We hiked around a few gravel bars along Kings River yesterday.

Wild Ozark is not far from the headwaters of this locally important waterway, but other than what we see from the window as we drive over the several bridges that cross it on the way to town, we haven’t explored much of it.

Where to Go

Most of it runs through private property, and so is inaccessible.  By canoe would be the best way to see some of the stretches of this river that you can’t see from the roads.

There are a few public put-in points for canoers farther downstream from the little town of Kingston, the closest being the Marble Access point. 

The Kings River Falls Natural Area is at the headwaters. I made a blog post with photos from a hike I made there in January a couple of years ago. It’s very popular most of the year, and in summer is appreciated for deep swimming holes and cold water in gorgeous surroundings.

Rocks, Rocks, and More Rocks

Rocks are a prominent landscape feature everywhere in the Ozarks, but especially in the creeks and rivers. Very little sand or mud and lots and lots of rocks.

For a rockhound, this is paradise. From a strategic point of view, though, it’s troublesome. Pockets can only hold so many rocks and a person can only carry so many larger ones in hand before difficult choices have to be made.

I suppose if everyone carried out two pockets of rocks, we might eventually make a dent in the rock population… but I doubt it.

The Rocks I Left Behind

More photos of the river

I hope you enjoyed this photo tour of a gravel stretch along Kings River.

We’ve had more non-resident visitors to our area than usual lately, and unfortunately some of them are disrespectful to the land.

Sadly, we’ve begun to see graffiti on the bridges and trash on the roadsides, something that rarely happened in years past. If you drive through remote and rural areas to see the beauty, or to get away from the hustle and bustle of town, please leave it as beautiful as you found it. The people and animals who live there thank you.