Missouri Ozarks - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 698

Long Island, who in the early 1800s settled in this secluded river valley about 35 miles
southwest of Indian Trail State Forest.
Here the cold, driving headwaters of the Current River, which emerge steadily from
Montauk Springs, provided the water power that ran mills; several were built in the 19th
century. One, a gristmill constructed in 1896, still stands and is open to visitors. The clear,
fast-flowing waters make a perfect home for rainbow trout, attracting anglers to the river
from across the U.S. Just south of the park the river lures paddlers, who consider the Cur-
rent River to be one of the best canoeing rivers in the America.
6. Ozark National Scenic Riverways
The Current River and the Jacks Fork River, form 130 miles of free-flowing, spring-fed,
federally protected waters known as the Ozark National Scenic Riverways; the first Na-
tional Park Area created to protect a wild river system. Meandering down narrow valleys,
diverted by frequent gravel bars, the two rivers are often no wider than a country road, and
varyindepth.Theyaregenerallysafeandeasytonavigate.Toplythewaters,canoes,inner
tubes, and kayaks can be rented from outfitters along both rivers.
About 30 miles south of Salem, on Rte. 19, park your car and walk across the bridge
for a lovely view of the Current River, often draped with low-lying veils of mist in early
morning.Laterintheday,especially onhotsummerdays,itisahavenforfunseekerspad-
dling canoes.
7. Round Spring and Alley Spring
About a half-mile from the bridge that spans the Current River, you'll come to Round
Spring. Its waters rise from a circular basin formed by a collapsed cave, then pass under a
low natural bridge.
Some 13 miles farther south, beside the Jacks Fork River on Rte. 19, the drive reaches
Eminence,ahamletthatembodiesthehomespunflavoroftheOzarks.Old-timerscongreg-
ateoutsidethebankfor“spitandwhittle”sessions;kidsspinonstoolsastheywaitfortheir
icecreamsodasinWinfield'sdrugstore;andSaturdaynightsresoundwithbluegrassmusic
at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in this hillside town.
Asix-mile jauntwestonRte.106leadstoAlleySpringanditshistoric(circa1890)red
roller-style mill, one of the most photographed sites in the Ozarks. Equally photogenic are
the limestone bluffs of the Jacks Fork valley, seen from a footbridge that spans the River.