Riverways’ beauty will keep you afloat
Ozark National waters live up to their name
EMINENCE, Mo. – The steep gravel road ends at the mouth of Bay Creek, which is hardly a creek at all. A child could leap across it. But like the river it flows into, its waters are spring-fed, clear as a freshly scrubbed window pane. And refreshingly cool.
A campground overlooks this pretty spot on the Jacks Fork River, which, along with the nearby Current River, form the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the nation’s first national river park.
It’s a primitive campsite, deeply shaded and close enough to the water so that the pulse of the spring-fed Jacks Fork slightly tempers the unusually hot June weather. It’s just past 8:30 a.m. and the temperature is 80 degrees. I can’t wait to get on the water. Neither can Bill Smith. Smith, 60, and recently retired from the National Park Service, grew up in Shannon County, Missouri, and is a lifelong resident. He’s worked, fished, paddled and played on these rivers for more than half a century and recently opened Scenic Rivers Guide Service.
“Most people want to fish, of course,” he says. “But a lot of people just want to float and enjoy and learn about the rivers and the park.”
Bill and I offer to help Ryan Voyles with our canoe, but Voyles, who works for Harvey’s Alley Spring Canoe Rental – one of more than a dozen such outfitters on the Jacks Fork and Current – is a practiced river hand. He hoists the Old Town Discovery 169 and delivers it to the water’s edge.
Smith and I check our gear. He offers some safety pointers in case we tip the boat, then directs me to the bow seat, pushes us into the river, climbs in and settles into the stern seat. We drift past one of the campers who has waded knee-deep and is casting a plastic craw toward the cut bank probing for smallmouth bass. Bill back-paddles while we exchange information.
“Nothing yet,” he says brightly. “But I caught a 14-incher here yesterday.”
When the Ozark National Scenic Riverways was created in 1964, it officially scrapped plans that would have put this chunk of the Missouri Ozarks underwater. Two dams had been on the drawing board.
The dams not only would have largely vanquished the rivers but also swallowed many of the 300 or so springs and caves that carve the subsurface landscape of this national park. Ally Spring on the Jacks Fork and Big Spring on the Current are two of the largest and most visited springs.
Alley Spring is home to a historic mill, and is one of the most photographed spots in Missouri.Archeological evidence suggests people have been gathering at the spring for 10,000 years.
Big Spring, on the Current River downstream from Van Buren, Missouri, is the largest in the state and one of the largest freshwater springs in the world.
There are many more springs and there are even more caves, a result of the region’s karst landscape and eons of water eroding the porous dolomite rock. But except for Round Spring Cavern, which is accessible via ranger-guided tours during the summer season, and Devils Well, park caves are off limits.
The park encompasses approximately 134 river miles and strips of shoreline property. The Current rises from a series of springs at Montauk State Park and flows southeast for more than 100 miles. The Current eventually enters Arkansas where it joins the Black River. Park riverways property ends about 20 miles downstream from Van Buren, Missouri.
Van Buren is home to the Ozark National Scenic Riverways headquarters.
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways attracts about 1.5 million visitors annually.
There is plenty to see and do beyond the rivers: A small herd of wild horses prowls the area. The nearby Peck Ranch Wildlife Management Area is home to a small but growing, free-ranging elk herd.
Blue Spring is 310 feet deep and reflects the flanking bluff with a kaleidoscope blue hue fueled by shifting shadow and sun.
Free-flowing fun
It’s about 6 miles from Bay Creek to Ally Spring. The float typically takes three or four hours, depending on various factors. The Jacks Fork is smaller than the Current. Both are Class I and II rivers, and both are littered with downed and overhanging trees.
The hills and rivers are home to a few
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways is a national park and was the first of which created to protect a river system. The park hems the Jacks Fork and Current rivers, which combine to drain a remote, rugged slice of the south-central Missouri Ozarks. You can paddle a canoe, float downstream in a tube, swim, camp, hike and enjoy an array of wild flowers and wildlife. Shannon County, Missouri, also is home to a herd of wild horses.
Access the area by U.S. Highway 60 and state routes 19 and 106. Many campsites and river access points are accessible by secondary roads. The landscape is rugged but generally and well-kept. The best way to see the rivers is by canoe, kayak or tube. There are numerous outfitters and shuttle services in the area.
Don’t miss the Twin Pines Conservation Center located about 1 mile east of Winona, Missouri, on Highway 60. The center, which is open April through November, features exhibits on the history of the region.
“We can’t compete with the natural attractions in the area,” says center manager Skyler Brockman. “But we’re a hub for the area.”
The center has about 30,000 visitors annually. Admission is free. Call 573325-1381. venomous snakes, but it’s a rare encounter. “I’ve only seen one cottonmouth in the river,” Smith said.
We sideswipe a freshly downed tree and glide through a surprisingly deep pool.
At the next pool, a couple of miles above Ally Spring, we beach the boat and enjoy a shore lunch of sandwiches.
The rest of the float is an easy paddle. We catch a couple more bass, spot a pair of hawks and don’t see another boat until reaching the take-out point.
“Everyday on the river is like a new day for me,” Smith concludes. “The rivers have their own uniqueness. Their own beauty. There is really no other place like it.”