Plan Your Visit

Big Spring Lodge was built by the CCC in the 1930s.

 

For the latest river closures visit our Facebook page.

All reservations must be made at Recreation.gov or 877-444-6777

• River Levels
• Places to See
• Lodging
• Canoe Rentals
• Camping
• Hiking in the Ozarks
• Horseback Riding
• Boating Info / Horsepower Limits on the Rivers
• Hunting & Fishing
• Firearms in the Park
• ATV and Off Road Vehicle Information

Park Facilities

Big Spring Entrance Station:

Open 7 days a week Memorial Day - Labor Day. Open Monday - Friday, except federal holidays Labor Day - Memorial Day.

• Location: Located on Missouri Route 103, south of Van Buren, MO.

• Hours: Open daily Memorial Day-Labor Day (8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Friday from Labor Day - Memorial Day, except federal holidays.

• Phone: [phone]

• Exhibits: CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) exhibits.

• Available Facilities: No sales, restrooms are located at nearby Big Spring, 24hr stamping station.

Storys Creek One Room Schoolhouse

• Location: Located within walking distance of Alley Mill, six miles west of Eminence, Missouri on State Route 106. Open on summer weekends. Grounds always open, but access into the school is limited.
• Phone: [phone]
• Special Programs: Schools can arrange to visit anytime of year by calling 573-226-3945.
• Exhibits: Traditional one room school. See how the "three R's" were taught in the Ozarks and throughout rural America until recently.

Alley Old Store Visitor Center

• Location: Located on the approach road to the Disabled Parking Area 100 yards north of the main Alley Mill parking lot. Within walking distance of the Mill and the Storys Creek School. (if walking, it is behind the school and up the hill.)
• Hours: Open daily during the summer, may be closed mid-day for lunch. Open by chance or appointment during the winter months, open daily in summer (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.).
• Phone: [phone]
• Exhibits: Exhibits recall the furnishings of a late 19th Century Ozarks country store.
• Available Facilities: Sales area, park information, 24hr stamping station.

Alley Mill

Visit the scenic Alley Mill for a look at the life of yesteryear. Informal tours of the building are held anytime by request. Rangers are available to provide information about the park, the Ozark area, history and nature. Schools can arrange to visit anytime of year by calling 573-226-3945.

• Location: Located on Missouri Route 106, six miles west of Eminence, Missouri.

• Hours: Open daily Memorial Day-Labor Day (9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Thursday) (9 a.m. - 7 p.m., Friday-Sunday)

• Phone: [phone]

• Exhibits: The Alley Mill was built in 1894. Much of the original milling equipment is still in place. Exhibits explain the life and culture of the Ozarks.

• Available Facilities: Exhibits, book and postcard sales, free literature, park information. No restrooms in the Mill. Campground, canoe rental and river access nearby.

Storys Creek One Room Schoolhouse

• Location: Located within walking distance of Alley Mill, six miles west of Eminence, Missouri on State Route 106. Open on summer weekends. Grounds always open, but access into the school is limited.
• Phone: [phone]
• Special Programs: Schools can arrange to visit anytime of year by calling 573-226-3945.
• Exhibits: Traditional one room school. See how the "three R's" were taught in the Ozarks and throughout rural America until recently.

Alley Old Store Visitor Center

• Location: Located on the approach road to the Disabled Parking Area 100 yards north of the main Alley Mill parking lot. Within walking distance of the Mill and the Storys Creek School. (if walking, it is behind the school and up the hill.)
• Hours: Open daily during the summer, may be closed mid-day for lunch. Open by chance or appointment during the winter months, open daily in summer (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.).
• Phone: [phone]
• Exhibits: Exhibits recall the furnishings of a late 19th Century Ozarks country store.
• Available Facilities: Sales area, park information, Restroom.

Pulltite Visitor Center

The Pulltite Visitor Center is open irregular hours on summer weekends. Visitors can get park information, borrow a fishing pole or binoculars, and children may borrow books from our extensive kid's nature library. There is an outdoor "Free Children's Library" at Pulltite that is open year round, working on the honor system.

And I count myself more fortunate with each passing season to have recourse to these quiet, tree-strewn, untrimmed acres by the water. I would think it a sad commentary on the quality of American life if, with our pecuniary and natural abundance, we could not secure for our generation and those to come the existence of . . . a substantial remnant of a once great endowment of wild and scenic rivers." - (William Anderson, Congressman from Tennessee, Arguing for passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (1968))