Licking, Missouri – we think it is a great place to live. My wife Jackie, was raised here through high school , and it was a natural & welcome return for her 8 years ago. Licking is located in the heart of the Ozarks at the intersections of Highway 32 and Highway 63, 30 miles south of Rolla or 30 miles north of Cabool.
The area is rural and homey. Most of our economic industry is agriculture and timber. But, it lends itself well to lots of recreational and outdoor activities. Much of the countryside is farm and ranch or Mark Twain National Forest. The hills are well forested with Pine and Hardwood. We are 12 miles from Montauk State Park and the headwaters of the Current River which offers some good trout fishing opportunities. Downstream on the Current River begins the National Park System of The National Scenic River-ways of the Jacks Fork and Current Rivers. Along with the Big Piney, we are in the heart of Ozark Canoe Country and spring fed, clean water streams.
The Big Piney River seems to be a well kept secret, so I almost hate to talk about it, but it is my favorite place to go. It offers less crowding, more peace and quiet and some of the most scenic stretch of River-way in the area.
The above photo was taken on a nice January day. We had some unseasonably nice warm days last January and we made a point of getting in some winter hiking out by the Big Piney River. Pictured is Jackie and Uncle Delbert. There is a nice cave directly below where they are standing. This is just off the Bluff Trail above the Slabtown Access.
The Big Piney River, a secondary tributary of the Mighty Mo, forms near Cabool in Texas County of south central Missouri, then flows generally north by northeast through the Mark Twain National Forest in Pulaski and Phelps Counties to its confluence with the Gasconade River near Jerome about 114 miles from its headwaters. Of this distance approximately 90 miles can be easily accessed and paddled. The river is a favorite of many paddlers and fishermen. Its close proximity to Springfield to the southwest, and St. Louis, a little further to the northeast, make Big Piney a convenient place to paddle, camp, explore and fish. Its natural beauty is an added attraction, as is its closeness to the Gasconade, Beaver Creek, Niangua and several other great Missouri streams. The river flows through a largely undeveloped countryside of dense forests with few signs of civilization. Paddlers will enjoy a choice of outfitters and campgrounds located along the river, allowing for trips of various lengths to satisfy the whims of just about everybody. There are no major hazards on Big Piney, though some minor rapids can be found in several areas, so it is a stream that is well suited to recreational paddlers with limited experience.
The Big Piney River is an excellent fishing stream where anglers will find an abundance of rock bass and small mouth bass, though other species can also be found. Excellent sandbars offer great riverside campsites. The river can generally be paddled and fished year-round, and ample outfitters offer canoe rentals, shuttles, campgrounds and other services. Under normal water conditions there is almost always adequate flow for paddling below Dog's Bluff Access at about 10.6 miles, though the upper reach can be paddled after heavy local rainfall. Towering limestone bluffs covered with pines, and hardwood forests of maple, oak and ash, provide habitat for kingfishers, pileated woodpeckers, herons, wood ducks, squirrels, raccoons, deer, turkeys, otters, beavers, minks and muskrats. Autumn brings a change of color to this forested area and offers spectacular vistas for photographers, artists and woodchucks like us
The Big Piney River has a lot of variety for floating. There are some nice long eddy's as well as some narrow canyons surrounded by rocky bluffs. For the most part it is gentle floating, with just enough chutes to make it interesting. Plenty of gravel/sand bars to take out and savor the peace and quiet.
We stopped one day on the Upper Big Piney River at Dogs Bluff. We were just goofing off and ended up taking some good photos. This area is just west of Houston MO, on Hwy 17. Pictured above is Jackie & Betsy, below is Gary & Betsy. This is somewhat of a mystic place - depending on the light, sometimes its hard to distinguish the waterline on the bluff rocks, as the reflections in the water are so mirror like.
