See all 15 routes on Jacks Fork River
Missouri | Missouri Ozarks
Jacks Fork River
Buck Hollow / Highway 17 Bridge to Bay Creek River Access
Check current paddling conditions for this Jacks Fork River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route snapshot
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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 Buck Hollow and take out at Bay Creek for a longer official upper Jacks Fork day built from the current NPS float-time rows. Use the Mountain View gauge as the same conservative low-water check already used on adjacent upper-Jacks routes.
Put-in
Buck Hollow / Highway 17 Bridge AccessOpen mapBuck Hollow and Bay Creek are official NPS river accesses, but the coordinates here are practical access anchors rather than an NPS coordinate table. Follow current park signs and actual landing layout on arrival.
Take-out
Bay Creek River AccessOpen mapBuck 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 and Bay Creek are official NPS river accesses, but the coordinates here are practical access anchors rather than an NPS coordinate table. Follow current park signs and actual 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.
- Bay Creek is a remote road-end access near primitive backcountry camping. Weather, washboarding, flood damage, or temporary park management can change practical access conditions.
Watch for
- Repeated scraping, dragging, and possible short lining when the Mountain View gauge is near or below the 100 cfs conservative floor.
- Fast riffles, wood, strainers, blind bends, bluff ledges, and Class I-II moving-water consequences on a longer remote upper-river route.
- Rapid rises after thunderstorms, cold spring-fed water, limited cell service, and longer-than-expected shuttle friction on rural gravel roads.
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.
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 | Jacks Fork near Mountain View, 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 | 100 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 Mountain View gauge rating and adjacent upper-Jacks trip rows |
| 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.
- Official route shapeHighway 17 to Bay Creek, about 18.2 mi / 8 hr
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, and Rymers to Bay Creek as 9 miles / 4 hours, which supports a combined Buck-Hollow-to-Bay-Creek public day route of about 18.2 miles / 8 hours.
- Public put-inBuck Hollow at Highway 17, river mile 88
The current NPS park brochure lists Buck Hollow where Highway 17 crosses the Jacks Fork and places it at river mile 88.
- Public take-outBay Creek, river mile 74
The current NPS park brochure lists Bay Creek as a river access with picnic area and primitive campsites west of Eminence off Highway 106.
- Gauge checkUSGS 07065200 at 95.0 cfs / 0.89 ft
A same-day Water Services IV refresh returned 95.0 cfs and 0.89 ft at 2026-07-06 19:45 CDT for Jacks Fork near Mountain View, the direct upper-Jacks gauge already used by adjacent routes.
- Low-water floor100 cfs minimum-only
Rivers.MOHERP rates the Mountain View gauge Good beginning at 100 cfs, and the adjacent implemented upper-Jacks routes already use that conservative floor. The app keeps only the same 100 cfs minimum-only model here.
- Coordinate supportBuck Hollow bridge access to Bay Creek River Access
This route reuses the same Buck Hollow and Bay Creek access anchors already implemented on adjacent upper Jacks Fork routes, keeping the endpoint interpretation consistent across the corridor.
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.
See what others have shared, then add a condition report, upload photos, or flag anything that needs fixing.
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More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
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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 near Mountain View, 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 Bay Creek River Access, about About 18.2 mi on the water.
Is this Jacks Fork 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.
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.