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SWIMMING HOLES / RIVER ACCESSES -3

Access to several rivers are within a day’s travel of West Plains! 

Points of Interest West Plains, Missouri
  • 0.7 Lick Fork of Gasconade on right. Hwy. 38 Bridge 0.2 mile up this fork is also a possible put-in.
  • 2.5 Camp Branch Access. Gravel ramp.
  • 11.8 Low-water bridge on Hwy. E. Spring in bluff on left, just upstream from bridge.
  • 12.3 Whetstone Creek on right.
  • 12.9 Grimes Mill.
  • 14.3 Buzzard Bluff Access, off Hwy. E. Gravel ramp.
  • 19.4 Hwy. H Bridge. 21.5 Wilbur Allen Access, off Hwy. 95 on Radford Drive. Gravel ramp.
  • 24.7 Burney Ford.
  • 27.1 Ford access on Kincheloe Drive.
  • 27.7 Beaver Creek on right adds a considerable amount of water to river.
  • 28.1 Spring branch on left.
  • 29.9 Elk Creek on left.
  • 31.4 Watch for log jams and for stumps in riffles between this point and Hwy. O Bridge.
  • 32.4 Hwy. O Bridge. No access.

Jacks fork River

This tributary of the Current River is one of the wildest and most scenic of the Missouri Ozark streams. Its deep valley is nearly a canyon, with no bottomland fields for the first 25 floatable miles. It is therefore advisable to camp well above river level if there is any chance of sudden rain. Trips with loaded canoes above Alley Spring are recommended only in spring or after good summer rains. The few miles immediately above Alley Spring are especially wide and shallow and may have to be walked in low water. Upper sections of the river provide fine fly fishing water.

  • 0.0 MDC South Prong Access at Hwy. Y Bridge.
  • 6.8 State Hwy. 17 Bridge at “Buck Hollow.” Usual put-in for upper section of river. Park Service campground.
  • 9.2 Salvation Army camp on left. Access, camp.
  • 9.6 Blue Spring comes from cave on left nearly hidden from river by boulders. Narrow run just below spring may be difficult.
  • 12.6 Jam Up Bluff and Cave. River entrance of cave is one of the most spectacular cave entrances in state.
  • 15.9 Ebb and Flow Spring on left.
  • 16.2 Rymers Access and campground on right.
  • 17.1 Bunker Hill Resort on left. No access.
  • 22.2 Leatherwood Creek on left.
  • 25.2 Bay Creek on left. Access, camp.
  • 31.0 Alley Spring, 10th largest spring in state. Old mill, camping, access.
  • 32.3 Horse Hollow on left.
  • 35.3 Mahan’s Creek on right.
  • 37.3 Eminence. Stores, cafes, lodging. Take-out at Lions Ball Park on right side, one-quarter mile below Hwy. 19 Bridge.
  • 41.9 Shawnee Creek on right. Access, camp.
  • 42.3 Little Shawnee Creek on right.
  • 44.6 Confluence with Current River. Best take-out 0.75 mile downstream at ferry landing.

North Fork River

The North Fork of the White River combines a relatively constant flow of clear water from large springs with some of the best whitewater in the Missouri Ozarks. Since its upper reaches are in Mark Twain National Forest, it retains some wilderness character and has good watershed protection. The section from Hwy. 14 to Hwy. H is near-wilderness and includes some fine stands of short-leaf pine as well as several large springs. Old mills and a number of National Forest recreation areas enhance the attractiveness of the area for vacationers. Indeed, this river has high-quality recreation value equal to any in the Ozarks.

  • 0.0 Hwy. 76 Bridge. Access.
  • 0.5 Low-water bridge on connecting road between Hwys. 76 and E. Access.
  • 6.6 Low-water bridge and spring at Topaz. An old mill remains standing. Access.
  • 11.1 Slab ford. Access.
  • 11.4 Indian Creek enters on left.
  • 12.2 Osborn Ford low-water bridge in Round Valley, on County Road AH-260.
  • 14.8 Hale Ford Bridge access on County Road 275.
  • 16.1 Fiddle Springs Hollow on left.
  • 18.7 Bridge on connecting road between Hwys. AA and 14. Hebron Access on left, on County Road 279 off Hwy. 14. Gravel ramp.
  • 24.1 Hwy. 14 Bridge at Twin Bridges. Other bridge is over Spring Creek. Access and camping at resort. Store between bridges.
  • 25.9 Spring Creek enters on left.
  • 26.0 Hicks Spring on right just below the mouth of Spring Creek.
  • 28.2 Mary’s Hollow and creek on right.
  • Spring up hillside on opposite side of river.
  • 29.2 Hammond Camp Access just off Hwy. CC. North Fork Recreation Area and campground on left.
  • 29.9 Blue Spring on left, at river level. The flow is seldom less than 7 million gallons per day.
  • 33.3 North Fork spring issues from rock ledge on left.
  • 33.5 Upper branch of Rainbow (Double) Spring on right. Lower branch enters river 1500 feet downstream from source. Private use only.
  • 35.0 McKee Bridge. Private use only.
  • 36.0 The Falls is merely a rock ledge about 2-3 feet high.
  • 39.2 Blair Bridge, concrete low-water bridge, on extension of Hwy. KK to Hwy. H. Access. It is necessary to pull boats over this bridge.
  • 39.4 Blair Bridge Access on left, on County Road H-354 off Hwy. KK.
  • 39.9 Private campground on right.
  • 40.9 Spring Creek on left.
  • 42.1 Hwy. H low-water bridge. Patrick Bridge Access at northeast side of bridge. Gravel ramp. Althea Spring, rated as Missouri’s 23rd largest, is just downstream on the left.
  • 42.3 Althea Spring Branch enters the river at a fast riffle.
  • 43.6 Private campground on right.
  • 45.3 Hwy. PP Bridge. This is a high bridge, but the old road goes down to the water for easy access.
  • 47.1 Dam Bridge. Going under this bridge in high water is dangerous. Dawt Mill Resort on the left. Private access.
  • 48.8 Repeating Riffle. This is the last drop when the lake is high.
  • 49.1 Junction with Bryant Creek.
  • 49.5 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tecumseh Access and campground on right.
Missouri Swimming and River Accesses