River

What the Elk is doing right now.

Live USGS stage from the gage at MO-59 in Noel, plus the NWS Tiff City forecast, for the Elk River in McDonald County. Float trips, campgrounds, public accesses, and safety — every phone and distance was re-fetched from each operator's own website.

Live gageUSGS 07188925 at MO-59 in Noel, and NWS TIFM7, updated each view. Access pointsWhere to put in and take out, with operator sites. OutfittersFive float-trips outfits and their own phone numbers. SafetyPFDs, floods, and what to do before you launch.

Live river data

The Elk drains 851 square miles at Tiff City. The live stage below is USGS 07188925 — the gage on the Elk at MO-59 in Noel (drainage 801 sq mi, stage only). The NWS forecast point is TIFM7 at Tiff City, a separate gage on a separate datum; the old Tiff City USGS gage (07189000) stopped publishing 2026-04-27. The numbers below come straight from the live feeds.

USGS 07188925 — Elk River at MO-59, Noel, Mo. The gage on the Elk in Noel itself. Stage only (no discharge); drainage area 801 square miles; gage datum 796.22 ft NAVD88. USGS monitoring location.

JavaScript is off — the live numbers below come from the 23 September 2026 20:16Z fetch and may be stale.Last USGS instantaneous-values fetch (23 Sep 2026 20:28Z) returned stage 5.34 ft at 03:15 PM CDT (PT1H window, 5 samples — 14:30=5.34, 14:45=5.33, 15:00=5.34, 15:15=5.34 ft; 3-hour trend 5.34 → 5.34 — flat; brief 13:30 CDT dip to 5.31 then recovered). NWS TIFM7 reports ObservedFloodCategory=obs_not_current (its Tiff City sensor is quiet); forecast primary = 2.9 ft (no flooding) valid 2026-09-24T00:00Z.NWS forecast point: water.noaa.gov/gauges/tifm7.

Gage currently dark. USGS 07188925 (Noel, MO-59) has not posted a sample in the past 2 hours, and NWS NWPS reports observed=not current. The NWS forecast hydrograph (next 24 h) still updates — confirm with the outfitter before you put in. Do not float on a number this page guessed.

Loading live river data…

Fetched 20 September 2026 from waterservices.usgs.gov (NWIS IV, public domain) and api.water.noaa.gov (NWPS, public domain). Provisional; subject to revision. When the city or a county emergency manager publishes an evacuation notice, this page cites it.

Public river accesses

MDC's Elk River watershed inventory and the agency place pages are the source of truth for public accesses. Private campgrounds are not MDC accesses — they are listed in the outfitters section below.

Mount Shira Access
26 acres, MDC. From Noel, take Highway 59 north 2 miles. Large parking lot and a gravel boat launch on the Elk River. MDC phone (417) 895-6880. mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/mount-shira-access.
Cowskin Access
40.8 acres, MDC. From Southwest City, take Highway 43 north 8 miles. Concrete boat ramp. MDC phone (417) 895-6880. NWS flood-impact bulletins list this as the "Cowskin River Floating Public Access Area on the west side of Highway 43." mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/cowskin-access.
City of Pineville Elk River Access
1 acre, jointly managed by MDC and the city of Pineville. From McDonald County on U.S. 71, take Route H east to Business 71, north across the Elk River, Route W east, Rhine Road south. City phone (417) 451-4158. mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/city-pineville-elk-river-access.
Deep Ford Access
42.1 acres on Big Sugar Creek, not the Elk main stem. Parking lot and a gravel launch ramp for canoes or kayaks. MDC phone (417) 895-6880. mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/deep-ford-access.

A gravel bar and clear water along Big Sugar Creek at Big Sugar Creek State Park, upstream of Noel, Missouri. — Big Sugar Creek State Park, on the Elk River's principal headwater creek upstream of Noel. Photo: Missouri State Parks (mostateparks), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Private take-outs include Noel City Park (Lazy Days describes a 7.5-mile float ending at the city park; city confirmation of take-out status is not verified from the city's own site) and the outfitter take-outs listed below.

Fetched 13–15 September 2026 from mdc.mo.gov. The MDC Elk River watershed inventory page is the parent document; each access has its own MDC place page. Re-fetch monthly.

Float trips and campgrounds

Outfitter phones, float distances, and season windows below were re-fetched 22 September 2026 from each operator's own site. The Elk River Floats family (Wayside, Kozy Kamp, Eagles Nest, Trestle Park) operates as one fleet across four campgrounds. Memorial-to-Labor-Day rules are closed as of this fetch.

