Paddling on Karst: The Current River in Missouri
- tagcaver
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
Each year at Easter, Jason and I trade our caving helmets for paddles and head out to discover a new slice of watery wilderness. This year, Missouri’s spring-fed gem, the Current River, called our names. The Current River is a part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, which was created by an Act of Congress on August 27, 1964, to protect 134 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers in the Ozark Highlands of southeastern Missouri. It was also the nation's first "scenic riverways".
Much of the area is underlain by soluble dolomite, giving rise to sinkholes, caves and springs of classical Karst topography and there are over 300 recorded caves within the boundaries. However, most of the caves here are gated as many of them provide home to the endangered Indiana and Gray bats.
We started our adventure a day early and explored some of the Missouri Ozark region’s incredible springs and mills before our paddle trip. You can check out that video here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-hrd-g8Mt8
Last fall this area had some flooding so we had to change our original plans of camping at the put in, Cedgargrove to a nearby private campground, Whispering Pines. Our original plan was to put in at Cedargrove and paddle 44 miles to Two Rivers. However, the weather for our third day was starting to look pretty bad with forecast of severe thunderstorms. Two in our group decided they would leave a vehicle at Round Spring, which is 27 miles into the paddle. This would give us an opportunity to check the weather and have a bail out vehicle if needed.
After a long (and scenic) 2.5-hour shuttle through the Ozark mountains, we finally set off, and what a trip it was!
We were surrounded by breathtaking karst features, towering bluffs, and lots of springs. Along the way, we spotted bald eagles, playful otters, and even a beaver visited us one night at camp! We explored Welch Spring, where an old hospital was built over a cave in 1913, hoping the air could cure illnesses. We floated past Cave Spring, the resurgence of the underground Devils Well lake, and marveled at the flow of Pulltite Spring, pushing an incredible 20–30 million gallons of water into the river daily. Overall, the Current River truly showed off her wild beauty, and reminded us why this tradition of trading helmets for paddles is so special every year.
Unfortunately, when we reached Round Spring, the forecast for the next day was still calling for severe thunderstorms, potential tornadoes, and hail. It was an easy group decision that it would be best to take off the river early and find a cabin nearby. The next morning, we woke up to thunderstorms and hail, confirming that we had absolutely made the right call.
Even though our paddle trip was cut a day short, it was still an incredible adventure with great friends, exploring the beauty of Missouri. We’re already dreaming about coming back, whether it’s to paddle more of the Current, explore the Jacks Fork, or even take on the Eleven Point River.
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