News Release

Pavilions and entrance station open at Big Spring

The Big Spring pavilion features a fire pit reached by an accessible pathway.

NPS Photo

News Release Date: July 11, 2022

Contact: Dena Matteson, [phone]

VAN BUREN, Mo. – Two new picnic pavilions and the recently renovated historic entrance station are now open in the Big Spring district of Ozark National Scenic Riverways.   

The Big Spring pavilion, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935, and the Peavine pavilion, built in the 1950s, were both destroyed in the devastating 2017 flood. The new picnic shelters have been designed to adhere to the historic “CCC era” building style and constructed to better withstand future floods. 

The Big Spring pavilion is located a short distance from the beautiful Big Spring, with views overlooking the spring branch. The Peavine pavilion is located just off Peavine Road, along the road to Big Spring campground, with river access for swimming nearby. Both pavilions are equipped with picnic tables to accommodate up to 60 people, lights, electricity, and water. Each one also features a fire pit and two grills, one of which is ADA-accessible. 

Both shelters are now accepting reservations on www.recreation.gov  for $30 per day plus a $3 reservation fee. 

The historic entrance station re-opened in June and will once again welcome visitors to the Big Spring area. Constructed by the CCC in 1936, it served as the main entrance to the former Big Spring State Park on State Highway 103. It embodies the Rustic style of architecture that is characterized by hand craftsmanship, use of native materials, and details influenced by Ozark culture. The timber-framed, cross gable design with irregular, coursed cut stone walls is the same style featured in the Big Spring Dining Lodge and other historic structures just down the road.   

The entrance station will be open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily through the summer, with rangers available to provide information, park maps, souvenir passport stamps, and exhibits about the CCC work at Big Spring. 

For more information, contact Ozark National Scenic Riverways Headquarters at [phone], visit the park’s Facebook page, or website at www.nps.gov/ozar.   

Ozark National Scenic Riverways preserves the free-flowing Current and Jacks Fork rivers, the surrounding resources, and the unique cultural heritage of the Ozark people. 

www.nps.gov/ozar

Ozark National Scenic Riverways preserves 134 miles of the free-flowing Current and Jacks Fork rivers, the surrounding resources, and the unique cultural heritage of the Ozark people.  Learn more at www.nps.gov/ozar.  Find us on Facebook @ozarkriverways and on Instagram @ozarkriverwaysnps.

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.