The Niangua River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed May 31, 2011

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the

Osage River The Osage River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 31, 2011 tributary of the Missouri River in central Missouri in the United States. The eighth-largest river ...

in the

Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant port ...

region of southern and central

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Via the Osage and

rivers it is part of the watershed of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. Niangua River has the name of Niangua (or Nehemgar), an Indian tribal leader. The name is said to mean "bear".

Course

The Niangua River is formed in Webster County by the confluence of its short east and west forks, and flows generally northward through

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Laclede and Camden counties, past Bennett Spring, Lake Niangua, and Ha Ha Tonka State Parks. It flows into the Osage River as an arm of the

Lake of the Ozarks Lake of the Ozarks is a reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. Parts of three smaller tributaries to the Osage are included in the impoundment: the Niangua River, Grandglaize Cr ...

, which is formed by the

Bagnell Dam Bagnell Dam (informally, the Osage Dam) impounds the Osage River in the U.S. state of Missouri, creating the Lake of the Ozarks. The dam is located in the city of Lakeside in Miller County, near the Camden-Miller County line. The tall concrete ...

on the Osage. As part of the lake it collects the Little Niangua River.

River accesses

This is a list of areas where the Niangua River can be publicly accessed; this list was put in order from beginning of river to where river meets up with Lake of the Ozarks. * Bridal Cave *Charity Access- State-owned river access; no camping allowed. *Cline Ford *Hico Slab- Where a road crosses the river; the bridge is basically a low-lying concrete slab with water tunnels. *Del Marlin Ford *Deusenberry Creek *Gaunt Ford *Crane Ford * Route 32 Bridge *Big John Access- State-owned river access. *Wimberly Ford *Dallion Ford *Hackler Ford *Williams Ford Access- A one lane road crossing; crossing is a concrete slab where water flows over the top. *Hwy. K-P Bridge Access- Access includes privately owned campground, picnic area, and shuttle service. *Moon Valley Access- State-owned river access. *Hildebrand Ford *Cat Hollow- Privately owned campground and cabins nearby. * Route 64 Bridge *Bennett Spring Access- State-owned river access. *Barclay Springs- State-owned river access. *Gilbertson Ford *Prosperine Access- State-owned river access. *Mountain Creek- Access includes privately owned campground, picnic area, cabins and shuttle service. *McPheters Ford *Smith Ford *Leadmine Conservation Area- State-owned river access and conservation area; primitive camping allowed. * Lake Niangua- Includes access and picnic area; no camping allowed. *Whistle Bridge- Low-lying river crossing where road crosses river. *Stone Ford *

Ha Ha Tonka State Park Ha Ha Tonka State Park is a public recreation area encompassing over on the Niangua arm of the Lake of the Ozarks, about five miles south of Camdenton, Missouri, in the United States. The state park's most notable feature is the ruins of Ha Ha ...

- State-owned river access; this is where the river merges into Lake of the Ozarks. * banister ford north of Macks creek

References

Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry
* DeLorme (2002). ''Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. . * {{authority control Rivers of Missouri Rivers of Camden County, Missouri Rivers of Dallas County, Missouri Rivers of Laclede County, Missouri Rivers of Webster County, Missouri Lake of the Ozarks Tributaries of the Missouri River

Course

River accesses

See also

References