Three days of springs, trails and elk viewing around Eminence and Van Buren, with long road hops between the springs.
Road times come from OpenStreetMap routing and include no live traffic, closures or ferry waits. Time on site, Essential or Optional and arrival times are our own planning estimates from a 9:00 a.m. start at the first stop of each day; each stop’s hours and prices are as printed on the page we link, read October 30, 2026, and may have changed.
| # | Stop | Arrive (estimate) | Time and role (estimate) | Road from previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alley Spring Mill NPS lists the mill and store as open most days from Memorial Day to October 31; phone 573-226-3945. More | 9:00 a.m. | 1 h 15 min (Essential) | Start of day |
| 2 | Rocky Falls An Ozark Trail parking area on the Forest Service Current River section; check the closure order first. More | 10:56 a.m. | 45 min (Optional) | 41 min, 20.0 mi |
| # | Stop | Arrive (estimate) | Time and role (estimate) | Road from previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Big Spring The largest spring in the state per NPS; the entrance station is open year-round, 573-323-4236. More | 9:00 a.m. | 1 h 15 min (Essential) | Start of day |
| 4 | Greer Spring A one-mile one-way trail from parking on Highway 19, per the Conservation Department. More | 11:15 a.m. | 2 h 00 min (Essential) | 60 min, 42.0 mi |
| # | Stop | Arrive (estimate) | Time and role (estimate) | Road from previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Powder Mill Trailhead Ozark Trail trailhead on the Current River section; the Forest Service shows a closure order, so check it. More | 9:00 a.m. | 1 h 00 min (Optional) | Start of day |
| 6 | Peck Ranch Conservation Area Self-guided elk tour open sunrise to sunset; best right after sunrise or before sunset with no guarantee; 573-469-0897. More | 10:49 a.m. | 2 h 00 min (Essential) | 49 min, 17.2 mi |
Map of This Trip
6 of 6 stops are pinned, numbered in plan order and coloured by day. Pins come from the park’s or operator’s page or an OpenStreetMap point; they are not verified entrances or parking areas.
If It Rains or a Stop Is Closed
Springs can be viewed in light rain, but check river levels before any float or low-water crossing; NPS says to call 573-323-4236 for closures. The Peck Ranch roads include stream crossings that can flood.
In winter (October 16 to April 14) only some Riverways campgrounds have fee-based first-come sites; the Alley Spring mill closes after October 31. Peck Ranch closes for managed deer hunts and fall firearms season.
What We Could Not Verify
- Time on site, Essential or Optional, and arrival times: these are our planning estimates, not figures from the operators.
- Opening hours against our arrival times: where a stop’s hours are not in our data we did not check the plan against them.
- Road times with traffic, construction or ferry waits: the routing has none.
- Exact entrances and parking: pins are approximate.
- Prices and hours that a page did not print are marked as not listed; call ahead.
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Questions People Ask
How long is the drive on this trip?
About 2 h 30 min of driving between stops across 3 days, by OpenStreetMap routing with no live traffic.
Can I do this trip with a dog?
Rules differ by stop: pets are not allowed in Onondaga Cave, and the National Park Service keeps dogs on a 6-foot leash on land at the Riverways. Check each stop’s page.
Sources
Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Missouri. Cite this page: It’s Missouri (https://itsmissouri.com/visit/southern-ozarks-three-days/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.