Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Ozark National Scenic Riverways is the first national park area to protect a river system. The Current and Jacks Fork rivers are two of the finest floating rivers found anywhere. Spring-fed, cold and clear: they are a delight to canoe, swim, boat, or fish. Besides these two famous rivers, the park is home to hundreds of freshwater springs, caves, trails, and historic sites such as Alley Mill.
Alerts
- ClosureRound Spring Pavilion Parking Area Closed
The parking lot for the Round Spring Pavilion and for Round Spring itself is CLOSED for the remainder of 2026 while the low water bridge over Spring Valley Creek is rebuilt. Alternative parking near Round Spring Group Campsites 4-8 will provide trail access to the north side of Round Spring.
- CautionRiver Ferry at Akers (on State Highway K) CLOSED until further notice
The Akers Ferry on State Highway K will not be in service until further notice.
- InformationNPS ↗Paving Work Ongoing Throughout the Park
Paving work is being done throughout Ozark National Scenic Riverways during the 2026 summer season, including at Alley Spring, Round Spring, Pulltite, and Big Spring. Watch here and on our park Facebook page for updates, as roads and campground loops may close and reopen depending on work progress.
- InformationNPS ↗Reservations Required for All Campgrounds
As of January 1, 2025, ALL developed campsites will be available through reservation ONLY. These include Pulltite, Round Spring, Alley Spring, Big Spring, Two Rivers, and Akers. Reservations must be made through recreation.gov (online or by calling).
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Ozark National Scenic Riverways | Daily · All Day |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| Alley Spring Campground | 165 sites | |
| $30 a night · Alley Spring Campground is open daily year-round. | ||
| Big Spring Campground | 137 sites | |
| $30 a night · Big Spring Campground is open year-round, though certain loops are closed in winter. To see which sites are available, visit the recreation.gov website. | ||
| Round Spring Campground | 65 sites | |
| $30 a night · Round Spring Campground is open daily year-round. | ||
| Pulltite Campground | 58 sites | |
| $20 a night · Pulltite Campground is open daily year-round and is a developed campground. Campsites are nestled in the woods along the Current River, offering a classic… · 58 reservable | ||
| Two Rivers Campground | 22 sites | |
| $20 a night · Two Rivers Campground is located at the confluence of the Jacks Fork and Current Rivers, at the end of V Highway in Shannon County, MO. · 22 reservable | ||
Show all 23 campgroundsHide
| Akers Group Campground | 4 sites | |
| $65 a night · Group campsites, located at Akers Ferry. The campground is located at the junction of Highway KK and Highway K. · 4 reservable | ||
| Big Tree Campground | 7 sites | |
| $10 a night · Big Tree Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 7 reservable | ||
| Gooseneck Campground | 7 sites | |
| $10 a night · Gooseneck Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 7 reservable | ||
| Clubhouse Campground | 5 sites | |
| $10 a night · Clubhouse Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 5 reservable | ||
| Cedar Spring Campground | 2 sites | |
| $10 a night · Cedar Spring Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 2 reservable | ||
| Grubb Hollow Campground | 5 sites | |
| $10 a night · Grubb Hollow Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 5 reservable | ||
| Powder Mill Campground | 8 sites | |
| $10 a night · Powder Mill Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 8 reservable | ||
| Log Yard Campground | 6 sites | |
| $10 a night · Log Yard Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 6 reservable | ||
| Blue Spring Campground | 7 sites | |
| $10 a night · Blue Spring Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 7 reservable | ||
| Bay Creek Campground | 11 sites | |
| $10 a night · Bay Creek Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 11 reservable | ||
| Bachers Campground | 1 site | |
| $10 a night · Bachers Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 1 reservable | ||
| Rymers Campground | 4 sites | |
| $10 a night · Rymers Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 4 reservable | ||
| Shawnee Creek Campground | 6 sites | |
| $10 a night · Shawnee Creek Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 6 reservable | ||
| Sinking Creek Campground | 8 sites | |
| $10 a night · Sinking Creek Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 8 reservable | ||
| Cedar Grove Campground | 6 sites | |
| $10 a night · Cedar Grove Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 6 reservable | ||
| Dee Murray Campground | 5 sites | |
| $10 a night · Dee Murray Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 5 reservable | ||
| Jerktail Campground | 3 sites | |
| $10 a night · Jerktail Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 3 reservable | ||
| Broadfoot Campground | 4 sites | |
| $10 a night · Broadfoot Campground is typically open throughout the year. The campground may be temporarily closed during/after flooding or storms. · 4 reservable | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Big Spring Entrance Station ↗Passport stamp
Built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), this station serves as a welcome center for Big Spring. Park literature, passport stamps, and information are available at the facility. Visitors can also learn about local history through displays about the CCC.
