Ozark Wilderness Waterways ClubKansas City · Est. 1956

On the water and on the trail

Trips

Every trip is planned and led by a member. Pick one, contact the leader, and come along.

Coming up

See what’s next on the club calendar, and contact the trip coordinator before the date, since schedules can change. Members propose trips each winter (2027 trips are due January 15), and they go into the club’s calendar, sent out with the monthly newsletter. There is something nearly every weekend from spring through fall, with meetings, hikes, and Stream Team days all year.

Weekend and multi-day trips

Weekends in the hills

Float trips and campouts on the spring-fed rivers of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, plus backpacking and multi-day paddles. Expect a Friday-night drive, a gravel-bar camp, and two days on the water, or a whole week of it.

  • Canoe and kayak floats, one to several days, like 27 miles of Bryant Creek with two nights on gravel bars
  • Canoe Fests on the Current River: a week in late July and another in October
  • The annual river clean-up weekend in September

Day trips

An afternoon or a Saturday

Shorter outings that fit in an afternoon or a Saturday: paddles on nearby lakes and streams, bike rides, local hikes, service days, and socials. A good place to start if you are new to the club or new to paddling.

  • Day paddles on the Kaw, the Platte, the Blue, the Wakarusa, and Lake Olathe
  • Missouri River overnights, camping on a sandbar
  • Hikes like the Lawrence River Trail and Kill Creek Park
  • Stream Team testing on the Blue River, and Dutch oven cooking around the campfire

How a trip works

  1. Pick a tripFrom the schedule, the newsletter, or an announcement at a club meeting. Trips are rated so you know what you are getting into.
  2. Contact the coordinatorEvery trip has a member in charge; their contact details are in the newsletter (not a member yet? email owwckc@gmail.com and we will put you in touch). Check in before the trip date. Schedules can change, and they will tell you the plan, the meeting spot, and what to bring.
  3. Sort out a boatMembers often have a spare seat in a tandem canoe or a boat to lend. Ask. Outfitters on most Ozark rivers rent canoes and kayaks too.
  4. Show up and floatCarpool if you can, camp with the group, paddle at your own pace, and eat well. Bring a life jacket, a dry change of clothes, and a sense of humor.

Photos

About thirty club members of all ages, many in green club shirts, posing together at a wooded campsite beside a tent
The club at a summer campout.

Members share trip photos at meetings and in the monthly newsletter, along with a recap of each trip.

Read the latest trip recaps: the 67th annual clean-up on the Niangua and 27 low-water miles of Bryant Creek.

Helpful links