Elk River Floats
Hub for four campgrounds (Wayside, Kozy Kamp, Eagles Nest, Trestle Park). Noel River Float = 6 miles, open all season. Rafts $160–$500, kayaks $60–$100, canoes $110–$120, tubes $45–$50. Shuttle, day pass, and parking included. 417-475-3230. elkriverfloats.com.
Wayside Campground
201 Minnow Springs Ave, Noel, MO 64854 (Highways 59 & 90). Gravel-bar peninsula campground. End point for the 6-mile Noel River Float from Trestle Park in Ginger Blue. Class I–II. 417-475-3230. waysidecamp.com.
Trestle Park / Elk River Campground
435 Elk Springs Road, Noel, MO 64854 (Ginger Blue, between Noel and Pineville). 30 acres; launch point for the 6-mile Noel River Float, end point for the seasonal 6-mile Trestle Bridge Float. 417-475-3561. trestlepark.com.
Eagles Nest Camp & Canoe
53 Eagle Nest Ln, Noel, MO 64854 (Ginger Blue, across from Trestle Park). 40-acre shaded family campground with two gravel-bar swim beaches. 417-475-3326. eaglesnestcampcanoe.com.
Kozy Kamp
71 Elk River Road, Pineville, MO 64856. 10-acre grass campground; launch point for the seasonal 6-mile Trestle Bridge Float. 417-223-4586. kozykamp.com.
River Ranch Resort
101 River Road, Noel, MO 64854. 5- and 8-mile Elk floats plus a 1-mile after-work float. Glow Float (Memorial–Labor Day weekend) is out of season as of this 22 September 2026 fetch. Cabins, glamping pods, RV. 417-475-6121. riverranchresort.com.
Shady Beach Campground
14332 State Hwy 59, Noel, MO 64854. 4- and 8-mile floats; cabins, RV, tent. Memorial Day to Labor Day: float required to camp — that seasonal window is closed as of this 22 September 2026 fetch. Call before you book. 417-475-6483. shadybeach.com.
Two Sons Floats & Camping
15806 Hwy 59N, Noel, MO 64854. Open May–September (late season as of 22 Sep 2026 — confirm they are still launching). 4- or 8-mile floats. 417-475-4774. twosonsfloats.com.
Lazy Days Campground
Just outside Noel, between Noel and Pineville. 7.5-mile Elk River float to Noel City Park; also offers Big Sugar and Little Sugar floats. Cabins, RV, tent. 417-223-3498. lazydayscampground.net.
Big Elk Floats, Camping & Lodging
5029 South Business Highway 71, Pineville, MO 64856. Open March through end of October — still in season as of 22 Sep 2026. Canoes & kayaks on Elk River & Big Sugar Creek. 417-355-6037 (call) / 417-355-6076 (text). bigelkfloatsandcamping.com.

Fetched 15 September 2026 from the Elk River Floats family sites; River Ranch, Shady Beach, Two Sons, Lazy Days, and Big Elk re-fetched 22 September 2026 (HTTP 200, UA noel-lane-verify/1.0). Phones appear exactly as printed by the operator (with or without hyphens). This page does not copy rates — they change every year.

Safety before you launch

Wear a PFD.
Missouri law requires a U.S. Coast Guard–approved life jacket on every boat for every person. The Elk is Class I–II in this corridor; even at low water, an ankle entrapment on a submerged rock can pin a swimmer.
Check the live gage, then the forecast.
The live stage is USGS 07188925 at MO-59 in Noel; the NWS forecast is TIFM7 at Tiff City — two gages, two datums, never compare the numbers. If USGS has not posted a sample in the past 2 hours, treat the river as unknown — not as fine. NWS NWPS forecast hydrographs extend out 24 hours; a forecast crest is a hard signal to wait.
Check the active alert bar at the top of this page.
The alerts bar above the masthead carries the current NWS county-zone (MOC119) feed. Flash flood warnings override everything on this site.
Missouri Revised Statutes 537.327.
Under Missouri law, an outfitter is not liable for an injury to or the death of a participant in paddle-sport activities resulting from the inherent risks of paddle-sport activities. Every operator's site carries this notice.
Call the outfitter, not this page.
Rates, shuttle times, and whether a float is required to camp change every season. The phone for each operator is on their site and in the outfitters section above.

Safety copy is drawn from the operators' own waiver notices (RSMO 537.327) and the live feeds above. The McDonald County emergency-management office publishes flood-evacuation routes; when the city or county posts one, it will be cited here.