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Missouri | Missouri Ozarks
Current River
Waymeyer Access to Cataract Landing
Check current paddling conditions for this Current River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
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Today
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Start with the verdict, current conditions, route plan, and quick facts before you commit to the drive.
Today's conditions
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
Best window today
Checking weather.
Today by hour
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Quick facts
Plan
Dial in the shuttle, distance, and access.
Use this section once the route looks viable and you need to turn it into an actual trip plan.
Access plan
Access, shuttle, and map
Launch at Waymeyer and finish at Cataract for a long lower Current River continuation. Use the direct Van Buren gauge as a conservative low-water check and expect the same busier, more motorized lower-river character as the adjacent split sections.
Put-in
Waymeyer AccessOpen mapNPS has described Waymeyer as a non-commercial floater access while warning about erosion and limited safe unloading room on summer weekends. Follow current NPS signs and avoid blocking the access.
Take-out
Cataract LandingOpen mapBig Spring is an on-route landmark and campground, not the finish. Keep downstream mileage, daylight, and shuttle timing in mind before leaving Waymeyer.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- NPS has described Waymeyer as a non-commercial floater access while warning about erosion and limited safe unloading room on summer weekends. Follow current NPS signs and avoid blocking the access.
- Big Spring is an on-route landmark and campground, not the finish. Keep downstream mileage, daylight, and shuttle timing in mind before leaving Waymeyer.
- The Cataract coordinate is a topo-derived landing point already used in this lower-Current family, not an official NPS GIS table. Follow the signed landing, parking, and turnaround layout on arrival.
Watch for
- Shallow shoals, scraping, and slower travel when the Van Buren gauge is near or below the 700 cfs conservative floor.
- Motorboat wakes, summer crowds, tubes, slick landings, swimmers, fishing lines, and wind on the lower-river pools.
- High or rising water, 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.
- Private banks, limited cell service, and confusion between Big Spring midpoint facilities and the downstream Cataract finish.
Route gallery
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Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Sources
Check the data behind today's call.
Use this section when the page shows stale data, limited confidence, or a call you want to verify before driving.
Why this scoreToday's data confidence is checking
Data confidence mostly comes down to three things: how direct the gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking data confidence notes.
- Checking data confidence cautions.
OutlookTomorrow and weekend
This is a cautious early look. If the data is too thin, we leave it out.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
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 |
| Data confidence 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 |
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 shapeWaymeyer to Cataract, about 19.6 mi
Current NPS float-times guidance lists Waymeyer to Raftyard at 1.7 miles, Raftyard to Van Buren at 4.8 miles, Van Buren to Big Spring at 4.3 miles, and Big Spring to Cataract at 8.8 miles, which combine into an about 19.6-mile public lower Current route.
- NPS timing supportAbout 8.5 to 9 hr total
NPS lower-Current guidance lists Waymeyer to Van Buren at about 3 hours, Van Buren to Big Spring at about 2 hours, and Big Spring to Cataract at about 4 hours, supporting a long committed lower-river day.
- Public endpointsWaymeyer and Cataract Landing
NPS says Waymeyer remains a non-commercial floater access, and current float-times guidance plus the park brochure keep Cataract as a named downstream public landing on the lower Current.
- Live direct gaugeUSGS 07067000 at 1,020 cfs / 2.92 ft
Same-day USGS Water Services returned 1,020 cfs and 2.92 ft at 2026-07-13 23:30 CDT for Current River at Van Buren, the direct same-river gauge already used on the adjacent lower Current routes.
- Low-water floor700 cfs minimum-only
Rivers.MOHERP rates the Van Buren gauge Good beginning around 700 cfs and provides route-family lower Current trip evidence. Paddle Today keeps only the conservative 700 cfs floor and does not infer an ideal range.
- Camping contextBig Spring campground on the corridor
The NPS park brochure lists Big Spring with campground, picnic, ranger-station, and river-access context, so this longer route still has a formal campground stop on the corridor even though the finish is farther downstream.
- Endpoint coordinates37.054302, -91.055459 to 36.8964418, -90.9073471
Waymeyer uses the existing published paddling-access coordinate and Cataract uses the existing topo-derived public landing point already accepted for the adjacent lower Current route family.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Photos, paddler notes, and updates.
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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 Waymeyer Access and ends at Cataract Landing, about About 19.6 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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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.