See all 16 routes on Current River
Missouri | Missouri Ozarks
Current RiverVan Buren Riverfront Park to Gooseneck / Hawes Recreation Area
Long lower Current River day from Van Buren to Gooseneck / Hawes near the river mouth. NPS's older page estimates eight hours; its newer table's three component sections total nine. The direct Van Buren gauge gives a conservative low-water check.
Checking current river conditions…
Route location
Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.
Route overview
Trip details
Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.
Permits, camping and season
Access and shuttle
Launch at Van Buren Riverfront Park and finish at Gooseneck / Hawes for a long lower Current River continuation. NPS's older page estimates 8 hours; the newer table's three component sections total 9. Use the direct Van Buren gauge as a conservative low-water check and expect motorboats, long pool sections, limited exits, and end-of-river logistics.
Access map
Put-in
Van Buren Riverfront Park access areaVan Buren Riverfront Park is MDC-listed under a cooperative agreement rather than MDC-owned land; posted city or owner rules may apply beyond MDC-listed boating regulations. The stored route point is a generalized park/access anchor, not a surveyed ramp toe; MDC's map shows the ramp and parking.
Take-out
Gooseneck / Hawes Recreation AreaNPS materials use both Gooseneck and Hawes naming for the downstream endpoint. Confirm the signed Gooseneck / Hawes river access before leaving a vehicle.
Road shuttle
Stage the take-out at Gooseneck / Hawes before driving back to Van Buren Riverfront Park. This is a long lower-river shuttle, so verify roads, parking, daylight, and the signed river landing before launching.
Additional access notes
- The Gooseneck coordinate is the existing USGS-topo-derived Hawes Recreation Area point already used by the adjacent route, not an official NPS GIS landing table.
- This route ends near the Current River mouth. Do not continue onto the Black River or other downstream big-river water without a separate plan.
More route and safety guidance
- Expect motorboat wakes, wind, slick landings, limited exits, and private banks around the Gooseneck / Hawes finish.
- Verify the signed Gooseneck / Hawes landing, access hours, weather, daylight, and shuttle before launch; do not continue onto the Black River without a separate plan.
Plan this paddle
Choose your trip times
No account needed. Check the selected access points above, then choose both dates and times. For an overnight paddle, set take-out to the following date.
Times use the selected time zone. Check it against the river’s location before saving or sharing.
Browser plans stay on this device. Sharing opens your device’s share tools or gives you text to copy.
Download GPX Route geometry only; no schedule required.
Conditions
Check how the river is changing and what weather to expect.
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampDetailed weather
Weather
Hourly forecast
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Plan ahead
Tomorrow and the weekend
Forecasts can change. Check current conditions again before leaving.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Station details and river cameras
Station observations
USGS measurements
Measurement notes and coverage
These are observations at the station. Water depth and current can differ along your trip.
River camera · USGS
View at the gauge
Current River at Van Buren, MO. This view may be outside your paddling reach. Images are periodic and do not establish safe conditions.
Photos and recent reports
Look for recent access, obstruction and hazard observations. Context photos may show a different part of the river.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Share a recent access update, hazard observation or photo.
Sources and methodology
Review source dates and published guidance below. We have not inspected this trip in person.
Why this scoreData reliability: checking
This rating reflects whether the gauge measures this part of the river, whether published water-level guidance is available, and how recently the data was updated.
- Checking data sources and update times.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreWater levels, published guidance and update times
These readings and published water-level limits help explain 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 |
| Preferred range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 700 cfs |
| High threshold | Water-level guidance unavailable |
| 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 lower-Current trip evidence |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesPublished evidence and verification notes
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- NPS route shapeVan Buren to Gooseneck, about 19.3 mi
Current NPS float-times guidance lists Van Buren to Big Spring at 4.3 miles, Big Spring to Cataract at 8.8 miles, and Cataract to Gooseneck at 6.2 miles, which combine into an about 19.3-mile public lower Current route.
- NPS timing supportAbout 8 hr
The older NPS lower-river page estimates eight hours from Van Buren to Gooseneck.
- Current NPS segment totalAbout 9 hr
The newer float-time table gives Van Buren–Big Spring 2 hours, Big Spring–Cataract 4 hours, and Cataract–Gooseneck 3 hours. Together they total about 9 hours; the route card gives an 8-to-9-hour planning range with the older estimate.
- Public endpointsVan Buren Riverfront Park to Gooseneck / Hawes
MDC still confirms Van Buren Riverfront Park as a public launch, while the NPS brochure and Recreation.gov keep Gooseneck / Hawes as a named lower Current camping and river-access area.
- Gauge check during route review · 2026-07-11USGS 07067000 at 1,080 cfs / 3.01 ft
This reading was saved when we checked the guide. It is not today’s water level. Check the current gauge and local conditions before paddling.
- Low-water floor700 cfs minimum-only
Rivers.MOHERP rates the Van Buren gauge Good beginning around 700 cfs and provides lower-Current trip evidence including the downstream Big-Spring-to-Gooseneck section. Paddle Today keeps only the conservative 700 cfs floor.
- Camping contextPrimitive camping at Gooseneck / Hawes
The NPS brochure marks Gooseneck / Hawes for primitive camping, picnic, river access, and boat access, and Recreation.gov corroborates Hawes Campground as a lower Current primitive-camping area.
- Endpoint coordinates36.9939, -91.0140 to 36.8194989, -90.9470707
Van Buren uses the existing practical ramp anchor from MDC context, and Gooseneck uses the existing USGS-topo-derived Hawes Recreation Area point already accepted on the adjacent lower Current route. Confirm the signed river landing on arrival.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Other routes nearby
More on Current River
All 16Nearby routes within 75 miles
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.