THE JACK'S FORK RIVER...ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL OZARK STREAM

This river is my absolute favorite Ozark river for many reasons. It has gorgeous scenery, narrow twisting curves, solitude, great caves and plentiful fish.

Put in at Buck's Hollow, for you won't want to miss the most spectacular cave in the area, Jam-up Cave. It is downstream from Buck's Hollow on the right bank.

This cave is named for the enormous chunks of squared off limestone heaped at the entrance to the cave. There is a pool of azure water at the back of the cave and a small waterfall that cascades from the hillside above through a small gap. Once you've seen it, you'll never forget it, and it is only accessible by river.

In low water there are interesting rock ledges visible in the lower stretches of the Jack's Fork. In high water you will go right over them without noticing. Huge bluffs fall shear to the rivers edge, and massive blocks of stone provide deep holes for "brownies", also known as small mouth bass.

Upstream from Alley Spring there is a campground on the left bank. While camped there I walked along the gravel road that leads to the campground. For some reason I can't explain, I was compelled to pick up a large piece of quartzite that lay among thousands of similarly shaped components of the roadbed. It turned out to be a native American artifact, a hide scraper, and its fits my hand perfectly. Since I did not find it "in situ", I kept it. How I was able to spy that particular artifact among thousands of pieces of similar looking gravel remains a mystery, even though I took several courses in archaeology and had participated in a summer's dig a few years earlier.

Climbing the bluffs along this river is always a rewarding experience. From the top of the bluff this area resembles the desert southwest in some ways. There are cacti and other semiarid flora and fauna and the landscape consists of narrow river canyons slicing through the ancient stone.

This is an enchanting river. I recommend paddling it in mid to late April, when the dogwood is in bloom and there are few paddlers on the river. The weather is usually cool to warm, but not HOT like it gets in summer. There are also many good caves in the area for spelunkers (always wear a hat and carry two sources of light if you enter one of these caves).

River information.


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