Fall color on the wooded hills above Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas, with lake houses in the foreground

Old hills.
Clear water.

Lake of the Ozarks, the Buffalo National River and Northwest Arkansas, written up by people who check the river level before they load the canoe.

Lake of the Ozarks657.5 ft Buffalo River at Ponca38.9 cfs Truman Lake705.1 ft
Updated Nov 10, 8:00 amAll lake and river levels

The Ozarks don't do a lot of shouting. The rivers run clear because they come up out of the rock cold, the bluffs were here long before anybody's map, and the best swimming hole is usually the one past the second gravel bar.

We cover three corners of it closely. Every hour, fee, float time and lake level on this site gets checked against the source before it goes up, and each guide tells you when it was last checked.

How we put these guides together

Pick a corner

A lake built for long days on the water, a national river with no dams on it, and a stretch of hill country that grew up fast.

Boat docks along a cove at Lake of the Ozarks

Lake of the Ozarks

More than 1,100 miles of shoreline, the water level every morning, and two state parks most visitors drive right past.

 Kids on a gravel bar below a limestone bluff on the Buffalo National River

Buffalo River

Live gauges, where to stay, and what to do between floats.

 The old Beaver Bridge with its wooden deck in Northwest Arkansas

Northwest Arkansas

Christmas lights, breweries, scenic bridges and day trips.

Check the water first

National Weather Service, USGS and Ameren numbers, pulled every hour and put in plain English: what the level means before you load up.

All lake and river levels
Lake or riverNowCompared toLast 30 daysNotes
Lake of the Ozarks657.5 2.5 ft below full pool
Truman Lake705.1 0.9 ft below normal pool The Corps of Engineers lake just upstream. Water released from Truman Dam flows into the upper end of Lake of the Ozarks.
Table Rock Lake910.2 6.8 ft below normal pool The big Corps lake by Branson.
Beaver Lake1,111.4 9.0 ft below normal pool Northwest Arkansas's lake, upstream of Table Rock on the White River.
Buffalo River at Ponca 38.9 cfs, NPS safe limit 1,600 Under the safe limit. For low water, ask an outfitter.
Buffalo River near St. Joe 150 cfs, NPS safe limit 8,000 Under the safe limit. For low water, ask an outfitter.

Lake levels in feet above sea level: Lake of the Ozarks from the National Weather Service gauge at Bagnell Dam, Truman Lake from USGS. River flow in cubic feet per second from USGS.

Good in November

Colorful Christmas lights wrapped around bare tree branches at night

Christmas lights at the lake

Drive-throughs, the Strip, and the shrine in Laurie that locals plan around.

 Someone points out across a valley from a fall overlook

The overlooks open up

With the leaves down, the view off the castle bluff at Ha Ha Tonka goes for miles.

 Fall color on the hills above the water

Cabin season on the Buffalo

Cold nights, quiet weekdays, and nobody on the gravel bar but you.

Christmas lights in Northwest Arkansas

Lights of the Ozarks on the Fayetteville square, plus the drive-throughs worth the line.

What are you here for?

Browse every guide
A river winding through a wooded valley seen from aboveRivers Kids walking a rocky glade trail under a big skyState parks Visitors standing under the natural bridge at Ha Ha TonkaCastles & rock bridges Kayakers paddling past a dock on a calm coveLake days A man and his dog driving a pontoon boat at sunsetBoat rentals A flight of craft beers on a wooden taproom barBreweries
Stone castle ruins at Ha Ha Tonka State Park

Ha Ha Tonka State Park

Castle ruins on a bluff, a spring that runs blue-green, and a stone bridge you can walk under. Most people see the castle and leave. Give it the whole afternoon.

Size
3,750 acres
Spring rank
12th in Missouri
Entry
Free
Read the guide

Facts here come from the people who keep them, and every new guide shows when we last checked.

  • National Park Service
  • USGS
  • Missouri State Parks
  • Arkansas State Parks
  • Ameren Missouri