North Fork Recreation Area

North Fork Recreation Area provides camping, picnicking, boating, canoeing, hiking and fishing access to the beautiful North Fork of the White River, which has a total of nine major springs flowing into it.

As you drive into the site, the first right takes you to the boat access area. If you go straight you’ll hit a t-intersection, if you go left you enter the campground, if you go right you enter the day use.

The site is surrounded by an oak/hickory forest, there are a lot of tulip poplar and sycamore in that area.

From the day use area, and sometimes the campground, you have amazing views looking across the river of the mixed hardwood and pine forest and the rock bluffs that envelope the river. On the other side of the river is the beginning of the Devils Backbone Wilderness Area. Some sites have views of the river before trees and bushes leaf out.

North Fork Recreation Area serves as trailhead for the 35-mile long Ridge Runner National Recreation Trail and the Blue Spring Trail.

There are multiple springs that contribute to the river, one of the largest is Blue Spring, which contributes around 7 million gallons  of cold, clear water every day to the river. Near North Fork, from the river you can paddle up into Blue Spring or hike the Blue Spring Trail. The spring is about 30 feet in diameter. One three sides, the stone wall is made of cherty Gasconade dolomite that surrounds the spring and represents the karst topography of Ozarks.