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See all 15 routes on Jacks Fork River

Missouri | Missouri Ozarks

Jacks Fork River

Buck Hollow / Highway 17 Bridge to Alley Spring Access

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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

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Quick facts

On-water distanceAbout 24 mi by current NPS segment totalsBuck Hollow / Highway 17 Bridge to Alley Spring Access
DifficultyhardThis is a very long upper-river Ozark float with Class I-II moving water, shoals, wood, bluff pools, and a remote shuttle. The route is materially more committing than the shorter upper-Jacks planners and should not be treated like the easier water below Alley Spring.
ShuttleCar shuttleUse a rural two-car or authorized outfitter shuttle between Buck Hollow / Highway 17 and Alley Spring. Stage the Alley Spring take-out first, then inspect the Buck Hollow launch because this route commits you to the longest current upper-Jacks continuation in the app.
PermitsNone notedNo route-specific private-vessel paddling permit is known. Follow Ozark National Scenic Riverways rules, posted access signs, no-glass/no-polystyrene river rules, and any current park river closures, alerts, or advisories.
CampingOptions nearbyBlue Spring, Rymers, and Bay Creek all have primitive camping context and Alley Spring has developed campground context, but treat this route as a very long day planner unless you have checked current NPS rules and made a separate legal overnight plan.
SeasonMar-NovCurrent NPS materials still frame the upper Jacks Fork as seasonal water where low stages can limit navigation and storms can raise the corridor quickly. This full Buck-Hollow-to-Alley continuation is most reliable in spring or after rain, and same-day closure checks still matter.

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 Buck Hollow and take out at Alley Spring for the full upper Jacks Fork continuation supported by the current NPS float-time rows and the legacy NPS Hwy 17-to-Alley timing line. Use the direct Alley Spring gauge conservatively and expect scrape-prone travel when conditions are near or below the 100 cfs floor.

DirectionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap
Start

Put-in

Buck Hollow / Highway 17 Bridge AccessOpen map

Buck Hollow, Blue Spring, Rymers, Bay Creek, and Alley Spring are official NPS river accesses, but the coordinates used here are practical access anchors rather than an NPS coordinate table. Follow signed access roads and the current landing layout on arrival.

Finish

Take-out

Alley Spring River AccessOpen map

Buck Hollow is the Highway 17 bridge access north of Mountain View. Do not confuse it with the upstream Prongs / Highway Y section, which is a separate, more seasonal reach.

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

Access caveats and watch for

Access caveats

  • Buck Hollow, Blue Spring, Rymers, Bay Creek, and Alley Spring are official NPS river accesses, but the coordinates used here are practical access anchors rather than an NPS coordinate table. Follow signed access roads and the current landing layout on arrival.
  • Buck Hollow is the Highway 17 bridge access north of Mountain View. Do not confuse it with the upstream Prongs / Highway Y section, which is a separate, more seasonal reach.
  • This is an all-day remote corridor with long gaps between easy exits. Plan the shuttle, food, and timing before launching and do not assume you can improvise mid-route on 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.

Watch for

  • Repeated scraping, dragging, and possible short lining when the Alley Spring gauge is below the 100 cfs conservative floor.
  • Fast riffles, wood, strainers, bluff ledges, and Class I-II moving-water consequences over a very long upper-river day.
  • Rapid rises after thunderstorms, cold spring-fed water, limited cell service, and long rural shuttle friction on gravel roads.
  • Fatigue, daylight management, and the temptation to press on after missing the best water window. Treat a below-floor reading as a reason to shorten the day, not to force the full route.

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.

The upper Jacks Fork River winds below wooded Ozark hills with a gravel bar along the clear channel.
Upper Jacks Fork River corridorPhoto by Chris M Morris via Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons: CC BY 2.0

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.

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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.

Why
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OutlookTomorrow and weekend

This is a cautious early look. If the data is too thin, we leave it out.

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Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing

These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.

Gauge siteJacks Fork at Alley Spring, MO
DischargeChecking
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Ideal rangeNeeds paddler reports
Known low-water floor100 cfs
High thresholdNot calibrated yet
Data confidence behind the rangeLocal route guidance
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Paddle Today updatedChecking
Main source behind this scoreRivers.MOHERP Alley Spring gauge rating and adjacent upper-Jacks trip rows
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Weather sourceChecking
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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.

  • Official route shapeAbout 24.0 mi, all-day upper Jacks continuation

    The current NPS float-times page still lists Highway 17 to Blue Spring as 2.6 miles / 1 hour, Blue Spring to Rymers as 6.6 miles / 3 hours, Rymers to Bay Creek as 9 miles / 4 hours, and Bay Creek to Alley Spring as 5.8 miles / 2 hours, which supports a combined Buck-Hollow-to-Alley route of about 24.0 miles and 10 paddle-hours before stops.

    Source

  • Legacy NPS timing rowHwy 17 to Alley, 16 hr

    The NPS Paddle Jacks Fork River page still directly lists Hwy 17 to Alley as a 16-hour float, reinforcing that this is an all-day upper-river planner rather than a casual split.

    Source

  • Public endpointsBuck Hollow river mile 88 to Alley Spring river mile 69

    The current NPS park brochure still places Buck Hollow where Highway 17 crosses the Jacks Fork at river mile 88 and Alley Spring at river mile 69 with campground, ranger-station, and river-access context.

    Source

  • Gauge checkUSGS 07065495 at 91.9 cfs / 1.44 ft

    A same-day Water Services IV refresh returned 91.9 cfs and 1.44 ft at 2026-07-09 06:30 PM CDT for Jacks Fork at Alley Spring, the direct gauge chosen for this full upper-corridor continuation.

    Source

  • Low-water floor100 cfs minimum-only

    Rivers.MOHERP rates the Alley Spring gauge Good beginning at 100 cfs, and the adjacent implemented Bay-Creek-to-Alley and Rymers-to-Alley routes already use that same conservative floor. The app keeps only the 100 cfs minimum-only model here.

    Source

  • 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 Buck Hollow, Blue Spring, Rymers, Bay Creek, or Alley Spring as closed endpoints for this route on the review date.

    Source

  • Coordinate supportBuck Hollow bridge access to Alley Spring River Access

    This route reuses the same Buck Hollow and Alley Spring access anchors already implemented on adjacent upper Jacks Fork routes, keeping the endpoint interpretation consistent across the corridor.

    Source

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More routes to check next

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More on Jacks Fork River

All 15
Alley Spring Access to Joshua T. Chilton Memorial LandingMissouri OzarksEasy · About 6.6 miBay Creek River Access to Joshua T. Chilton Memorial LandingMissouri OzarksModerate · About 12.1 mi by current NPS segment totalsBay Creek to Alley SpringMissouri OzarksModerate · About 5.8 miBlue Spring River Access to Alley Spring AccessMissouri OzarksHard · About 21.4 mi by current NPS segment totals

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Quick answers

Jacks Fork River paddling FAQ

What water level is good for paddling Jacks Fork River?

Paddle Today watches Jacks Fork at Alley Spring, MO and uses 100 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.

Where does this Jacks Fork River route start and end?

This route starts at Buck Hollow / Highway 17 Bridge Access and ends at Alley Spring River Access, about About 24 mi by current NPS segment totals on the water.

Is this Jacks Fork River route good for beginners?

This is listed as a hard route. Treat the live score as a planning aid, then confirm conditions, hazards, access, and group skill before launching.

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