See all 16 routes on Current River
Missouri | Missouri Ozarks
Current River
Big Spring Upper River Landing to Gooseneck / Hawes Recreation Area
Check current paddling conditions for this Current River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
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Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Launch at the Big Spring upper river landing and take out at Gooseneck / Hawes for the final long lower Current River section. Use the Van Buren gauge as a conservative low-water check and plan for motorboats, private banks, limited exits, and end-of-river logistics.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Big Spring Upper River LandingThe current NPS Superintendent's Compendium lists Gooseneck (Hawes) as a Current River landing, and the current concession operating plan includes Hawes among authorized Lower Current accesses. Use the signed landing and verify current park alerts before leaving a vehicle.
Take-out
Gooseneck / Hawes Recreation AreaThe Gooseneck coordinate is a USGS-topo-derived Hawes Recreation Area point, not an NPS GIS landing table. Use current NPS signs and the actual river landing on arrival.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The current NPS Superintendent's Compendium lists Gooseneck (Hawes) as a Current River landing, and the current concession operating plan includes Hawes among authorized Lower Current accesses. Use the signed landing and verify current park alerts before leaving a vehicle.
- The Gooseneck coordinate is a USGS-topo-derived Hawes Recreation Area point, not an NPS GIS landing table. Use current NPS signs and the actual river landing on arrival.
- NPS distinguishes Big Spring (upper) as a Current River landing from Big Spring Boat Ramp (lower), which is trailered boats only with no floater access. Start from the signed upper landing.
- This route ends near the Current River mouth. Do not continue onto the Black River or downstream big-river water without a separate plan.
Watch for
- Shallow shoals, scraping, and a slower six-hour day when the Van Buren gauge is near or below the 700 cfs conservative floor.
- Motorboat wakes, long pool sections, wind, summer crowds, tubes, slick landings, swimmers, fishing lines, and crowded access areas.
- High or rising water, fallen trees, rootwad strainers, floating wood, stronger current, and NPS non-motorized closure levels after storms. The compendium lists Van Buren Bridge at a 5.00 ft closed level.
- Cold spring-fed water, private banks, limited cell service, and few easy exits. Be ready to self-rescue and use only NPS-owned land for gravel-bar camping.
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Current River at Van Buren, MO |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 700 cfs |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Rivers.MOHERP Van Buren gauge rating and Big-Spring-to-Gooseneck trip evidence |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- NPS route shapeBig Spring to Gooseneck, 6 hr
NPS Paddle the Lower Current River lists Big Spring to Gooseneck as an estimated six-hour lower Current float and names Gooseneck as the end of the lower Current route sequence.
- Park brochure contextLower Current river mile 16 to 0
The NPS park brochure places Big Spring at lower Current river mile 16 and Gooseneck / Hawes at river mile 0, with Gooseneck / Hawes marked for primitive camping, picnic area, river access, and boat access.
- Gooseneck access contextNPS Gooseneck / Hawes campground and river landing
The current NPS Gooseneck Campground page confirms the open park campground on the lower Current and publishes the signed road approach. The current Superintendent's Compendium identifies Gooseneck (Hawes) as both a backcountry campsite and a Current River landing.
- Lower Current access authorityBig Spring and Hawes authorized accesses
The current NPS concession operating plan includes Big Spring and Hawes among the authorized Lower Current access points. The Superintendent's Compendium separately identifies Big Spring (upper) as the floater landing and the lower Big Spring ramp as trailered-boats-only.
- Route hazardsStrainers, fast rises, remote self-rescue, and legal-bank checks
NPS says fallen trees and rootwad strainers can occur on any section, storms and floods continually change the river, moderate to heavy rain can raise streams quickly, and help may be hours away. NPS also limits gravel-bar camping to NPS-owned land.
- Live direct gaugeUSGS 07067000
USGS Current River at Van Buren showed provisional same-day July 27, 2026 discharge and gage-height observations, with 924 cfs and 2.79 ft at 9:30 PM CDT during safety review. The gauge is upstream of Big Spring but remains the same lower-Current gauge used by adjacent implemented routes.
- Low-water floor700 cfs minimum-only
Rivers.MOHERP rates the Van Buren gauge Good beginning around 700 cfs and includes exact Big Spring-to-Gooseneck trip evidence marked Good at 1,190 cfs. Paddle Today uses only the conservative 700 cfs floor and does not infer an ideal range.
- Endpoint coordinates36.9475519, -90.9901267 to 36.8194989, -90.9470707
The Big Spring put-in uses the existing USGS-topo-derived Big Spring River Access point. The Gooseneck take-out uses the USGS-topo-derived Hawes Recreation Area point, corroborated by current NPS Gooseneck / Hawes landing, campground, and access-road context.
- High-water closure contextVan Buren Bridge 5.00 ft closed level
The NPS Superintendent Compendium says the Current and Jacks Fork close to non-motorized vessels during flood conditions and lists Van Buren Bridge at 3.00 ft average and 5.00 ft closed level. Use this as high-water caution, not a scoring high cutoff.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- NPS Paddle the Lower Current River
- NPS Ozark park brochure
- NPS Gooseneck Campground
- NPS Ozark Superintendent Compendium
- NPS Lower Current authorized-access operating plan
- NPS Ozark river safety
- NPS gravel-bar camping rules
- Rivers.MOHERP Current River Van Buren gauge
- USGS 07067000 Current River at Van Buren
- USGS 07067000 legacy current conditions
- Hawes Recreation Area topo coordinate
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Current River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Current River?
Paddle Today watches Current River at Van Buren, MO and uses 700 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Current River route start and end?
This route starts at Big Spring Upper River Landing and ends at Gooseneck / Hawes Recreation Area, about About 16 mi on the water.
Is this Current River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
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