Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Highway 63 bridge at Houston US 63 | Bridge crossing | 37.19498, -92.03901 | Upper crossing at Houston; small water above here. |
| 2 | Big Piney Access (Houston) Public | Access / boat ramp | 37.19509, -92.03919 | Landing at the Highway 63 bridge. |
| 3 | Baptist Camp Access MDC | Access / boat ramp | 37.25796, -92.01758 | Public access north of Houston; a common upper put-in. |
| 4 | Dripping Spring | Spring | 37.26876, -92.02701 | Spring below Baptist Camp. |
| 5 | Highway Z bridge MO Z | Bridge crossing | 37.31734, -92.00433 | Crossing above the Piney River Narrows. |
| 6 | Piney River Narrows Natural Area Missouri Department of Conservation | Park / conservation area | 37.32193, -92.00985 | Narrow rock ridge between two bends of the river; conservation area on both banks. |
| 7 | Highway 17 bridge MO 17 | Bridge crossing | 37.32660, -92.00313 | Crossing at Dogs Bluff. |
| 8 | Dogs Bluff Access MDC | Access / boat ramp | 37.32726, -92.00213 | Public access at the Highway 17 bridge; start of the popular Dogs Bluffu2013Boiling Spring float. |
| 9 | Horseshoe Bend Natural Area Missouri Department of Conservation | Park / conservation area | 37.36030, -91.97814 | Natural area on the big bend below Dogs Bluff. |
| 10 | Mineral Springs boat ramp Public | Access / boat ramp | 37.36315, -91.96972 | Ramp at Mineral Springs. |
| 11 | Boiling Spring | Spring | 37.45945, -91.98925 | The Big Piney's Boiling Spring, a large spring on river left at the Boiling Springs access. |
| 12 | Boiling Springs Access Public u00b7 floater parking | Access / boat ramp | 37.46166, -91.98775 | Access and parking at the spring; resort camping nearby. |
| 13 | Burnett Spring | Spring | 37.48318, -91.96901 | Spring below Boiling Springs. |
| 14 | Highway 32 bridge (Mason Bridge) MO 32 | Bridge crossing | 37.49913, -91.98840 | Crossing between Licking and Roby. |
| 15 | Mason Bridge Access Public | Access / boat ramp | 37.50581, -91.98319 | Landing at the Highway 32 bridge. |
| 16 | Falling Springs | Spring | 37.52542, -92.00227 | Spring on the reach above Slabtown. |
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Hazelton Spring | Spring | 37.52477, -92.02381 | Spring across from Falling Springs. |
| 18 | Slabtown Landing Mark Twain National Forest | Access / boat ramp | 37.56097, -92.03249 | Forest Service landing and camping area at Slabtown. |
| 19 | Slabtown Camping Area Mark Twain National Forest | Campsite | 37.56208, -92.03231 | Primitive camping beside the landing. |
| 20 | Slabtown Road bridge County road | Bridge crossing | 37.56655, -92.02639 | Crossing at Slabtown with a landing beside it. |
| 21 | Peter A. Eck Conservation Area Missouri Department of Conservation | Park / conservation area | 37.58440, -92.02428 | MDC area below Slabtown. |
| 22 | Six Crossing Access Mark Twain National Forest | Access / boat ramp | 37.64262, -92.04367 | Forest Service access above Ross Bridge. |
| 23 | Ross Bridge County road | Bridge crossing | 37.66375, -92.05203 | Crossing at Ross Access. |
| 24 | USGS 06930000 Big Piney River near Big Piney | USGS gauge | 37.66564, -92.04992 | The gauge behind the live flow on this page, at Ross Bridge. |
| 25 | Ross Access MDC u00b7 canoe launch | Access / boat ramp | 37.66943, -92.04899 | Public access below Ross Bridge; the usual take-out for the Slabtown float. |
| 26 | Stone Mill Spring Fort Leonard Wood u00b7 trout area | Spring | 37.74005, -92.04126 | Spring branch stocked with trout by MDC; on the Fort Leonard Wood side of the river. |
| 27 | Eastgate Access Fort Leonard Wood u00b7 FLW 10 bridge | Access / boat ramp | 37.76020, -92.05813 | Access at the fort's east gate road crossing. |
| 28 | Shanghai Spring | Spring | 37.83040, -92.08885 | Spring above Devils Elbow. |
| 29 | Devils Elbow Campground Private u00b7 camping | Campsite | 37.84606, -92.05968 | Campground at Devils Elbow on the old Route 66. |
| 30 | Devils Elbow Bridge (Historic Route 66) US Historic 66 u00b7 Teardrop Road | Bridge crossing | 37.84821, -92.06227 | The 1923 steel truss bridge at Devils Elbow. |
| 31 | Highway Z bridge at Devils Elbow MO Z | Bridge crossing | 37.85012, -92.07122 | Crossing just below the old bridge. |
| 32 | Interstate 44 bridge I-44 | Bridge crossing | 37.85343, -92.07631 | The interstate crossing; the Big Piney meets the Gasconade a few miles below. |
Gauge: USGS 06930000 — Big Piney River near Big Piney, MO. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass
Regulations: mdc.mo.gov/fishing/regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Dogs Bluff Access (Highway 17 near Houston): MDC access at the top of the popular floats.
Slabtown Access: Forest Service access and campground, 10 miles below Dogs Bluff.
Boiling Spring Access: Forest Service access near the spring, a common takeout for a one-day float.
Ross Bridge and Mason Bridge: MDC accesses on the middle river.
Sand Shoals Access: MDC access above Fort Leonard Wood; accesses inside the fort require a post permit.
April and May: pre-spawn and spawn, the biggest smallmouth of the year on jigs and streamers, best flows.
June through August: topwater season, low clear water by late summer, early and late in the day.
September and October: cooling water and aggressive fish, low flows, wading and short floats.
Winter: smallmouth stack in the deep bluff pools; slow, deep presentations for the few who go.