Wilderness and Water in Missouri

The Ozark National Scenic Riverways became the first national scenic riverway authorized by Congress in 1964.  134 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork rivers, caverns, and high-volume springs captured the nation's attention.  So many American rivers had been harnessed by dams and the nation awoke to the natural, scenic, and recreational values of these free-flowing rivers during the 1960's.  Grassroots reaction to plans to build a series of dams started the movement for the park. Their successful effort to preserve these rivers was the prototype for the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 which protects many of America's free-flowing rivers.  But only a tiny percentage of the nation's rivers have this protected status.  The State of Missouri donated three state parks - Alley Spring, Big Spring, and Round Spring - to the National Park Service as a gift to the American people.  Then land along the rivers between the state parks was purchased.  The whole area knitted together as America's first national river park.  Missouri's only national forest, Mark Twain National Forest, encompasses roughly 1.5 million acres mostly within the Ozark Highlands and the Ozark National Scenic Riverway sets about in the middle of it.  Millions of gallons of powerful, rolling, steady bursts of water gurgle and gush out of springs every day.  This is the place to be for Wilderness and Water in Missouri!

This area was the main attraction for my husband and I when we first came to Missouri in the summer of 1978.  We had a couple weeks vacation from a garment factory in Sioux City, Iowa, an old pickup truck, a very heavy old canoe strapped on top and set out on an adventure to canoe as many bodies of water as we could during that time.  We hit the jackpot!  We ended up settling about three hours west on Pomme de Terre Lake as it was where we found jobs right away. It was in the "dam area" with a much more stable economy and linkages to build a life.  It was a very good decision as we prospered and grew in a very clean environment away from populated, agricultural, and industrialized areas that have problems with air, soil, and water pollution.  We are within a half hour's drive to Bennett Springs, Stockton Lake, Truman Lake and Lake of the Ozarks.  Pomme de Terre is the smallest lake; too small for hydo-electric power so it remains clean and pristine.

My recent trip to the Ozark National Scenic Riverways was with about a dozen people in my Lake of the Ozarks Master Naturalist group.  It was fun to listen to and share all the different past experiences of trips to the area!  But this 4-day and 3-night trip was to be our own new experience!  I appreciate all the planning and details organized to maximize our time together and make this not just a full agenda but one that allows flexibility and camaraderie.  It was all good.

DAY 1 

Round Spring - Alley Spring - Big Spring

We left Camdenton and drove together in several vehicles a few hours to our first stop at Round Spring near Van Buren, Missouri.  It is named for the round opening where a sinkhole formed over the spring's underground conduit.  Average flow is about 26 million gallons on an average day but fluctuates with the amount of rainfall.  Water temperature remains between 55-58 degrees year round.  Abundant watercress can be seen all around the water edges.  In 1925, Round Spring became one of Missouri's first state parks.  In the mid-1930's, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCCs) came here from nearby Montauk State Park to help conserve the area's resources and to improve visitor facilities.

There's also a primitive cave here but we didn't go inside.  It is good to keep the number of visitors limited to keep the cave as wild as possible.  It was opened in 1936 as a privately run show cave then the ownership was transferred in 1970 to the National Park Service who now operate it as an educational resource to help people learn about the wonders underground.  

At Alley Spring we all gathered at the century-old mill that was vital to community life where grain was ground to provide daily bread.  This 1894 building replaced an earlier grist mill on the site built in 1868.  The 795 acres were designated as a natural area in April 2007.  The daily average flow of 81 million gallons of 58 degree cool, clear water has a funnel-shaped basin with a depth of 32 feet.  This is the 7th largest spring in Missouri.  The spring conduit is known to extend at least 3000 feet underground and reaches at least 155 feet below the surface.  I didn't spend much time inside the building as I've seen many mills before throughout Missouri and this one was typically preserved so you could see the process that took place.  It is well preserved and I had been here several times before.  Today I was enjoying the sights and sounds of the water and the sunshine on the fall color-changing leaves.

Big Spring is sometimes called America's biggest spring.  Actually, there's three contenders for that title - Big Spring in Missouri, Snake River Spring in Idaho, and Silver Spring in Florida.  Since the flow from springs can vary with rainfall amounts, any of these three might be the biggest on any given day depending on the weather.  They are all about the same size with a average daily flow of 286 million gallons of water.  Big Spring is a geologic wonder as underground passages carry water from as far away as 45 miles to emerge at the spring.  Studies have shown that the water carries loads of dissolved limestone equivalent to 70 tons a day!  This is what gives the spring it's color and should the spring ever go dry, a huge cave will be the result.

