River

The Eleven Point River

Seldom will you find an unpolluted, free-flowing, spring-fed river, anywhere! That’s what we have to play on, and use for fishing, swimming, kayaking and canoeing*. At this time the river is a secret of the Ozarks, sparsely populated, unspoiled, clean, absolutely quiet and as beautiful as Nature can make.

The Eleven Point River, flowing out of the Mark Twain National Forest, is one of the last pristine rivers. Its banks have not been over-developed and the river has not been damaged. You are on an Ozark River as it was thousands of years ago, with enormous, leaning sycamore trees that shade much of the water, with hickory, maple, elm, ironwood, and many types of oaks. The water temperature is always nice and cool from local springs that feed the river.

River traffic with fishing boats and canoes is astonishingly low, with less than a dozen passing by per weekend. There can be long, serene hours of bird-watching with Great Blue Herons cruising majestically up and down the river, kingfishers doing what they do best, white egrets looking for a meal and an occasional Bald Eagle keeping watch from above. If you take a canoe or kayak through this quiet river valley you can hear each paddle stroke, until you get to the busy sound of the rapids. Gravel bars to sit on, sandy islands, clean air, clean water, and Tarzan’s jungle all around you - - that’s how it feels. These surroundings, this natural ambiance, truly offer a comfortable, safe, and memorable experience with nature that is hard to find in today’s vanishing wilderness.

*Shady River provides a canoe, kayaks, and tubes, along with the necessary personal flotation and safety devices. Due to insurance regulations, all equipment, including the electric kart, is for use by Shady River registered guests only.