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Flatwater Canoe & Kayak Floating in Southwestern Missouri's Elk
River
Kayaking Dad T-Shirt
Clear flowing water, scenic bluffs and easy paddling on the Elk
River make Noel,
Missouri a
road trip well worth making. The Elk River in Noel, MO is loaded with canoe and kayak livery
operators and is only a short drive from the Ozarks of Oklahoma or
Arkansas. The Elk River is a great kayak trip for novice paddlers
and it is close enough to
Eureka Springs, Arkansas paddling or
Oklahoma's Illinois River to squeeze them into the same road
trip.
Timing is key for canoe trips the Elk River. On
Summer weekends, The Elk River is a party river popular with young
folks loaded into slow moving rafts overflowing with: Jello
shots, ice chests and funnels for their beer. Most partiers
travel by raft, so a kayak or canoe will usually allow you to bypass
the festivities fairly quickly.
If
you are looking for a more peaceful, more scenic, less PG-13, paddling
trip I suggest you consider a weekday trip in Spring or Fall.
Barring that, depart early in the morning. Personally, I can
enjoy either kind of wildlife...be they tramp-stamps or Osprey...they both make fine
fodder for my camera!
Pineville, MO Kayak Float Trip on the Elk River
06-28-2008 Trip Report: Dianne, Dylan and myself drove up the Pineville, Missouri for an
8-mile float trip on the Elk River. I decided that the clear, cool
Class I water of that Ozark river would be perfect for Dylan's first
kayak paddling trip in current.
To save a little money we decided to wake up early for the drive,
paddle the river and head straight home. This is a bit of a shame
since there are loads of great paddling resources in the area. We
rented an Old Town Typhoon Sit-On-Top Kayak for Dylan to paddle. He
enjoyed paddling it, once his mother traded the extremely heavy
outfitters kayak paddle for her lighter Carlisle Day Tripper kayak
paddle. Outfitter paddling gear tends toward ruggedness more than
comfort or features.
The water is fairly fast, straight and quite clear. Gravel
bars are common and the trees are a mixture of mostly deciduous
trees with some cedar and pines mixed in.
 Our outfitter was Big Elk Camp and Canoe. Their store is at the put-in for the 8-mile trip down to Shady Beach Campground in Noel Missouri. Big Elk is open all year renting canoe, rafts and SOT kayaks. They are pretty easy to find right off Highway 71 and they had a wide selection of kayaking t-shirts and other paddler goodies.
We grabbed
this cool shirt with an Elk River map on the back. You know I
love collecting new paddling t-shirts! Read all about our
2008 Elk
River Kayaking Float Trip on our OklahomaRoadTrips.com
paddling blog.
Noel, Missouri - Paddling Town in the Missouri Ozarks
We love Noel,
Missouri, (heaven for canoe paddlers) but the town is small and the
lodging options are pretty limited. (Jump
to our Elk River Outfitters List). Sometimes, we like
to
paddle the Illinois River on the same day that we paddle the Elk
River. They are that close! Dianne and I are
always looking for lodging near the Elk River that offers a Jacuzzi
rooms.
FYI - In the town of
Noel, MO they pronounce Noel like
The Grassy Knoll,
not The First Noel.
A new Elk River area lodging option I just stumbled upon is:
Boones Lick Lodge
Offering two locations. One location is in Jane, MO
Phone: (417) 226-1888 and the other is in Neosho, MO
Phone: (417) 455-0888.
The motels have 45 rooms, 33 with two queen-sized beds and 12
with one king-sized bed. One of the rooms is a handicapped
accessible room, and one of the rooms with a king bed has a
whirlpool bath. The rooms have luxury bedding, in-room
microwave and refrigerator, high speed internet, and free HBO.
The motels also have a heated pool and hot tub.
Got lodging tips for the Noel, MO / Pineville, MO. area?
Use the email contact link at the top of the right hand column
on this page.
 Longtime favorite destination of fly fishing enthusiasts, Noel, Missouri is a great little paddling town just across the
border from Oklahoma. Plenty of outfitters are available to provide
a number of great float trips. Also, check out the nearby King's
River in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Trip Report - 6/4/05 The
Elk River
The Wide and Friendly
Elk River
The Elk River is rated as a Class I to II stream with no significant rapids or waterfall drops. Its watershed headwaters originate in Big Sugar Creek and Little Sugar Creek. The two streams merge near Pineville, Missouri to form the Elk River.
In Oklahoma, the Elk River flows out of Missouri and forms the Elk River Arm of the Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.
This river has been widened in some places to improve float conditions
for family canoe and kayak trips.
Dianne and I paddled the
Elk River's wide and easy flatwater in a tandem canoe, but our
canoe outfitter also offered kayaks and rafts.
Wayside
provided us with a very nice canoe complete with seat cushions and
backrests, however the river proved so tame that I wish we had
chosen kayaks instead.
There are loads of commercial outfitters and affordable lodging providers in Noel, MO. Since
we are still um.. shopping for our own kayaks and canoes, we love to
visit well-outfitted paddling rivers like this one.
Camping and Floating on the Elk River is just across the border from Oklahoma, only a few hours from Tulsa. Take a road trip
soon and find out why Noel, Missouri has long been called 'The Canoe Capital of the Ozarks'.
Fun easy flatwater float trips are on tap all summer long!
ELK
RIVER OUTFITTERS
Noel, Missouri
Eagles
Nest Campground and Canoe Rentals
• 417-475-3326
Reservations: 1-800-843-7080
53 Eagle Nest Lane • Noel, MO 64854
Elk
River Floats / Wayside Campground
• 417-475-3230 • 417-475-3561
P.O. Box 546 (Jct. Hwys 59 & 90) • Noel, MO 64854
(Tested and Approved)
River
Ranch Camp & Canoe Resort
•
1-800-951-6121 • 417-475-6121
101 River Drive, Hwy 59 N • Noel, MO 64854
Shady
Beach Family Campground
•
1-800-745-6481 • 417-475-6483
P.O. Box 473, Hwy 59 N • Noel, MO 64854
Pineville, Missouri
Big
Elk Camp & Canoe
•
417-223-4635
Reservations: 1-800-813-0907
402 South Hwy 71 • Pineville, MO 64856
(Tested and Approved
in 2008)
Kozy
Kamp
•
417-223-4586
P.O. Box 449, Hwy 71 • Pineville, MO 64856
Three
River Campground LLC
•
417-223-4746
Reservations: 1-800-496-3261
P.O. Box 697 • Pineville, MO 64856
Nothing cools you down faster than a spring fed river or a crisp clear lake on a hot Oklahoma day. Check out our
Oklahoma Canoe and Kayak Paddling Page to learn more! For more timely information subscribe to
our blog.
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