![]() ![]() However, there’s plenty of fun to be had within the park’s borders whether you choose to fish, float, swim or wade in Sinking Creek or take to Echo Bluff’s hiking and biking trails. The park is well known as the “basecamp of the Ozarks” due to its location - a mere 15 miles north of Eminence. One of the newest additions to Missouri’s award-winning state parks system, Echo Bluff was created in 2016 on the former site of Camp Zoe. “And we want them to think about the environmental conditions expected during the time they are planning to hike and float.” “We want them to have that first-person interaction with the parks and the challenge so they can be successful at whatever pace is best,” Dena says of would-be Current River challengers. Check in with park staff for tips on that park’s specific leg of the challenge or any changes to trail, river or weather conditions. Whether you’re a newcomer to the parks or trying the challenge for the first time, it’s a good idea to be prepared, research the trail and to let someone know your plans including when you expect to finish the trip. On the float downstream, paddlers pass a spring, an old homesite, Merritt Rock and Cave and the confluence at Sinking Creek where you can stand in each stream and feel the temperature difference. The hiking portion follows 8 miles of the Upper Current Section of the Ozark Trail, meandering upriver through lush wooded hollows. Otherwise you might be missing the best of what one of Missouri’s national parks, two state parks and the Ozark Trail have to offer. The 12-mile trip can be completed in a single day, but save the speed records for a second attempt. Just stamp it at each stop in order to collect your decal at trail’s end. A map can be picked up at the Round Spring ranger station or Echo Bluff. The journey’s three parts can be completed in any order, at any time. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is simple: Hike from Round Spring in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways to Echo Bluff State Park and on to Current River State Park before paddling back downriver to Round Spring. “And it doesn’t have to be a one-day push.” “Whether your interests lie in the natural resource, the history of the Ozarks or simply outdoor recreation, the challenge offers something for almost all users,” says Dena Matteson, chief of interpretation, planning and partnerships for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. ![]() It’s a great way to put your outdoor skills to the test and experience the best of the Ozarks across three parks in one public lands package. You don’t have to, if you’re willing to try the Current River Challenge. And if you just can’t decide between the two, that’s OK. At the top of the list are two old favorites: a relaxing float with a fishing pole and a walk in the woods amid the changing leaves. If you’re looking for an autumn outdoor adventure in the Ozarks, there are lots of possibilities.
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