St. Francis, MO

Gauge Information

River Description

The Upper St. Francis is frequently combined with the Lower St. Francis to make a 5 mile run. The Upper Saint has three drops, connected by long stretches of flatwater, and is considerably easier than the Lower. It is very scrapey when the USGS Roselle gauge is close to 3.0 and most paddlers with any experience will just paddle the Lower Saint at levels below 4.0.

These two sections of the St. Francis are Missouri's only semi-reliable whitewater, although paddlers might question the word “reliable”, particularly during periods of drought. The reason for the uniqueness is simply a matter of geology, i.e. the St. Francis River is the major drainage for the St. Francois Mountains, the highest part of Missouri's Ozark Plateau. The granite riverbed and mini-gorges, geologically termed “shut-ins,” of the St. Francis and its tributaries are in stark contrast to the gravel-bed float streams for which Missouri is famous. First-time paddlers, who may be familiar with the placid float streams, will be pleasantly surprised to find some real whitewater in Missouri. It's not the Rockies or the Appalachians but, hey, we're only 100 miles from St. Louis!

Guidebooks:
A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to the Ozarks (formerly Ozark Whitewater) by Tom Kennon (3rd edition, Menasha Ridge Press) has a good description of the run. A Paddler's Guide to Missouri (Missouri Department of Conservation, 2003), an updated version of Missouri Ozark Waterways by Oz Hawksley, has good maps. A descriptive article, somewhat out-dated, that captures the flavor of the St. Francis, Striking Gold at the Silver Mines: Missouri’s St. Francis River, appeared in the Nov/Dec 1984 American Whitewater Journal.

Description:
The put-in is where highway 72 crosses the river, west of Fredericktown. The USGS Roselle gauge is also located here. Downstream from the put-in, Stouts Creek comes in on the right, adding much clearer water and also adding volume (cfs) that is not recorded on the upstream USGS Roselle gauge. After a long pool and a bend to the left, Entrance Rapid is encountered. Entrance is a long, wide rapid with a series of ledges, steeper on the right, which provide good play at lower levels. At flood levels, the willows growing in Entrance Rapid form a hazard more challenging than the whitewater! Kitten’s Crossing is a series of 3 drops with the third having a primo surfing, wave/hole and service eddy on the left. Wintertime ice cream headaches usually begin here. Land of Oz has two back-to-back surfing waves on the left but beware the trashy drop just below that collects wood. (Land of Oz is named in honor of Oscar “Oz” Hawksley, an early exploratory paddler from Missouri and officer in the American Whitewater Affiliation.) After a series of pools, the river makes a bend to the right before a take-out at Fisherman’s Access in Millstream Gardens Conservation Area. There is another take-out downstream at Tiemann Shut-Ins, which is the standard put-in for the Lower St. Francis.

Logistics:
Access to both the upper and lower St. Francis is off highway 72 west of Fredericktown. At low to medium levels (0 to 20” on D bridge), most people just paddle the lower St. Francis. However, at higher levels (near or above bridge level), some will do both sections and some will do only the (easier) upper section.

The generally accepted meeting place for paddlers is a parking area adjacent to the low-water bridge in the Silver Mines Recreation Area. This parking area is the take-out for the lower run and is located on a spur road off highway D. Boaters meet here to check the gauge on the low-water bridge, to set up shuttle, and to socialize. The MWA Message Board frequently has posts about planned meeting dates and times for paddling.

To get to the paddler meeting place from Fredericktown, go west on highway 72 about 4½ miles past the highway 67 intersection and turn left (south) on highway D. After going about 2½ miles, you'll crest a hill and see the St. Francis floodplain and bridge in the distance. At the bottom of the hill, turn right on the spur road (identified by USFS camping signs) and go straight to the parking area. Two comments about this route are worthy of note: (1) Several boaters have gotten speeding tickets on highway 72. Set the cruise control on 55 mph to play it safe. (2) Highway D is narrow, curvy, and hilly, but it is also paved and, consequently, very tempting for excited paddlers to go too fast. Please drive reasonably on highway D and don't scare the hell out of the locals.

The take-out for the Upper St. Francis is in Millstream Gardens Conservation Area. To get there, take highway D back to highway 72 and turn left (west). Go 4 miles on highway 72 and turn left (south) at the sign for Millstream Gardens. Go about 1 mile, passing a left turn to handicapped parking area, to the next left turn and go ½ mile to the parking area and pavilion that overlooks the Tiemann Shut-Ins (Lower St. Francis). Going straight at the last turn would take you to an upstream access (Fishermans) that is at the top of a half-mile long pool.

The put-in for the Upper St. Francis is where highway 72 crosses the river, 6 miles west of the highway D intersection and 2 miles west of the Millstream Gardens turn. Use the Roselle Fishermans Access entrance, located west and south of the bridge.

Scheduled Whitewater Events:
The Missouri Whitewater Association (MWA) sponsors a slalom race on the St. Francis at Millstream Gardens every spring. Click on the Missouri Whitewater Championships for more information. The MWA also sponsors a beginner/intermediate whitewater clinic on the St. Francis in the spring. Students are taken in small groups down class II-III sections of the river and based upon their skill level, taught various skills including river-reading, playing and safety.