Rivers, Tubing & Water Safety
River rules & etiquette
A good float trip is legal and friendly. Start with container rules, stream access, gravel bars, Ozark Riverways extras, and basic river manners.
Most of these rules come from one of two places: state law that applies to almost every river, or the agency that manages a particular river. Where a rule is narrower than statewide, this page says so. If you're putting a motor on the water, use the Boating hub for registration, the boater card, equipment, and boating while intoxicated.
What you can carry
Container rules
These are three separate rules with three separate scopes — not one statewide "no glass, no foam, no kegs" ban.
Sealed, nonglass coolers
RSMo 306.325: food and drinks must be in a sealed, nonglass cooler or container, a closable trash bag or container must be attached to your vessel, and glass beverage containers are prohibited on capsize-prone vessels — canoes, kayaks, tubes, and rafts — within the banks of navigable waterways.
No beer bongs, no big containers
RSMo 306.109: no beer bongs and no alcohol containers holding more than 4 gallons on most rivers — except the Mississippi, Missouri, and Osage.
Foam coolers (river-specific)
Polystyrene foam ('Styrofoam') coolers aren't banned by one clean statewide statute, but they ARE prohibited on the Ozark Riverways (the Current and Jacks Fork) and the Eleven Point — so on those rivers, leave the foam at home.
Where you're allowed to be
Stream access — float and wade, don't wander
Missouri sorts streams into three kinds: public navigable, public non-navigable, and private non-navigable.
On a public non-navigable stream you may float, fish, and wade within the streambed (including gravel bars that are under water part of the year). The streambed begins at the high-water mark, and you need the landowner's permission to go beyond it. On a public navigable stream, the area between the high-water marks is public.
But it's not always clean-cut: permanent islands may be private, and a stream's classification and its high-water marks can be disputed. Use public accesses, and ask permission when you're not sure.
This is the same rule the Fishing hub covers for wading and access — read it there too if you fish. When in doubt, use a public access and ask permission.
Gravel-bar camping
On the Current and Jacks Fork, gravel-bar camping is allowed only where the bar is NPS-owned — generally at least 300 yards from a developed or backcountry campground, with a 5-day occupancy limit and 100 feet between groups. Camp high on the bar, and never camp low with rain in the forecast.
For the rest of how to camp well — gear, fire rules, and where to stay — see the Camping hub.
Current & Jacks Fork
Extra rules on the Ozark Riverways
The Current and Jacks Fork are a national park area, so the National Park Service adds a few rules on top of state law.
- Don't lash tubes or vessels together.
- Don't jump or dive from trees, and no rope swings.
- Glass and polystyrene foam are prohibited on capsize-prone vessels and within 50 feet of the rivers.
- One PFD per person on vessels under 16 feet — and children under 7 must wear theirs.
- Cliff, bluff, and rock jumping is highly discouraged — but it is not a blanket park-wide ban.
- Loud-audio limits follow campground quiet hours (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) — there's no river-wide ban on music.
Leave No Trace
Pack out all your trash in a mesh bag, and keep soap and food scraps out of the water.
Being a good neighbor
On-water manners
- Keep the noise down.
- Share the gravel bars.
- Give anglers and wildlife room.
- Be patient at the put-in and take-out.
- Help other floaters who are stuck or swamped.
- Keep kids and dogs in life jackets.
Page feedback
See something off, missing, or unclear?
Send a quick note if a source, local detail, or answer needs a closer look, or if the page leaves you with a question.
Page feedback
Send a note
The page you're on will be included automatically.