My wife and I wish to paddle current river for an overnight trip at the end of Aug (possibly 2 nights). Can anyone suggest the best place to start and stop and what canoe rentals will allow for an overnighter? I may be able to borrow a canoe, but I would be easier to rent.
Thanks
Current River
My wife & I did the current a year or two ago & used Jadwin Conoe & Kayak Rentals http://www.jadwincanoe.com/
& found the trip really enjoyable. A nice place to stay is Montauk State Park http://www.streamsideadventures.com/current.html
with a quaint hotel but lots of camping facilities.
Cedargrove to Two Rivers is
– Last Updated: Aug-13-05 1:48 AM EST –
the stretch my son and I did in Mid July. My first time on the river. We rented from Two Rivers rental right at the junction of the Current and Jacks fork. They shuttled us up to Cedargrove for the 44 mile float back to their place, where our car remained parked across the street. The rates and service were great, they were willing to haul us, even though we rented just one canoe. If we got in after hours..."just leave the equipment up on shore" , but we made it back well before dark on the third day. We left on a Wednesday evening and took out on Friday evening. We then visited Montuak state park where my son was in fly fishing heaven. I would get reservations there for sure for a weekend, we arrived on a Saturday with none and the park was full. Let us know how your trip goes! Archive search for many helpful links...
Current River Advice
My family and I just got back from a Current River trip yesterday. We’ve been doing this pretty much annually for about 20 years. We have our own boats, but used Akers Ferry Canoe Livery to shuttle our van to Two Rivers ($120). We left Sunday and took off the river on Friday. Since this is about a 40 mile trip total, you can see that we took it quite slow, with lots of swim time for the kids.
This is a nice stretch, but also very popular with canoeists and tubers, many of which prefer to experience the river in an altered state (mostly drunk I think, but sometimes it seems other substances may be used). Normally, we can avoid these crowds by canoeing during the week, but this year was a bit different, with more rowdies and competition for campsites than in years past. I guess August isn’t the best time to avoid the crowds.
The water levels this year are a bit low because of the drought, but are crystal clear and still canoeable. I think anything above Akers Ferry might be too low this year for an enjoyable paddle unless we started getting more rain.
Bluffs and riverside caves and springs are more common between Akers and Round Spring, but there are some spectacular ones near Big Creek and Bee Bluff between Round Spring and Two Rivers. There are more motor boats in this lower stretch though.
We are thinking of putting in at Two Rivers next time to really avoid the crowds, but we will be sacrificing some of the scenery I think. I little more solitude would be nice though for a change.
current river
i work at a camp that goes down there evry summer. It’s a great river. I like Akers Ferry to Round Springs. It’s a great trip. There some some springs to look at and a little cave to pattle around in. Pull-tite is a great spot to go and if you canoe just a little bit past the landing you can find some free sites, but still within walking distance to their store. If you go further down there’s a nice stop @ deer creek or deer run. It’s a great place to stop for water and food. The people that run the store a really nice. Have fun
Do the Eleven Point Instead!
No crowds of drunk canoeists, great camping, beautiful clear aquamarine COLD water, and it’s beautiful (A National Scenic River). Put in at Greer, take out at Riverton and Use Hufstedlers Outfitters for the trip, rent your boats in Riverton, leave your vehicle there…Hufstedlers is less than a quarter mile from the takeout.
http://www.missouricanoe.org/huf.html
http://www.missouricanoe.org/elevenpoint.html
http://www.nps.gov/rivers/wsr-eleven-point.html
I agree…
– Last Updated: Aug-15-05 4:02 PM EST –
I agree wholeheartedly with everything that Supertroll stated. Do the Eleven Point, and avoid the hordes of summer, weekend, "river dorks" on the Current River. If you must do the Current River; do it on weekdays, or any season except Summer. The highest concentration of "river dorks" on the Current River are on these sections: Cedar Grove to Akers Ferry, Akers Ferry to Pulltite(the worst!), and Pulltite to Round Springs. You will also have many fewer drunks in Jon boats to deal with on the Eleven Point than the Current.
A problem that is becoming more prevalent on the Current River on weekends, is hordes of Jon boaters pulling over to the most scenic gravel bar (prospective campsites for canoeing/kayaking overnighters) on the river early in the afternoon. They then hang out there, swim, drink, eat, drink, listen to the boom box, drink, use it as a port after short high speed(they seldom have any destination; just go fast wherever you go) runs up & down the river, drink, trash the place out, drink, take a dump, drink, then with just enough time left to get back to the pickup & trailer before dark, they blast off.
Result: the gravel bar is trashed, the river & gravel bar are full of beer bottles & cans, zip lock bags, ice bags, potato chip bags, cheese & hot dog wrappers, etc There are toilet paper piles everywhere remotely close to the boats, all the deadfall/firewood is gone, and there are trash filled, smoldering fire rings left close to the river. Next weekend; if the trash is still there (evidently Jon boats were not designed to carry trash), they choose a cleaner gravel bar, and the process continues.
The canoe liveries on the Current River cater to the canoe renting, weekend "river dorks"(the quick buck). If you show up with your own canoe, and want them to run a shuttle for you, the price you'll pay would make Jesse James roll over in his grave in laughter. Those liveries continue the outlaw legacy of the James & Younger brothers in Missouri.
But what do I know, being born & raised in that area of Missouri & paddling on the rivers mentioned for over 40 years.
BOB
P.S. To the drunken Jon boater; "heading for the truck" at dusk, this past saturday on the Current River, who lost control of his boat, while rounding a 90 degree, upstream curve, at approx. 35 mph.......You have my regrets; my regret that your boat didn't flip (even tho the downstream gunwale dipped into the river & the upstream side of the boat caught air) when you lost control. My regret you didn't break your, drunken, stupid neck! How do I surmise you were drunk & stupid? When you end up on the floor of your boat holding onto the steering wheel with one hand, your feet up in the air, after doing a 90 degree river bend, at 35 mph in a jon boat, you must be stupid! If your mom & dad could have seen you, I'm sure they would have been proud of the fool they raised. Especially after you got the steering mechanism jury rigged, and popped the top on another beer before you blasted off again downstream!
Many Jon boaters on the Current river not wielding a fishing pole(and some of the those who are) should be considered at best, alcohol impaired. Many are most definitely intoxicated as defined by law, and worse. Give them a wide berth; many do not even think about slowing down, even though they are on deep, straight stretches of the river that would not affect the engines they use!