Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Public Land · Van Buren, Missouri
Eighty thousand acres along 134 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork rivers in the southern Missouri Ozarks, protected by an Act of Congress in 1964 and dedicated in 1971. The rivers are fed almost entirely by springs rather than runoff, which is why they run clear and cold in August when everything else in the region is warm and brown - the park holds the largest concentration of first magnitude springs in the United States. Around 1.3 million people come a year and most of them come to float.
404 Watercress Drive, Van Buren, Missouri, 63965, United States
FREE and open at all times, year round - there is no gate and no entrance fee. Visitor contact stations at Van Buren, Round Spring and Alley Spring keep seasonal hours and several close entirely in winter. THE RIVERS ARE THE PARK AND THEY FLOOD: gravel bars, access points and campgrounds close without much notice after heavy rain, and outfitters stop running. Check current river conditions with the park before travelling; this is not a place to find out on arrival.
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