Lea and I have been talking about doing an overnight kayak for several years. We have planned a few in the past but something always came up. We have also had the Eleven Point on our list of Missouri Rivers to kayak. With no excuses and an open Saturday and Sunday we took the leap and oh man, are we glad we did.
The Eleven Point River is located in Southern Missouri and it was about 200 miles away from our home. We decided not to use our own kayaks and instead use an outfitter due to the distance from our home. We used Richard’s Canoe Rental. The area is very rural and cell phone service is very spotty as well. I recommend planning/knowing your route ahead of time because we lost the GPS several times. The area is very secluded and the scenery is very picturesque.
We arrived at Richard’s around 3 pm and were eager to get to the water. The check in process was fairly simple and they had a small country store on site so we picked up a deck of cards and were on our way. We decided to go with 2 sit on top kayaks as that is what we are used to. They had plenty to choose from. After a short truck ride we made it to our put in spot, Greer Crossing Recreation Area.
The driver unloaded our kayaks at the ramp. With this being an over night trip we had a lot more gear than normal. I was worried that all of our stuff wouldn’t fit on there but with some moving stuff around and trial and error we made it work. We were finally ready to begin.
The first thing I noticed was the water’s temperature. It was very cold. The river is spring fed and according to our driver the temperature stays around 62 degrees. The next thing I noticed was how clear the water was. In most places I could see to the bottom. In various places the water was a beautiful emerald blue and just amazing to look at.
I usually use the MapMyRun app and switch it to kayak mode to track our progress. We needed to keep an accurate track of how many miles we went due to our pick up time being the next day. Also I like to know how fast or slow I need to paddle to make the deadline. Unfortunately or fortunately (however you want to look at it) with no cell service there was no GPS or MapMyRun. We did take a picture of the Eleven Point Map from the paddler guide. We used landmarks and mileage markers from the map and were able to track our mileage pretty well. The water was moving and we did 5 miles in about an hour and a half.
With this being our first overnight, Lea and I made a plan to start looking for a spot well before dark or in our case around 630. There were several float camps along our route. They are labeled with signage which also helped with us tracking our mileage. The ones we passed were: Stinking Pond Float Camp, HorseShoe Bend Float Camp, Barn Hollow, White Creek, Greenbriar, and Boze Mill. These are primitive camp sites that sit high off the water. No cost to camp at these. There did seem a bit crowded (we went on a Saturday evening) and although I saw the signs on a few of them I wasn’t really sure how to get up there.
Lea and I decided to camp out on a gravel bar a little passed Horseshoe Bend. We weren’t as high up as the float camps but the gravel bar was empty. I would recommend checking river conditions and rainfall amounts prior to picking a spot as river conditions can change very quickly.
With our camping spot picked we started to unload the gear. Since our kayaks can’t hold as much gear as a canoe, compact items were key. Our sleeping bags took up the most room and with it being in the 70’s at bed time we didn’t even use them. Also, we brought self inflating mattress pads that I probably won’t bring again. They weren’t very comfortable to lay on and took up a lot of room. Lea and I plan to look into different options for our next trip due to how uncomfortable the tent and mattresses were. Saw quite a few people using hammocks and we may try that next time. Any other suggestions, we are all ears.
One of the coolest things about this stretch of river is it’s undeveloped and completely untamed. With no electric lights the night sky was filled with what seemed like millions of stars. There was also a full moon which added the cherry to the top of our night experience. We had went about 10 miles in the kayak that day and went to bed excited for the next 10 Sunday would bring.
We woke up and broke camp. It’s always important to take out more than what we took in. We cleaned the cigarette butts and plastic bottles that previous campers left and were on our way. The other thing I noticed about this stretch of river is how clean it is. We have kayaked the Meramec River mostly and are used to seeing old tires , trash, and all kinds of other things. This river had none of that and it was refreshing to say the least.
We had about 10 miles left when we started Sunday morning. We left at about 9 am. We ran into a lot of fishermen in kayaks. I didn’t bring my fishing pole this trip but apparently the trout fishing there is on point. There are rules about what can be kept and I recommend reading these as it appeared to me certain sections had different rules.
Most of the paddling to this point was mainly just for steering. The river was moving fast enough were we didn’t have to over do it paddling. I will say there are a few stagnant sections and we hit most of these on day 2 during our last 10 miles.
Nearing the end of our trip we were in for one final surprise. We were pulling out at Riverton Access. About a mile or so before that we heard a loud roaring sound. We made it to what I think was Halls Bay Rapids. This was the most challenging part of the trip for me. I went over the rapids and almost swamped my kayak. Lea and I had to bail out water of both of ours before proceeding. It was nerve wracking but very exciting to go through.
We finished up our trip at Riverton Access. There is a bridge (the only bridge we saw on this stretch) and the take out point is on the left.
This was my favorite kayak trip by far. The 20 miles we went was challenging and exciting. With how the river moved, changed depths and the no cell service it made me more aware and I feel like I gained experience in reading the river while kayaking. I wouldn’t recommend this trip to a beginner just due to the challenges and remoteness of the river. I got stuck twice on a gravel bar and almost swamped the kayak as stated earlier. This trip allowed us to completely immerse ourselves in nature. The water, scenery and lack of civilization made this one of our most memorable trips. It was nice to be disconnected for the hustle and bustle of modern life.
While I am no Bear Grylis, it was satisfying and a confidence booster to get away from the modern amenities and rough it for a day. Being out in nature and especially kayaking recharges those batteries and keeps me going in my everyday life. We had a great trip and are already talking about going back in the fall for when the leaves change. This trip was a 10/10!