- Alley Mill ↗Passport stamp
Alley Mill is located at Alley Spring. Rangers lead guided tours of the mill or answer questions at the front desk. The facility offers an Eastern National sales area and exhibits of Ozark culture. The building itself is accessible, with ramps leading to the front door.
- Alley General Store
Alley General Store is part of the Alley historic community and features Ozark cultural exhibits, cooperating association merchandise sales, and an informational contact station. A 24 hour passport stamping station is located on the screened porch.
- Round Spring Ranger StationPassport stamp
Round Spring Ranger Station, located along the Current River, serves the upper third of Ozark National Scenic Riverways. This station offers park literature, trip planning advice, and cave tour tickets. Exhibits and videos make this a great place to learn about the park's rivers and caves.
- Pulltite Ranger StationPassport stamp
Pulltite Ranger Station is located next to Pulltite Campground on State Route K. Restrooms and showers are available at this location year-round. Visitor Contact Station open weekends Memorial Day - Labor Day. Convenience phone location for reservations and emergencies.
Explore
Things to do
- About Current River Challenge
Current River Challenge
Opens on the Park Service site - Round Spring Guided Cave Tour60-90 Minutes
Discover the amazing world beneath your feet! Round Spring Cave is considered the most spectacular cave within Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Large, varied formations fill over a mile of the passage, which has been well-preserved over the years.
Opens on the Park Service site - Fly Fishing Clinics7-8 Hours
Join a local fly-fishing legend and learn the art of this gentle sport in a free workshop! Clinics are currently offered for youth and parents. All skills levels are welcome; call (573) 858-3297 for details and reservations.
Opens on the Park Service site - See the Wild Horses
Learn about how to safely view wild horses within Ozark National Scenic Riverways! This page contains information on viewing locations and best practices.
Opens on the Park Service site - Round Spring Loop Trail
Round Spring Loop Trail.
Opens on the Park Service site - Paws in the Park
Follow along as your dog takes the lead through the trails to new spaces.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 12Hide
- Refresh at Big Spring
Rejuvenate your mind and spirit at Big Spring while embracing the soothing water sounds.
Opens on the Park Service site - A Detective in Nature
Unearth the secrets of nature with your own journey through Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
Opens on the Park Service site - Picture This
Experience the wonder of nature’s scale from the smallest details to the openness of the sky and waters.
Opens on the Park Service site - Discover Geologic Wonders
There is so much to discover within the park’s 134-miles of river and 80,000 acres of land.
Opens on the Park Service site - Ask a Ranger
Expand your knowledge with a journey through the park.