About half of our group were camping and the rest planned to stay at The Landing on the Current River.  We all separated to set up campsites and/or check into our rooms.  Our next meeting would be about 5:00 pm to drive to Peck Ranch which consists of 23,048 acres of rugged, forested hills and hollows including four natural areas.   We had special "inside the fence" access, tour, and presentation about the elk restoration in Missouri.  After the area manager and staff talked to us briefly about the program and electronic equipment used to keep track of the elk, we carpooled together in three vehicles to drive the preserve to see some elk at dusk; I drove four people in my car.  We saw several elk and heard lots of bugling which is the prime mating calls by the elk bulls.  It was awesome!  We got back late.  There was just enough time to fill my tank with gas at the nearby station which fortunately had a carwash as we were covered in dust from all the miles of dirt roads!  Stopped by the campsite in time for some apple caramel dessert baked in a Dutch oven.  Yum!

Day 2

The Current River

Got up early enough to have some campfire breakfast with the group at their campsite about a mile away.  Biscuits and gravy with good campfire coffee was the best way to start the day!  Afterward we all met at Waymeyer which was the starting point to our paddle down the Current River.  Some brought their own kayaks and some were renters.  I decided to rent a canoe this trip mostly to get a good workout by myself as it is a very unchallenging float otherwise with no rapids or obstacles.  Also I thought it best not to take my kayak trailer as the manufacturer sent a new turning light kit because the original set was not consistently working right but was good enough for local use this season.  It also would have been best to have some new wheel bearings put in for this long of a trip so as to not have excessive wear and tear.  I hadn't got either put in yet.  So renting a canoe seemed like the best option.  All was well until a wind came up and my front end got caught in it and spun me around once or twice.  I was NOT going to kneel in the middle for 5-6 hours but would have balanced me better.  When the others saw this, they loaded my front end with about 80 pounds of rocks.  Worked great!  I really ROCKED IT!  Just had one low gravel bar due to lack of rain and I cursed the weight when I had to get out and drag it!  It was all good especially when many of us stopped to rest and dive into the cold water to cool off!  So much fun and laughter!  It was a 6-hour float trip for most of us that went the whole way.  We took out at Big Spring for about 20 miles on the river which was about an hour past The Landing in Van Buren where some of us stayed.  The shuttle service and canoes were available at The Landing which made it really convenient!

View of The Landing from under the Hwy 60 bridge over the Current River.  My room was on the 2nd floor!

View from the porch just outside my room looking at the Hwy 60 bridge over the Current River

View of porch just outside my room at The Landing

Motel kitty who is very friendly and liked to keep me company when I sat outside in HIS chair

Fish Fry after the river time

Relax by the campfire on a beautiful star-filled evening with good people

Day 3

Cupola Pond Natural Area - The Irish Wilderness - Greer Spring

Cupola Pond Natural Area is one of the most interesting and ancient (20,000 year-old) sinkhole ponds in the Ozark uplands.  Tupelo Gum trees are a very rare species for the Missouri Ozarks in this truly unique natural area.  They are more common in the Mississippi delta.  Lots of moss and mushrooms.  We hiked about 3 miles and just scattered all over the spongy low-water pond area checking out all things natural and sharing with each other.

Tupelo trees

Red maple, tupelo, and pin oak trees dominate this area

The pond is really low from lack of rain and the ground is really spongy!

Master Naturalist group checking it all out

Next stop was the 16,500 acre Irish Wilderness in Mark Twain National Forest.  In the mid-1800's a Catholic priest from St. Louis had a dream of a place where Irish immigrants could escape the oppression of urban life in St. Louis.  In this wild area Father John Hogan established a settlement where people could "so profoundly worship as in the depth of that leafy forest...where solitude and the heart of man united in praise and wonder of the Great Creator."   His timing was not right as the Civil War erupted and the Irish Wilderness was caught in the middle and became "no man's land."  It was raided by both Union and Confederate troops as well as bushwhackers.  No one knows what happened to the Irish immigrants but after the war they were gone.  Yet the Irish Wilderness has regained the same character that Father Hogan found through the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCCs), the Forest Service, and the amazing ability of the land.

