Beaver Creek in Missouri

Trip Overview

There were seven members of the West Florida Canoe & Kayak Club that paddled this river. I chose it because we were staying close to Branson and doing day trips. We paddled from Brownbranch to Bradleyville, which is 7.9 miles. We left our car at the takeout at Bradleyville and ran our own shuttle.

It turned out to be a gem of a river. It is a beautiful narrow stream with lots of fun shoals. We saw hundreds of fish, a Muskrat, turtles, Blue Heron, and a mama duck trying to fake a broken wing to keep us from her eight babies. Unfortunately, the ducklings didn't listen to mama. They came out in the midst of us and it took us a while to get out of their way.

There were lots of flowers blooming, including the May Apple, which I had not seen before. It was the kind of day and river that you want to share with your friends over and over again.

Outfitting:

You can rent canoes and camp at Beaver Canoe Rental and Campground (www.beavercanoerental.com). They have a lot of canoes, but have a very short season. She said they normally only have May and June to rent their canoes.

Fees:

We paid The Beaver Canoe Rental and Campground $2.00 a car to leave our vehicles at their place at Brownbranch.

Directions:

Take Hwy 76 out of Branson to Hwy W at Brownbranch.

Resources:

Missouri Ozark Waterways or A Paddler's Guide to Missouri.