The Osage Fork River is ideally suited for long, overnight canoe camping trips, with beautiful gravel bars and tree-lined banks that depict the remoteness of this wilderness river. Access is great, with many places to start or end trips. Dairy farms and cattle ranches border the river along much of its path. A break in an old mill dam near Orla, about 21.5 miles below Rader, provides the most excitement to be found on this river, which is mostly long, quiet pools of clean, clear water. Above Orla, the river is best paddled before mid-June, but below that point it is essentially a year-round stream, especially below the Highway B bridge about midway downriver between Rader and Hazelgreen. If you are into fishing, then this stream can be a bonanza for longear and green sunfish, bronzeback, largemouth, smallmouth and rock bass, channel catfish and other species. There are no outfitters or campgrounds located along the river, and it is not a popular recreational paddling stream, which makes it perfect for those who truly enjoy beautiful rivers without sharing them with a few million other paddlers. There are nearby services that can provide rentals and shuttles, as well as campground or conventional accommodations by pre-arrangement, though services are usually limited to the lower half of the river.

Webster and Laclede Counties, in the Ozarks of southcentral Missouri. Its mouth is about 65 miles northeast of Springfield, and about 155 miles southwest of St. Louis.

St. Louis 195 miles; Joplin 117 miles; Springfield 45 miles; Kansas City 205 miles; Oklahoma City 333 miles; Little Rock 260 miles; Dallas 469 miles; Austin 659 miles; San Antonio 739 miles; Houston 694 miles; Albuquerque 875 miles; Phoenix 1,315 miles; Denver 958 miles; Salt Lake City 1,434 miles (all distances are approximate and depend upon starting point, destination point to your put-in on the river and route taken.)

Water quality is generally very good to excellent except during drought periods when it degrades slightly, though it is mostly free of contaminants and pollution due to the remoteness of the surrounding area. Dead-fall debris piles are the most significant contributors to discoloration, and the river will become slightly muddy after signifiant rainfall. Above the Highway B bridge (28.7 miles downriver from Rader) the river is usually navigable from late-winter through mid-June. Below Highway B the river is usually boatable year-round other than during prolonged droughts. (NOTE: The USGS gauge linked at the right is actually on the Gasconade River at Hazelgreen, below the end of this river. Use readings advisedly!)

Depending upon your desired length of time on the river and the period when you are coming to the river, the upper half of the Osage Fork River is best paddled from February through mid-June, and possibly as early as November or December with sufficient late-fall and early winter rains. Below Highway B, the river can be paddled just about any time of the year except in drought periods.

Dead-fall strainers and overhanding brush are the major obstacles to navigation on the Osage Fork, especially in high water conditions, when the current increases, making control more important and more difficult simultaneously. Rapids are mainly Class I riffles and easy shoals. The river earns its Class I to II rating because of the potential for log jams at sharp bends, where they are often hard to see until you are upon them. Beware the river in flood stage conditions. Low-water bridges at 2.4 and 4.3 miles below Rader can be a problem any time, and especially in high water.

MDC Rader access (Highway 22 bridge) at 0.0 miles; Low-water bridge at 2.4 miles; Low-water bridge at 4.3 miles; Highway J bridge at about 9.0 miles; Bridge at about 14.2 miles; Highway B bridge at about 28.7 miles; MDC Drynob Access, just below the Highway 32 bridge, at about 38.9 miles; MDC Davis Ford Access, at Highway AC bridge, at about 43.8 miles; MDC Hull Ford Access at about 52.5 miles; MDC Hazelgreen access, at the Gasconade River, at about 57.0 miles. (NOTE: The SH 5 bridge at about 17.0 miles is not a recommended access because of potential problems with a landdowner who has posted the property adjacent to the river. For the record, access may be protected by the Federal Commercial Navigable Waterways Act, but enforcement of your rights would be a time-consuming and costly matter that can be avoided by not using the SH 5 bridge as an access point until this matter is challenged in court and adjudicated in favor of the general public.)

There are no campgrounds located along the Osage Fork River. However, abundant natural primitive campsites can be found on riverbanks and gravel bars all along the river. Be careful about camping on private property, and always obtain landowner permission before doing so. There is at least one commercial campground with resort accommodations located near the Gasconade River confluence, as well as several others located along the Gasconade River in near proximity to the Osage Fork River.

There are no liveries, outfitters or shuttle services located on or near the Osage Fork River. Several commercial outfitters offer rentals, shuttles and/or river information on the nearby Gasconade River.