Rivers and Streams

Missouri rivers and streams offer fantastic opportunities for canoeing, fishing and swimming. Canoeing, or floating as the locals call it, is one of the most popular outdoor activities in Missouri. Enjoy beautiful scenery as you glide past towering limestone bluffs or watch a graceful great-blue heron as you paddle the twists and bends of Missouri's rivers and streams.

Most waterways are served by outfitters ready to launch floaters on a day, or longer, of fun and relaxation - whether you choose a canoe, raft, tube or kayak. Rushing springs, including some of America's most majestic, keep many streams floatable year-round. Big Spring, which feeds into the Current River, is the largest single outlet spring in the United States.

Both the Current and the Jacks Fork rivers are part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, which was the first National Scenic Riverways in the country. Many Ozark streams are known as some of the best floating and trout fishing streams in the Midwest. Along with canoes and equipment, outfitters may also offer campgrounds, RV sites, cabins and lodges.

If you would like more information on floating in Missouri, search for an outfitter by keyword or city.

New Missouri Boating Law.