In previous blog posts I have talked about the Missouri Paddlers Guide. It is an amazing resource for paddlers. According to the guide it list 58 floatable rivers, springs, tributaries, and creeks in the state of Missouri. Not only does it list the rivers, it also gives a brief description, mile markers, put in and put out locations and tips on kayaking. It is a must have for anyone who floats the rivers. Lea and I have a goal ito try and paddle all the waterways in the guide. So after reading the information about the Black River we decided to cross that off our list.
The Black River is a little over 2 hours away from us. We decided to rent kayaks this time as the price was actually cheaper than having them transport ours to our put in spot. We ended up using Jeff's Canoe Rental. We were pleased with their service. They were affordable and there wasn't a lot of wait time to get us to the river.
When we got to the river we loaded up the kayaks. Being the day before the 4th I figured it would be crowded but there were about 15 other people our bus and everyone had kayaks so it wasn't that bad. We decided to do the 11 mile trip.
The Black River is very clear and cold in this section. It was nice to get in the water as the air temperature was in the lower to mid nineties. Going under the water was very refreshing. Also with the clear water we were able to see everything. The river has many different varieties of fish and I saw 3 large turtles. We also had a bald eagle sighting.
Being in a small group we quickly found ourselves alone on the water. We did not see any boats the whole trip. This section of the river is not developed so it was very quiet. I sometimes forget how noisey we humans can be. The absence of car, boat, and machine noise is refreshing. There were several sections were I was able to just lean back and take in the sounds of nature. That with the sound of the running current really recharged me after a long work week.
The first four miles were pretty straight forward. The Black River in this section is pretty straight. It doesn't twist and turn like other rivers I have been on. The current isn't that fast so at times there is a lot of paddling . With the clear water it is easier to spot and avoid obstruction.
My favorite part of this trip happened around the 4 mile mark. The river split around an island. The right side was wide and slow. The left side was narrow and the current was moving fast. There wasn't a lot of room to get through on the left side but we decided to give it a try. Our curiosity was rewarded as we went through the small chute on the left. We entered a narrow channel of fast moving deep bluish green water. The trees created a canopy over us. It felt like we were a hundred miles from civilization and that we had our own part of the river. It was a great experience.
We eventually rejoined the main channel and continued our journey. At about mile five the river started to get really crowded. The rental place also offers a 6 mile float and this section is where they put in. The kayaks are pretty agile and after about a mile of paddling we made it around all the rafts.
The last 4 miles were uneventful. This section the river is wider and the current seems a bit slower. This section required some extra paddling. Also with the lack of rain I was worried about dragging. It wasn't as bad as I thought and we only had to get out and push 2 or 3 times. Our take out spot was the Highway K bridge. This area was pretty crowded.
I really enjoyed the Black River. The clear and cool water was a nice change to some of the muddy rivers we have paddled. Getting to see all the fish and turtles swim was amazing. This section wasn't too difficult as the river is fairly straight. According to my tracking app we went 10.2 miles at a pace of 23 minutes per mile. It took us a little over 4 hours of paddling time. I would recommend this section as it offered a bit of everything. It isn't very difficult and the clear and cool water makes it a must visit river in Missouri.
Our goal is to float all rivers and streams listed in the paddlers guide. What should we do next? Here is our progress to date:
South Fabius
Lamine River
Platte River
Salt River and Tributaries
Grand River and East Fork Tributary
Missouri River
Sac River
Bear Creek
Cedar Creek
Pomme de Terre River
Niangua River
Moreau River and Tributaries
Small Tributaries of the Osage
Gasconade River and Tributary
Osage Fork of the Gasconade
Big Piney River
Meramec River X
Bourbeuse River. X
Big River X
Courtois Creek. X
Huzzah Creek. X
Spring River
Center Creek
Shoal Creek
Elk River
Big Sugar Creek
Little Sugar Creek
Indian River
James River and Tributaries
Roaring River
Flat Creek
Bull Creek
Swan Creek
Beaver Creek
North Fork of the White River
Bryant Creek
Current River
Jacks Fork River
Eleven Point X
Black River. X
St. Francis River