Having trouble finding info and pics of large hills/small mountains in MO. Please help. (Ozark: camping, hospitable)

[benandgrace]

Originally Posted by Inoxkeeper

The Jacks Fork is way prettier than the Current. Jacks has huge 300 to 400' bluffs, the Current doesn't...

If you want something closer check out the Rockpile Mountain CA on the St. Francis. Lee's bluff is right there and about 350' Rockpile has many hiking trails and is pretty stinking steep.

While in that area you could also check out Elephant Rock, Silver Mines, Amadon and Millstream Gardens. There is lots to see on the Hwy72 corridor

Thanks. I'll take note of the info. I wonder if the Jack Fork has some current to it as well, but not too much. Do you know if the currents there are like the ones at current river?

[ShadowCaver]

The Jacks Fork is, IMHO, while not having the amount of flow ["current"] as the Current, it is much more scenic, rugged, less traveled [thankfully! ].
Inoxkeeper suggested some great places in his post.

[OA 5599]

The Jack's Fork is smaller than the Current River (except the upper Current until about Pulltite Spring, after that the Current is larger). Both aren't particularly swift, although after the Jack's Fork flows into the Current it gets pretty big, deep, and fairly fast so it can be hard to swim in. The Jack's Fork does seem to have more of a pattern of deep holes and fast riffles than the Current, although both are pretty similiar.

I think both are very scenic in their own way. The Jack's Fork may have bigger bluffs than the Current, but the actual valley of the Current is much deeper, and the surrounding hills and hollows are more rugged.

Also, if you are planning on going down in to Arkansas, I'd recommend going through the Boston Mountains, around the town of Jasper on Arkansas 7 (or any of the other roads in that general area, like driving through Ponca). I drove through there the first time back in May and it was amazing. The Ozarks are much, much higher and steeper in that area, with some of the mountains getting up to around 2500' above sea level, and valleys which are 1000' or more deep. Very rugged country, and the highest bluffs anywhere in the Ozarks are on the Buffalo River in the area.

[Inoxkeeper]

Originally Posted by benandgrace

Thanks. I'll take note of the info. I wonder if the Jack Fork has some current to it as well, but not too much. Do you know if the currents there are like the ones at current river?

You can float the Jacks from Alley Spring to Eminence (6 miles) year round thanks to Alley Spring's 81 million gallons per day flow. The Jacks normally flows 3-4 miles per hour except in the spring when the water is up. 3-4 is a great family float speed, it's a fun 1 day float. Windy's Canoe Rental is a great outfitter, check out their web site.

I usually float from 17 bridge finishing at Alley. That's 26 miles, we camp on the river a night or two. The Jacks from 17 down has huge bluffs, springs, Jam up Cave, Meeting House cave and Hospital Cave (used by both sides during the war between the states.) but usually can only be floated during the spring due to water levels. Windy's will tell you how far up you can put in if you call.

I have floated the Jacks, Current, St. Francis, Little St. Francis, North Fork of the White, Buffalo, Black, Castor, 11 pt. and the Huzah to name a few. The Jacks is my favorite, the Buffalo in AR is close but I give the Jacks the nod since it's in MO. (Has anyone ever been to Hemmed in Hollow on the Buffalo? There is a 300' waterfall there waiting on you!)

[benandgrace]

Originally Posted by OA 5599

The Jack's Fork is smaller than the Current River (except the upper Current until about Pulltite Spring, after that the Current is larger). Both aren't particularly swift, although after the Jack's Fork flows into the Current it gets pretty big, deep, and fairly fast so it can be hard to swim in. The Jack's Fork does seem to have more of a pattern of deep holes and fast riffles than the Current, although both are pretty similiar.

I think both are very scenic in their own way. The Jack's Fork may have bigger bluffs than the Current, but the actual valley of the Current is much deeper, and the surrounding hills and hollows are more rugged.

Also, if you are planning on going down in to Arkansas, I'd recommend going through the Boston Mountains, around the town of Jasper on Arkansas 7 (or any of the other roads in that general area, like driving through Ponca). I drove through there the first time back in May and it was amazing. The Ozarks are much, much higher and steeper in that area, with some of the mountains getting up to around 2500' above sea level, and valleys which are 1000' or more deep. Very rugged country, and the highest bluffs anywhere in the Ozarks are on the Buffalo River in the area.

