The Gasconade River winds through the Wright County area

The Gasconade River is one of Missouri’s longest rivers, running about 271 miles and staying inside the state the whole way before it joins the Missouri River. Wright County sits in the upper part of that river’s watershed. The Gasconade does not start here, though. The Missouri Department of Conservation lists the river’s path from source to mouth through Webster, Texas, Wright, Laclede, Pulaski, Dent, Maries, Osage, Phelps, and Gasconade counties, so the recognized source lies upstream in the Webster and Texas County area, and the river flows through Wright County after that. Up in these reaches the Gasconade is still a small Ozark stream, not yet the wider river you can float farther downstream. The connection still matters, because the springs, creeks, and karst drainage in this part of the Ozarks feed the system, and what people do on the land here can affect water quality far downstream. Before any trip, check access points and water levels close to the day you plan to go. Look to the Missouri Department of Conservation for fishing rules, and to the Department of Natural Resources for the river’s watershed and water-quality picture.