See all 15 routes on Jacks Fork River
Missouri | Missouri Ozarks
Jacks Fork RiverBlue Spring River Access to Joshua T. Chilton Memorial Landing
Long Blue-Spring-to-Eminence continuation that links the upper Jacks Fork corridor into the classic Alley-to-town finish, using current NPS float-time rows, named public accesses, and the direct Eminence gauge conservatively.
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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 Blue Spring and take out at Joshua T. Chilton Memorial Landing in Eminence for the long Blue-Spring-to-town continuation. Use the direct Eminence gauge conservatively and expect the upper half to feel scrape-prone when conditions are near or below the 200 cfs floor.
Access map
Put-in
Blue Spring River AccessBlue Spring, Rymers, Bay Creek, Alley Spring, and Joshua T. Chilton are all named public accesses, but the coordinates used here are practical access anchors rather than one official coordinate table. Follow signed access roads and current landing layouts on arrival.
Take-out
Joshua T. Chilton Memorial Landing / EminenceBlue Spring on the Jacks Fork is the river access across from the geologic feature, not the separate Blue Spring on the Current River.
Road shuttle
Stage the take-out at Joshua T. Chilton Memorial Landing in Eminence, then drive to Blue Spring. Inspect the Blue Spring road and the Chilton landing first because this route combines remote upper-river access with a long lower-river finish.
Additional access notes
- This route stays remote for much of the upper half before entering the developed Alley Spring area and the Eminence town corridor. Stay with signed public accesses and lawful stops rather than private banks.
- The current park alerts feed showed no live closure naming these Jacks Fork endpoints on the review date, but same-day alert and road-condition checks still matter before you leave vehicles.
More route and safety guidance
- The direct Eminence gauge was below the 200 cfs conservative floor during this run, so expect scraping and slower travel above Alley Spring even though the lower section gains spring water.
- Blue Spring is a primitive upper access, while Joshua T. Chilton sits in the town-access corridor. Use only the named public accesses and check current park alerts before leaving vehicles.
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Station details and river cameras
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Measurement notes and coverage
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River camera · USGS
View at the gauge
Jacks Fork at Eminence, MO. This view may be outside your paddling reach. Images are periodic and do not establish safe conditions.
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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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Data behind the scoreWater levels, published guidance and update times
These readings and published water-level limits help explain today’s score.
| Gauge site | Jacks Fork at Eminence, MO |
| Discharge | Checking |
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| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
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| Preferred range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 200 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 Eminence gauge rating and lower-Jacks trip rows |
| 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.
- Official route shapeBlue Spring to Eminence, about 27.7 mi / 12 hr
The current NPS float-times page still lists Blue Spring to Rymers as 6.6 miles / 3 hours, Rymers to Bay Creek as 9 miles / 4 hours, Bay Creek to Alley Spring as 5.8 miles / 2 hours, and Alley Spring to Eminence as 6.3 miles / 3 hours, which supports a combined Blue-Spring-to-Eminence public route of about 27.7 miles / 12 hours.
- Public endpointsBlue Spring river mile 87 to Joshua T. Chilton Memorial Landing
The current NPS park brochure still lists Blue Spring on the Jacks Fork as a river access with primitive camping context, and the current MDC Joshua T. Chilton page still confirms the Eminence take-out.
- Gauge check during route review · 2026-07-09USGS 07066000 at 171 cfs / 1.89 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 floor200 cfs minimum-only
Rivers.MOHERP rates the Eminence gauge Good beginning at 200 cfs, and the adjacent implemented Alley-Spring-to-Chilton and Bay-Creek-to-Chilton routes already use that same conservative floor. The app keeps only the 200 cfs minimum-only model here.
- Closure checkNo Jacks-specific endpoint closure in current park alerts JSON
The current Ozark National Scenic Riverways alerts feed showed active notices for Akers Ferry, campground reservations, and unrelated area closures, but no live alert naming Blue Spring, Rymers, Bay Creek, Alley Spring, or Joshua T. Chilton Memorial Landing as closed endpoints for this route on the review date.
- Coordinate supportBlue Spring River Access to Joshua T. Chilton Memorial Landing
This route reuses the same Blue Spring, Rymers, Bay Creek, Alley Spring, and Joshua T. Chilton access anchors already implemented on adjacent Jacks Fork routes, keeping the endpoint interpretation consistent across the corridor.
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