Second time floating this river. I didn’t give it enough credit the first time.
The water wasn’t as clear as the Current or Black rivers but much better than the lower Meramec. Water was cool but not freezing. Perfect for swimming on a hot day. Lots of good beaches.
It was a perfect day for floating. The launch was more crowded than last time. An outfitter was launch people. Between the launch and the beach at Washington State Park, we saw other floaters but it wasn’t too bad. The beach was PACKED though. It seems all of the people we saw before the beach got out there.
After the beach we didn’t see any other people floating, just a couple of power boats.
| Float Details |
|---|
| Launch Washington State Park Access |
| Landing Mammoth Access |
| Shuttle 9.6 Miles/15 Min (30 RT) |
| River Distance 6.5 mi (Map) – 6.75 mi (GPS) |
| Gauges Big River below Bonne Terre 2.96 ft @ 80 ft3/s Big River near Richwoods 2.42 ft @ 237 ft3/s |
| Start/Stop Time 12:30 PM – 5:20 PM (5:30) |
| Notes Slow River. Not Crowded. |
| Crew Ben, Casey, Hannah, Charlie |