is just a few miles southeast of these private tracts.
Now, let’s look at the tracts at The Devil’s Backbone Project!
The photo above gives you a “Bird’s Eye View” of some of these private tracts, as well as the Mark Twain National Forest. This area is a mixture of hardwood trees and pine trees. In the photo above, you can spot several large pine groves (the darker green trees).
The easement road shown above is a representation of the road which borders these tracts. Although it appears to be a well-designed road, we always highly recommend a four wheel drive truck or suv for all gravel roads. The four wheel drive can certainly be useful and the extra few inches of “clearance” that a truck or an suv provides is a “must” when you encounter rough spots in the road.
VIDEOS!
Below, we have included an “Intro Video” of The Devil’s Backbone Project as well as the general area. This video is fairly long but it does include quite a bit of good information. In the video, we use the Mapright Interactive Map to explore the area:
Video Intro Devil's Backbone Project
The next video shows the drive into the “Devil’s Backbone Project”. This video was taken in the winter time and starts at the County Road. We drive into The Devil’s Backbone Project to check out the road system and some of the tracts, and we see a small part of the Mark Twain National Forest:
Video Drive In To Devils Backbone in the Winter DONE ID#DBMAIN
And the next video gives a “drone overview” of the properties and the area. This winter time video starts by the County Road and we fly west over The Devil’s Backbone Project and see some of the tracts, as well as the National Forest:
Video drone winter flyover devils backbone Narrated ID#DBMAIN
All of the tracts in The Devil’s Backbone Project are wooded and you can expect to find oak, pine, hickory and walnut trees (as well as many other species). Some of the tracts have a private driveway and a cleared area for camping, building and hunting (that will be noted in the listing page for a specific tract). Most tracts have DIRECT frontage on the National Forest and some tracts even have a walking trail/four wheeler trail that runs through the middle of the tract (for easy access to the National Forest). The area was logged about 10 years ago (mainly for commercial sized white oak) and every tract is a mixture of young timber as well as mature timber.
The very popular Devil’s Backbone Wilderness Area can be found about 10 miles southwest of these tracts (the Devil’s Backbone Project get its name from this Wilderness Area). The Wilderness Area is within the National Forest and it offers additional land that can generally be used for hunting, camping, fishing, swimming, trail riding and more! The very popular North Fork River is accessible in the Wilderness Area and is a favorite spot for swimming, fishing, kayaking, floating and canoeing. The map below shows the Devils Backbone Wilderness Area which can be found about 10 miles to the southwest of the Devil’s Backbone Project:
The topo map above shows the Devils Backbone Wilderness Area, which is about 10 miles southwest of these tracts. In addition to the hiking and trail riding, the North Fork River flows through the Wilderness Area for fishing, swimming and floating.
This is investment-quality acreage in a fantastic location. These heavily wooded tracts are right in the heart of the Ozarks. Close to West Plains (which is the largest regional city) as well as major rivers, and with direct access into the Mark Twain National Forest!
As shown on the map above, the “Devil’s Backbone Project” is in an EXCELLENT location for hunting, camping and recreation. This private rural development is bordered on several sides by the Mark Twain National Forest and is only a few miles from West Plains, Missouri. Springfield, Missouri is about 1 1/2 hours to the west and is the largest city in southern Missouri. It is very rare to find a property with this amount of privacy that is also within just a few miles of a great city (West Plains, MO). Less than an hour south of these tracts you will find Norfork lake and Bull Shoals Lake which are world famous for their fishing and boating.
Below, we have an interactive map showing the tracts within “The Devil’s Backbone Project” as well as the surrounding area:
The Interactive Map above gives you a good look at “The Devil’s Backbone Project” as well as at the general area. You can zoom in and out and move the map around to see exactly what you want. You can also change the “base layer” to see a topo map as well as other base maps. The property lines within the map are approximate but these tracts have been recently surveyed with the corners marked.
These tracts offer maximum privacy as well as being a convenient distance to several towns, creeks, rivers and THOUSANDS of acres of additional Public Land. Many of these private tracts have direct frontage on the Mark Twain National Forest. Many people use the National Forest for hunting but it can also be used for trail riding, camping, fishing, canoeing, floating and more.
