There’s no better time than Spring or Fall to take a Missouri float trip, especially if you’re kayaking and don’t want to fight the crowds. Kayaking is a great way to see Missouri’s great outdoors, get some exercise and enjoy some quality time with your family and friends. But with hundreds of rivers to choose…
Recent events have raised questions regarding the safety of float trips on Missouri Rivers. In the past, safety questions had to do with currents, life jackets, water levels, diving, or even drowning statistics; everything to do with water and nothing to do with guns. Unfortunately, all that has changed following the shooting death of a…
NOTE: This article was originally published on July 22, 2013. However, several members of the Project Caving Community of the Ozarks group asked us if they could rewrite some of the information. They did so, and this is the new article, republished on August 20, 2013. A big thanks to Shawn and Jo for helping…
Each weekend thousands of people and hundreds of personalities head for Missouri’s waterways. With this many people, there is bound to be friction, yet following a few simple rules of river courtesy can go a long way toward a peaceful, safe, and happy time for all.
While themes are not necessary for a successful float trip, they can add another dimension to the fun. Here are some great ideas for themes for float trips. Dressing up or dressing down to match your theme is a common practice. For a luau themed float trip, flower leis, grass skirts, coconut bras, and Hawaiian shirts…
Every summer, “river toys” abound on the river. The first ones that come to mind are the big ones; canoes, rafts, and kayaks. While these get the fun started, there are others that keep it going. The creativity of adults wishing to have river fun is amazing. Ordinary items are repurposed into extraordinary play things.…
Instead of packing up the car and driving thousands of miles this summer, many Missouri families will opt to spend their vacations close to home. Why? Because beautiful natural landscapes abound right here in our own backyard. And the perfect way for you and your family to experience much of the state’s undisturbed natural habitat…
Every Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day, thousands flock to Missouri Rivers in a mid-western version of the “Gone Wild” series. In the Show-Me state, it’s “Floaters Gone Wild” – where elements of spring break and Mardi Gras coalesce into something that’s definitely not your family float trip. Saturday floats are rated PG-13 to…
I have made a point of going on at least one float trip every year since 1978. After more than thirty-four years, I feel that I have achieved a certain expertise—not in the way I paddle, but in my observations of couples on the river.
There’s nothing like spending time with your family and friends floating down one of Missouri’s picturesque rivers, camping in the great outdoors and sleeping under the stars. Though one of the most affordable ways for families to take a vacation, float trips seem to get more expensive each year. With prices at the pump soaring,…