Thanks, everyone, for the info. I won't be able to make the trip for awhile but I'm already planning my trip with anticipation. I'm definately going to check out the roads around Jasper, Ponca, etc. since they're a fairly short travel from where I live. It's good to hear that northern AR has the kind of terrain you mentioned. Anyone have any pics of that area?

[OA 5599]

Originally Posted by benandgrace

Thanks, everyone, for the info. I won't be able to make the trip for awhile but I'm already planning my trip with anticipation. I'm definately going to check out the roads around Jasper, Ponca, etc. since they're a fairly short travel from where I live. It's good to hear that northern AR has the kind of terrain you mentioned. Anyone have any pics of that area?

Sure, I'll attach some I took back in May. They aren't great as I was in kind of a hurry (scenic detour on my drive to MO from TX) and it was really cloudy. You can find more photos of the area on Google Maps too that are a lot better then mine. The first two were at a scenic overlook on Arkansas 7 probably 30 miles south of Jasper, and the last is of the Buffalo River at Ponca. I was coming north and took a drive from 7 to 16 west, to 21 north, to 43 east to Ponca, then 74 east from Ponca to Jasper. Gorgeous drive the whole way, the roads stay on the mountain tops (lots of views) for most of the way except along the Buffalo River. I think I'll take it again when I go back to MO in December to see it without all the leaves on the trees, and even more views!

EDIT: I just noticed you said you won't be making it for awhile. You'd probably be best off waiting until fall or winter if you want to see scenery. The Ozarks are beautiful any time of year, but IMO the best true scenery is when the leaves are off the trees. You can see a lot farther and see lots of bluffs, caves, and other stuff that the vegetation obscures during the spring and summer. The days are usually really clear when its sunny too, much less haze in the air. Leaves usually fall off the trees sometime in October in MO if I remember right, probably a little later in Arkansas.

[aragx6]

Oh God if you can go in the fall, you'll be amazed. The colors are spectacular.

...Now I'm homesick Sometimes I feel as if I grew up along the Huzzah and Courteois with all the fun I had there in the summers.

[runninfiend]

Go down to the St. Francois Mts. Those are actual uplifts. The drive between Potosi and Steelville is also very nice and hilly and extremely rural. Stop at Berryman and hike the trail there. Lots of switchbacks up the hills. Not a far drive for you.

[benandgrace]

OA and runninfiend, I think I'll try to squeze as many of those routes into my round trip as possible. Thanks. I might have to go next summer though to make use of one of the canoeing rivers and Lake Texoma/water skiing. I'm not sure though. It depends on how far other companions will want to travel. I'll hope the Talimena National Scenic Bypass and Mountain Pass and Mountain Gateway Scenic Drives (http://www.talimenascenicdrive.com/mountain_pass_gateway.html - broken link) will at least have uncluttered scenery in the summer. For a guy surrounded by corn fields, those TNSB website pics look spectacular. It seems like some very hospitable and friendly atmosphere in this MO forum . I always hear that about you all too from people who have visited. See ya.

[OA 5599]

Originally Posted by runninfiend

Go down to the St. Francois Mts. Those are actual uplifts. The drive between Potosi and Steelville is also very nice and hilly and extremely rural. Stop at Berryman and hike the trail there. Lots of switchbacks up the hills. Not a far drive for you.

All of the Ozarks were uplifted, but not very much. The Ozarks in Missouri are a low, broad, structural dome, created when another continent slammed into North America about 250 million years ago. This collision created the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas, which are true folded mountains, but only uplifted the Ozarks to the north, leaving the rocks more or less flat lying. Before this, the Ozarks were a very flat and low plain (think the Mississippi Delta today), and most of the current streams were already in existence, and meandering across the plain. When the area was uplifted the streams kept the current course, but cut down, giving them a meandering pattern yet a steep valley. So the Ozarks were uplifted, but due to the nature of the uplift the only steep areas are around the streams really, and when you get way up into the headwaters its really flat (like around Licking, West Plains, and Salem).

The St. Francios Mountains pre-date all the the Ozarks by over a billion years, as they are very old mountains made out of granite and volcanic rocks. Today they are just worn down stumps, but still higher than any other mountains in Missouri.