Current River Blue Spring to Big Spring Float Route

The gravel access road paralleling Missouri’s Current River from Blue Spring to Big Spring cuts through some of the most pristine Ozark wilderness left in the state. This National Scenic Riverway route winds through dense hardwood forests and limestone bluffs, passing the jaw-dropping 87-million-gallon-per-day Big Spring — the largest spring in Missouri and one of the largest in the world. The road crosses several creek beds and navigates around karst sinkholes that can swallow unwary vehicles after heavy rains.

This is an easy to moderate route suitable for any high-clearance vehicle, though the limestone gravel can get slick when wet and rutted during busy float seasons. Best driven spring through fall when water levels are predictable. No permits required, but respect private property boundaries and pack out everything. The payoff is accessing some of the clearest water and most remote camping spots in the Missouri Ozarks, plus world-class trout fishing if you’ve got a license.