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 | Big Spring Campground National Park Service - Ozark National Scenic Riverways | Campsite | 36.96321, -90.98112 | CCC-built campground on the Current River just above the spring branch. Walk-in and drive-in sites. |
| 2 | Big Spring boat launch NPS - Ozark National Scenic Riverways | Access / boat ramp | 36.95303, -90.99021 | Launch on the Current River immediately below where the spring branch comes in. OSM tags a second slipway 250 m downstream at the same site. |
| 3 | Big Spring One of the largest single-outlet springs in North America | Spring | 36.95219, -90.99432 | Roughly 286 million gallons a day out of the bluff base. It close to doubles the Current River in the few hundred yards below it. |
| 4 | USGS gauge - Big Spring near Van Buren USGS 07067500 | USGS gauge | 36.95094, -90.99186 | Spring discharge. For float levels read the Current River gauge at Van Buren instead; this one measures the spring itself. |
| 5 | Big Spring Entrance Station NPS - visitor information | Agency / conservation office | 36.94770, -91.00137 | Reopened as the Riverways visitor information point for the Van Buren end of the park. Maps, river conditions and permits. |
Gauge: USGS 07067500 — Big Spring near Van Buren, MO. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Channel Catfish, Longear Sunfish, Ozark Bass, Rainbow Trout, Shadow 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.
Big Spring - the spring itself, with park road access, trails and viewing area.
Ozark National Scenic Riverways - the national park unit protecting the spring and the river corridor.
Van Buren - the nearest town with services, outfitters and lodging, just upstream.
Current River - the river the spring branch enters and the main float water.
Big Spring Campground - the park campground at the spring.
Highway 103 - the park road reaching the spring from Van Buren.
Peck Ranch Conservation Area - the large public conservation holding in the surrounding hills.
Spring: high water on the Current and cold steady flow out of the spring branch.
Summer: the cold spring plume keeps the river below fishable when everything else warms.
Fall: clear low water, strong smallmouth fishing and the most comfortable conditions.
Winter: cold and quiet, with the spring branch running at its usual constant temperature.