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Missouri | Missouri Ozarks
Current RiverWaymeyer Access to Gooseneck / Hawes Recreation Area
Full lower Current River continuation from Waymeyer to Gooseneck / Hawes near the river mouth. Current NPS mileage and float-time guidance support the section, and the direct Van Buren gauge gives a conservative low-water check.
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Route location
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Route overview
Trip details
Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.
Permits, camping and season
Access and shuttle
Launch at Waymeyer and finish at Gooseneck / Hawes for the full public lower Current continuation. Use the direct Van Buren gauge as a conservative low-water check and plan for a very long day or staged overnight with motorboats, long pools, limited exits, and end-of-river logistics.
Access map
Put-in
Waymeyer AccessNPS has described Waymeyer as a non-commercial floater access while warning about erosion and limited unloading room on summer weekends. Follow current NPS signs and avoid blocking the access.
Take-out
Gooseneck / Hawes Recreation AreaNPS materials use both Gooseneck and Hawes naming for the downstream endpoint. Confirm the signed river landing before leaving a vehicle.
Road shuttle
Stage the take-out at Gooseneck / Hawes before driving north to Waymeyer. This is the full lower-Current continuation, so verify access hours, parking, daylight, and whether you are treating it as a very long day or a staged overnight.
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 passes the lower Current access chain and ends near the river mouth. Do not continue onto the Black River without a separate plan.
More route and safety guidance
- Plan for fatigue, heat, motorboat wakes, wind, limited exits, private banks, and scarce cell service across the full lower Current.
- Treat Gooseneck / Hawes camping and access as separately confirmed logistics, verify daylight and weather, and do not force the route after a late start.
Plan this paddle
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Conditions
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Recent trend
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Gauge source
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Weather
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
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Plan ahead
Tomorrow and the weekend
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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.
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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.
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- 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 |
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| 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 shapeWaymeyer to Gooseneck, about 25.8 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, Big Spring to Cataract at 8.8 miles, and Cataract to Gooseneck at 6.2 miles, which combine into an about 25.8-mile public lower Current continuation.
- NPS timing supportAbout 11 hr total
NPS lower-Current guidance lists Waymeyer to Van Buren at about 3 hours and Van Buren to Gooseneck at about 8 hours, supporting a very long full-continuation route rather than a casual short float.
- Public endpointsWaymeyer to Gooseneck / Hawes
NPS still supports Waymeyer as a lower-Current floater access, and the park brochure plus Recreation.gov keep Gooseneck / Hawes as a named public lower-Current access with primitive camping context.
- 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 across the downstream family. Paddle Today keeps only the conservative 700 cfs floor.
- Camping contextPrimitive camping at Gooseneck / Hawes
The NPS brochure and Recreation.gov both describe Gooseneck / Hawes with primitive camping context, which makes the downstream finish the clearest legal overnight support point for this long continuation.
- Endpoint coordinates37.054302, -91.055459 to 36.8194989, -90.9470707
Waymeyer uses the existing published paddling-access coordinate and Gooseneck uses the existing USGS-topo-derived Hawes Recreation Area point already accepted on the adjacent lower Current route. Confirm the signed access layout 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.
- NPS Ozark float times
- NPS Paddle the Lower Current River
- NPS Ozark park brochure
- NPS Ozark Superintendent Compendium
- NPS Waymeyer access update
- Recreation.gov Hawes Campground
- Rivers.MOHERP Current River Van Buren gauge
- USGS 07067000 Current River at Van Buren
- Paddling.com Waymeyer Access
- Hawes Recreation Area topo coordinate
Other routes nearby
More on Current River
All 16Nearby routes within 75 miles
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