The summer travel season is nearly upon us! If you are planning to get out of town, consider a trip to one of the Show Me State’s seven National Park Service sites, Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

Located in the Ozark Highlands in Van Buren, Ozark National Scenic Riverways is the first federally protected river system. It extends along 134 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork rivers, and is an important center of biodiversity in North America. With more than 300 caves, the park preserves world-class karst resources as well as the unique cultural heritage of the Ozark people.

The park contains several sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places as significant historic or archeological sites. A number of historic structures are also preserved along the riverways.

Visitors can enjoy day trips to the park, or camp in one of the park’s developed or backcountry campgrounds for a longer visit. Park concessioners provide opportunities for visitors to float the rivers in canoes, kayaks, johnboats, tubes and rafts. Interpretive rangers provide evening campfire programs, children’s educational programs, historical demonstrations, and guided tours at Alley Spring, Big Spring, Round Spring and Pulltite. The landscape surrounding the rivers offers opportunities for hiking, horseback riding, backpacking and hunting.

You can learn more about visiting Ozark National Scenic Riverways at nps.gov/ozar.