Big Niangua River Trail - First Float with Signs Posted

A dozen colorful kayakers put in mid-morning at Point "S" Mother Nature's Riverfront Retreat-Family Side Access

Now the fun begins!  All the hard work from dedicated volunteers and sponsors has come to an end and the next phase of this project is to enjoy it.  This project was jointly sponsored by Lake of the Ozarks Watershed Alliance (LOWA), the Lake of the Ozarks Chapter of the Missouri Master Naturalist Program with advisers from the Missouri Department of Conservation, and Ameren Missouri; in partnership with Missouri State Parks, a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.  For more information about these groups and much of what it took to get to this point, please see two other articles in this blog:
Big Niangua River Trail Maiden Voyage and

Big Niangua River Trail Dedication Day

Rose mallow (hibiscus) can be found soon after launch on this beautiful calm late August day where the temperature ranged 65-80 degrees.  Perfect! 

Good fishing spots are marked at Points "R" and "Q" but today everybody is along for the float and camaraderie.

Jean and Nanci float alongside each other for a time.

Wild Canadian geese stop to watch the kayakers as we go by one of the many gravel banks that are a great place to refresh, explore, and swim for everyone.

This is Point "P" which is Mother Nature's Riverfront Retreat-Wild Side Access.  It is 2.2 miles from the part we began.

Our first rest stop is along a gravel bar before between Points "P" and "O" where we share snacks and catch up.

The gang's all here except Caroline who is taking the photo.

Selfie with my husband in the background who is exploring this cave for the first time.

This cave is easy to walk to after leaving kayaks on the shore.  This photo is taken from the cave entrance.

Here's Caroline at the cave entrance.

Soon we float up to Point "O" at the old Power House.

The old Gauge House at Point "N" was decommissioned in 1969 and had been used to gauge the height of the river.  It is only .3 of a mile from the Power House.  

Next stop for most of us was Casa de Loco Winery, a couple miles from the Gauge House.  This view was from the top of a bluff where refreshments and accommodations are available…if you're up to the long walk!  Several in our group continued on while others stayed for about an hour.

This is the gravel bar below Casa de Loco which is marked with our sign as Point "K"

The next mile or so has many sloughs which are fun to explore and observe nature.  I found a  wild cardinal flower..

…and some cornflowers!

There are many interesting rock formations and shelves!

Oops!  Looks like we have our first sign repair job at the Boundary LOZ and BNR!  This point was marked because it designates the accepted boundary between Lake of the Ozarks and the Big Niangua River.  This is where fishing restrictions change and when you know the flow is diminished and paddling increases.

Breaks between paddling is a good time to take a breath and take in all the beauty...

…the water stills and the line between water and land are hard to distinguish.  Good time to listen to the peacefulness and meditate as being a part of nature as the clouds go by above and reflected below.

After about 3 more miles of woodland and wetland areas to enjoy, it is time to float into Onyx Cave which is at Point "D."  I took this photo of my husband from inside the cave and he is just coming in. So far, we have not been brave enough to explore where you need a flashlight but you can float farther inside.

This is the entrance to Onyx Cave which can be seen from quite a ways if you are looking for it.  Soon after leaving Onyx Cave, there is open water and Sugarloaf Vineyard can be seen if you look for the twin rock bluffs.

By late afternoon we were ready to put-in at Sugarloaf which is Point "C."  This float trip was 10.40 miles.  An additional 1.6 miles could be added if you put-in at Point "T" at Whistle Bridge.  Ha Ha Tonka State Park is 1.3 miles from Sugarloaf and is Point "A" with good parking and a kayak ramp and is another good place to launch.