The Irish Wilderness was designated as a Wilderness in May 1984 and is managed under the provisions of the Wilderness Act of 1964.  It is one of eight Wildernesses in Missouri, seven of which are located on the Mark Twain National Forest.  There is a wide variety of natural terrain and geographical relief.  From relatively flat land at the beginning, hikers traverse through many ecological zones including dried creek beds, grasslands, glades, bluff country, and breathtaking views overlooking the Eleven Point River.

Wilderness can be termed as a natural area affected primarily by the forces of nature with little evidence of man's works..."where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."  No two individuals share the same meaning or have the same values during the wilderness experience.  It's all about the wonders of nature where outdoor enthusiasts seek out its peace and experience the closeness with nature.  Wilderness also provide outstanding opportunities for primitive or unconfined types of outdoor recreation.  to insure that Wilderness resources and values remain intact, good wilderness manners and specific regulations must be followed.  These regulations are posted and it is good to know all the details before spending any time there.

The final stop for the day was at Greer Spring.  It was also one of the most scenic hikes of the trip!  It was just about a mile hike down to the spring and a mile up to return.  We lingered at the breathtaking second-largest spring in Missouri with an average flow of 222 million gallons a day.  The stunning waterfall and plunge pool was explored in all its natural beauty.  Just listening to the rushing waters was so soothing and soul-centering.  It definitely was a place to stay as long as you wanted.  Even the exhilarating uphill hike back was joyful after such an awesome experience one couldn't help but smile the whole way back!

Sadly, the three people I rode with were in a dark place as they chose to stay behind.  I know one was worried about some brake issues with her car and spent the whole time on her phone on a Sunday trying to find someone to work on them.  The other two were not active people and didn't choose to take the hike for whatever reason and stayed by the car while everyone else hiked.  They had complained about the trip scheduling and wanted to have gone to Greer Springs first today when they had more energy.  They had not stayed much with the group the day before like I did but went their own way.  There was much negative talk about many things and people most of the trip!  Every attempt I made to be positive was quickly turned around to a negative so I mostly kept to myself.  It was not a pleasant ride from the beginning and I wished I had listened to my intuition and drove my own car on this day.  By the time I got to the car after the wonderful hike and reached for my water, all three were  in the most negative of moods and didn't react well to my exuberance.  They all jumped into the car and closed the door and started the engine.  It seemed like they were in a hurry to leave before everyone else was even back and I had a drink of water!  I'm sure tensions were high with the car's brake issue but I was feeling great and not going to be pulled into their negativity.  They all yelled at me for no good reason! All I could think was that "misery loves company" and I begged the others in our group to let me ride back with them.  I am grateful that they saw my upset and allowed me to ride back in a car full of friendly positive people and loads of laughter which I greatly needed at that point.

Plans were made to eat as a group on the last night at The Landing's Blue Heron Restaurant, a very nice dining experience! I was happy that the negative car made it back safely and told them so.  I was also happy to see that two of them finished their dinner and left as the rest of us sat down to begin.  It was a fun night with good food, drink, and good company!

The next day, everyone left on their own time and either went straight home or stopped at additional places on the way that they wanted to experience.  I stayed for a nice campfire breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon and lots of leftovers including Dutch oven cobbler and biscuits!  The campfire coffee was excellent!  No one was in any rush and it was a nice way to end a great weekend!

Beti at Greer Springs off Route 19 near Alton, Missouri - 2nd largest spring in Missouri

Aldo Leopold, an early wilderness advocate, described wilderness in this way:

"No servant brought them meals; they got their meat out of the river or went without.  No traffic cop whistled them off the hidden rock in the next rapids.  No friendly roof kept them dry when they mis-guessed whether or not to pitch the tent.   No guide showed them which camping spots offered a nightlong breeze, and which a nightlong misery of mosquitoes; which firewood made clean coals, and which only smoke.  The elemental simplicities of wilderness travel were thrills not only because of their first taste of those rewards and penalties for wise and foolish acts which every woodman faces daily, but against which civilization has built a thousand buffers."

The wilderness may not be a place for everyone.  It can be a place that clears the mind and saves the soul from the clutter of humanity for those that seek such peace.  I love humanity and I love nature.  It's human nature that I get my fill of very quickly.  Yet I find myself always drawn to like-minded people.  I always find myself drawn to the natural world.  Hanging on to a good balance is one of life's biggest challenges.  Walking away from unnecessarily negative people and situations is becoming easier in retirement.