It is getting harder and harder to find good-quality acreage for hunting and recreation (and building a home or cabin). With their privacy and excellent location, these tracts represent what could be an excellent investment. Camp, hunt and enjoy your property while the trees continue to grow and to rise in value.
The camping, hunting and recreational opportunities in this area are awesome. These tracts could be suitable for hunting, camping, off-grid building and recreation.
In the photo above we are looking at a few trees on one of the tracts within The Devil’s Backbone Project. Each tract is unique and offers a different mixture of timber but you can expect to find red oak, white oak, hickory, pecan and walnut trees in the area (just to name a few).
DIRECTIONS: To get to The Devil’s Backbone Project from West Plains, Missouri just go north on Highway 63 for about 5 miles and then go west onto County Road 4740. Go west on County Road 4740 for two miles and you will come to County Road 4870. Take a right (go north) onto County Road 4870 and proceed for about 400 feet. Look to your left and you will see the start of the easement road which will bring you back to the tracts. There is a gate near the start of the easement road (about 100 feet back from the Count Road) so please contact us before visiting the tracts so that we can get you the combination for the gate.
Please be sure to print out the maps/directions from this listing page when you visit the property. Additionally, if you watch the video on our “F.A.Q.” page it will explain how you can download the free “MapRight” app which can be very useful for getting to the tracts, as well as exploring the tracts and the area.
The map below shows the route to the property from West Plains, Missouri:
The next map gives you a closer look at the last couple of miles of the drive to the property:
The map below is similar to the one above, except that it shows an aerial view of the area:
Good quality hunting land in the Ozarks has been a proven investment for many years and land near the National Forest has been popular for generations. Many of these tracts DIRECTLY border the National Forest which makes then even more special. As the demand for good property continues to grow, the values will continue to rise. Lock in your property now, while you still can!
The map below shows the location of “The Devil’s Backbone Project” which is well-located within the southern Missouri Ozarks.
On the map above, you can see the location of The Devil’s Backbone Project as well as some of the nearby towns, lakes and National Forest. Fly into Springfield, MO and you can be on your private acreage in about two hours.
What can you do on your new property at “The Devil’s Backbone Project”?
These tracts are NOT subject to the zoning regulations that you will find in most areas of the country! This property is within a Rural Development and does have basic property covenants BUT almost all of the Outcast Land buyers find that these covenants simply do NOT limit what they plan to do with their property. In fact, most Outcast Land buyers that we speak to would simply NOT buy a property without basic covenants in place to protect their investment!
On your property at The Devil’s Backbone Project you can:
- Hunt (most buyers will buy a tract with deer and turkey hunting in mind)
- Camp
- Build a cabin or a home (subject to property covenants)
- Have a portable building or shipping container (for camping, hunting, recreation and storage)
- Use your camper or RV for camping, hunting and recreation
On your property at The Devil’s Backbone Project you can not:
- No commercial businesses
- Can not live on the property until the owner financed loan has been paid in full
- No cutting of the timber until the property has been paid for in full (we can often make written exceptions for clearing a building site or driveway/trail)
- No junkyards of any kind
All of the tracts at The Devil’s Backbone Project have setback distances from the easement road for privacy and to maintain the natural “feel” of the area. These setback areas are also designated as potential utility easements. Although power is not currently within the development, having the easements in place makes it a possibility (which would be at buyers’ expense). All buildings, homesites, parking areas, storage areas, etc. must be at least 100 feet from the centerline of the easement road (this area acts as a privacy setback as well as a utility easement). Many of the tracts already have a private driveway and a clearing in place and the clearing is generally beyond the setback distance so it can be used for camping, parking, building, etc. (measure it if you are unsure).
Fences/gates may not be placed within 50 feet of the centerline of the easement road, as this area is a designated road easement area.
These tracts represent an excellent opportunity for building your own hunting cabin as there are no building permits required in this area! You and your friends/family can build your own cabin without permits or inspections.
The photo above was taken within the development. The signs are showing the boundary of the Mark Twain National Forest. These tracts are ideal for hunting and recreation and they are VERY private. In addition to setting up the perfect hunting site on your private acreage, you can also go directly into the National Forest for a virtually endless source of additional land for hunting and recreation!
To see an available tract at The Devil’s Backbone Project, please click on one of the links under the map, toward the top of this page.