Opens on the Park Service site - A Paddler’s Paradise
Paddle or float on crystal clear waters within the river routes of the Ozark region.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
News
- Ozark National Scenic Riverways Offers Two Special Managed Deer Hunts ↗2026-07-01
Ozark National Scenic Riverways plans to host two managed deer hunts at Big Spring this fall, providing special opportunities for youth and mobility-impaired veterans.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Ozark. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Missouri guidebooks
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Full checklist: 167 birds, 55 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barred Owl · Black Vulture · Broad-winged Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern Screech-owl · Great Horned Owl · Merlin · Northern Harrier · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Osprey · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Coot · American White Pelican · Canada Goose · Great Blue Heron · Great Egret · Green Heron · Green-backed Heron · Hooded Merganser · Lesser Scaup · Little Blue Heron · Pied-billed Grebe · Snow Goose · Trumpeter Swan · Wood Duck · Yellow-crowned Night Heron · yelloe-crown night-heron
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Woodcock · Killdeer · Spotted Sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesMourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Rock Dove · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Pileated Woodpecker · Red-bellied Woodpecker · Red-headed Woodpecker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian Flycatcher · Alder Flycatcher · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Barn Swallow · Bay-breasted Warbler · Bell's Vireo · Belted Kingfisher · Bewick's Wren · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-billed Cuckoo · Blackburnian Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Blue-winged Warbler · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Canada Warbler · Carolina Chickadee · Carolina Wren · Cedar Waxwing · Cerulean Warbler · Chestnut-sided Warbler · Chipping Sparrow · Chuck-will's-widow · Cliff Swallow · Common Grackle · Common Nighthawk · Common Yellowthroat · Connecticut Warbler · Dark-eyed Junco · Dickcissel · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Wood-pewee · European Starling · Field Sparrow · Fish Crow · Fox Sparrow · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Golden-winged Warbler · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Gray-cheeked Thrush · Great Crested Flycatcher · Henslow's Sparrow · Hermit Thrush · Hooded Warbler · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Kentucky Warbler · Lark Sparrow · Louisiana Waterthrush · Mallard · Mourning Warbler · Nashville Warbler · Northern Cardinal · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Oriole · Northern Parula · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Orchard Oriole · Ovenbird · Pine Siskin · Pine Warbler · Prairie Warbler · Prothonotary Warbler · Purple Finch · Purple Martin · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rufous-sided Towhee · Scarlet Tanager · Sedge Wren · Slate-colored junco · Solitary Vireo · Song Sparrow · Sora · Summer Tanager · Swainson's Thrush · Swainson's Warbler · Swamp Sparrow · Tennessee Warbler · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · Veery · Vesper Sparrow · Warbling Vireo · Whip-poor-will · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Winter Wren · Wood Thrush · Worm-eating Warbler · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-bellied Flycatcher · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-rumped Warbler · Yellow-throated Vireo · Yellow-throated Warbler
Small mammalsAmerican Beaver · Brown Rat · Common Muskrat · Deer Mouse · Eastern Chipmunk · Eastern Cottontail · Eastern Fox Squirrel · Eastern Gray Squirrel · Eastern Mole · Eastern Woodrat · Elliot's Short-tailed Shrew · Fulvous Harvest Mouse · Hispid Cotton Rat · House Mouse · Meadow Jumping Mouse · Pine Vole · Plains Pocket Gopher · Prairie Vole · Southeastern Shrew · Southern Bog Lemming · Southern Flying Squirrel · Western Harvest Mouse · White-footed Deermouse · bee shrew · golden mouse
PredatorsAlleghanian Spotted Skunk · American Badger · American Black Bear · American Mink · Bobcat · Common Gray Fox · Common Otter · Coyote · Cross Fox · Long-tailed Weasel · MOUNTAIN LION · Striped Skunk · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsWhite-tailed Deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Black Bat · Cluster Bat · EVENING BAT · Eastern Pipistrelle · Eastern Red Bat · Gray Bat · HOARY BAT · Little Brown Bat · Northern Bat · SMALL-FOOTED BAT
Also on the checklistCane Cutter · Groundhog · Marsh Oryzomys · Virginia Opossum · long-nosed armadillo
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Camping in the national parks · Canoeing and kayaking in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Horseback riding in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 35 activitiesHide
Questions people ask
Does Ozark charge an entrance fee?
No. Ozark is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
Is Ozark open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Ozark?
Yes. The Park Service lists 23 campgrounds in Ozark: Alley Spring, Big Spring, Round Spring, Pulltite, and Two Rivers, and more. 23 take reservations through Recreation.gov.
Which Ozark campgrounds have showers, hookups, or a dump station?
Showers: Alley Spring, Big Spring, Round Spring, Pulltite, and Two Rivers. Dump station: Alley Spring, Big Spring, and Round Spring. Electric hookups: Alley Spring, Big Spring, and Round Spring.
Source: Campgrounds
Is anything closed at Ozark right now?
4 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Round Spring Pavilion Parking Area Closed; Paving Work Ongoing Throughout the Park; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Ozark?
1,116,835 recreation visits in 2025, number 67 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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