Ozark Wilderness Waterways ClubKansas City · Est. 1956

The latest issue

October 2026 newsletter

Published October 6, 2026. The club newsletter goes out by email to members every month.

Greetings

Fall Canoe Fest on the Current River is approaching quickly. RSVP to the trip coordinator and plan to relax while enjoying the fall colors—hopefully!

OWWC Unified Calendar 2026–2027

Upcoming events

Schedule is subject to change. Contact the coordinator before the activity or trip date. Have adequate life preservers and a dry change of clothes.

DateEventWhereTime & notes
Sat, Oct 10 Blue River Discovery Days, hosted by the Heartland Conservation Alliance Close to Home Minor Park tennis courts, 11477 Blue River Rd., Kansas City Service · 9:00 a.m.
Sat, Oct 10 Stream Team water-quality testing, Blue River Close to Home Minor Park tennis courts, 11477 Blue River Rd., Kansas City Service · 10:00 a.m.
Sat, Oct 10 Dutch oven cooking and a chat around the campfire Close to Home Camp Lake of the Woods dining hall Social · 4:00 p.m.
Sat, Oct 10 Potluck dinner, then business meeting Camp Lake of the Woods dining hall, 5700 Oakwood Rd., Kansas City, MO Club meeting · potluck 6:30 p.m., meeting 7:30–8:30 p.m.
Wed, Oct 14 Hike: Lawrence River Trail Close to Home 8th and Oak St., North Lawrence, KS Hike · 1:00 p.m.
Oct 17–22 Current River Fall Canoe Fest Ozark Jadwin Canoe; Tan Vat to Round Spring Paddle · miles and camp type to be announced
Thu, Jan 1 First Day of the Year hike, Kill Creek Park, Shelter 1 Close to Home 11670 Homestead Ln., Olathe, KS 66061 Hike · 1:00 p.m.
Sat, Jan 9 Stream Team water-quality testing, Blue River Close to Home Minor Park tennis courts, 11477 Blue River Rd., Kansas City Service · 10:00 a.m.
Sat, Jan 9 Potluck dinner, then business meeting Camp Lake of the Woods dining hall, 5700 Oakwood Rd., Kansas City, MO Club meeting · potluck 6:30 p.m., meeting 7:30–8:30 p.m.
Fri, Jan 15 Deadline to submit 2027 trips Send to the trip schedule coordinator Members: contact details are in the emailed newsletter

Abbreviations used in the calendar: BC = base camp, COR = camp on the river, CG = campground, TBA = to be announced.

Recent trip recaps

From the water

Sept 12–13: The 67th annual clean-up, Niangua River

Thirteen people and one dog made the trip. On Saturday, six canoes and two kayaks floated from near the Highway 64 bridge to the Barclay take-out. There were a lot of people on the river, but we had a nice float, and, amazingly, found very little trash, which is unusual for the Niangua. The monthly club meeting took place around the Saturday-night campfire, as we watched a fireworks show put on nearby.

Sunday’s float had five canoes and one kayak. We put in at the old Fort Niangua campground and floated a couple of miles to Riverfront Campground. Four tires came out of this stretch, along with a small number of cans and trash.

A special shout-out to our youngest floater, four years old and on her first-ever float trip. She was an absolute blast to be around, and we look forward to seeing her on many more. Thanks to all who participated this year.

Club members wading beside loaded green canoes in shallow, clear water below a wooded bank
Working the shallows on the Niangua.

Sept 28–30: Bryant Creek, camping on the river

Eight paddlers made this trip. Water levels were low all over the Ozarks, but everyone was game to give it a try. We floated, and walked the shallow areas, for 27 miles from Highway OO to Warren Bridge. We spent two nights camping on large gravel bars with small rocks and sandy spots to pitch a tent.

The weather was beautiful, with highs in the 80s, and it cooled off enough at night for good sleeping. We had the river to ourselves and saw only a few houses along the way. The group spread out while floating and everyone took a turn leading. Eagles, osprey, a couple of turtles, and many deer were seen.

Tents and canoes on a wide gravel bar beside Bryant Creek at dusk, with wooded hills behind
Gravel-bar camp on Bryant Creek.

OWWC Past

This month in club history

Every issue looks back at what the club was up to in the same month, five, ten, and up to seventy years ago.

Read the full club history

  1. 1956
    Meetings were being held, but a newsletter was not yet published, so we have little information.
  2. 1961
    The Waterways Committee reported on Lee Creek in Arkansas, near Winslow. A trip was scheduled for every weekend in October.
  3. 1966
    The annual fall color trip on the Buffalo included exploring an old lead and zinc mine near the river and a visit to a ghost town.
  4. 1971
    Hearings were being held on the Buffalo River becoming a National Scenic Riverway. Members were circulating petitions for the Missouri soft-drink tax.
  5. 1976
    The Close-to-Home group ran 12 river trips for a total of 865 miles during the year.
  6. 1981
    The bluegrass band Crystal Road, Ltd. played at our meeting.
  7. 1986
    The meeting was held in the newly remodeled Camp Lake of the Woods dining hall, where we saw A Man and His River, the story of Thomas Hart Benton and his love affair with the Buffalo River.
  8. 1991
    A member came all the way from Pennsylvania to coordinate a day of the Fall Canoefest on the Current River.
  9. 1996
    A trip on the Illinois River in Oklahoma, and three members hiked the Mark Twain National Forest’s Cedar Creek Trail.
  10. 2001
    At our meeting at Hope Center, Kansas City Parks and Recreation discussed plans for the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial in our part of the state.
  11. 2006
    OWWC met the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles as it came through Kansas City, retracing the voyage of Lewis and Clark 200 years earlier.
  12. 2011
    Five members took the Fall State Park Tour: Graham Cave, Cuivre River, Mark Twain’s boyhood home, and Union Covered Bridge State Historic Site.
  13. 2016
    The October meeting celebrated the club’s 60th anniversary with photo albums, founder memorabilia, slides of old events, a log drilled with holes for 60 candles, and a cake with a river scene. The six-day Fall Fest on the Buffalo and Current drew 21 floaters.
  14. 2021
    The Fall Canoefest on Tan Vat and the Current ran between rains, hail, and delays: a good trip, with a few dumps. The quarterly Stream Team water-quality testing on the Blue River went ahead as usual.

Past issues

The members’ archive

Back issues of the newsletter, trip schedules, the member roster, and the membership form are kept in a members-only Google Drive. Links to it are at the bottom of every newsletter email. Request access from the link and the club will approve it.

Not a member yet? The newsletter comes with membership. See how to join, or just come to a meeting.