Jacks Fork River
Float Trip Guide.

Upper Jacks Fork — The Prongs to Bay Creek

Wild, narrow, and rain-dependent. The upper canyon needs spring runoff or a recent rain to float; in exchange you get Jam Up Cave's 80-foot arch, Blue Spring, and the most dramatic small-river scenery in the Ozarks. Often bony or unfloatable by mid-summer.

Lower Jacks Fork — Alley Spring to Two Rivers

Below Alley Spring's ~81 million gallons a day the river stabilizes and floats reliably through summer. The red Alley Mill, easy Class I water, and the Eminence-to-Two-Rivers finish make this the family-friendly half.

• PFDs (legally required — one per person, worn by anyone under 7).
• Dry bag for keys, phone, ID, and a fleece. The narrow upper river flips beginners in riffles.
• Drinking water (a gallon per person per day in summer) — even clear ONSR springs aren't safe to drink.
• Reef-safe sunscreen and a hat. Bluff shadows are short.
• Hard-soled water shoes. Gravel bars and bedrock are sharp.
• A gauge check the morning you launch — the Jacks Fork rises and drops faster than anything else in the Ozarks.
• Trash bag — pack out what you bring in.

• Check the gauge that morning. Watch the Alley Spring gauge (USGS 07065495). The river can climb or drop a foot overnight; yesterday's reading isn't today's river.
• Upper canyon = spring runoff. Buck Hollow to Bay Creek needs water. By July it's usually too low — float the lower river below Alley Spring instead.
• Camp on gravel bars. Free and non-reservable on most NPS sections: 200 ft from springs and tributaries, no cutting live wood, pack out ash.
• Respect flash floods. A narrow canyon means fast rises. If rain is forecast or the gauge is climbing, postpone — this is the flashiest float in the Ozarks.

Plan your Jacks Fork River trip on Eddy