Kayaking – Current River, Akers Ferry to Round Springs

We awoke to another beautiful day. I really think this has been the best week of paddling we’ve ever had when it comes to weather. The days have been warm but not overly hot, and the evenings have cooled down enough to make for great sleeping.

Today we put in at Akers Ferry and paddled down to Pulltite. We stopped at a gravel bar for lunch, and as always, this section of the river was an easy and beautiful paddle. The route from Akers Ferry to Pulltite is 9.7 miles long and offers plenty of scenic views along the way.

Once we reached Pulltite, we had the option of ending our day there or continuing on to Round Spring Campground. Six of us decided to keep paddling, turning the day’s route into a total of 19.5 miles.

As usually happens with a smaller group, our pace picked up on the second section. The current started off fairly slow but gradually increased as we moved farther downstream, making for a fun finish to the day.

After such a long paddle, we were pretty proud of ourselves. We were also a little disappointed that there wasn’t a throng of cheering fans waiting to greet us at the takeout. Since no cheerleaders appeared, we simply cheered for ourselves—and honestly, after 19.5 miles, we had earned it.

Another wonderful day on the Current River and another reminder of why we keep coming back to the Ozarks.

Kayaking- Current River Cedars Grove to Akers Ferry

 At 8:30, we met in the campground parking lot to drive to Akers Ferry. We needed to leave two cars there for the shuttle back from our takeout, so once those drivers were organized, we headed upstream to Cedar Grove to begin our paddle downriver.

The river is narrow at the beginning of this stretch, so we often paddled single file. This is such a great group of paddlers—all experienced and comfortable on the water—so we never had any bottlenecks or bunching up along the way.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day, with temperatures probably in the 80s, bright blue skies, and just a few white clouds. Days like this always remind me how lucky we are to be out in nature, paddling some of the clearest and most beautiful rivers around.

The Current River is becoming very familiar to us now. We passed springs flowing from the rocky bluffs and stopped for lunch at the old hospital site, with Blue Spring providing a stunning backdrop. Altogether, we paddled about eight miles, spending roughly four hours on the water.

We saw plenty of wildlife throughout the day. An eagle soared overhead, geese lounged along the riverbank as if they were enjoying a spa day, and an otter rolled around on the bank, looking both funny and adorable. We also spotted several ducks and lots of large fish swimming in the clear water.

Back at camp, we enjoyed a community dinner with Michelle and Lauren, with everyone contributing something to the meal. We feasted on hamburgers, sautéed mushrooms and onions, Caesar salad, and fresh vegetables with dip. By the end, we were completely stuffed.

Later, we headed down to the lower campsite, where we sat in a circle, shared stories, and laughed until our sides hurt. As if we hadn’t eaten enough already, Doug made a dump cake for dessert. It was delicious—and the perfect ending to another wonderful day in the Ozarks.