The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) offers many opportunities for people to enjoy kayaking at conservation areas and river accesses. Prairie rivers and lakes in western Missouri offer a variety of scenery for floating, fishing and exploring.

MDC maintains access points at lakes, ponds and rivers. Often, a boat ramp makes launch and take out easier. Some river accesses let kayak paddlers visit upland streams, such as the Little Platte River at the Lathrop Access, upstream from Smithville Lake. Paddlers will want to make sure water flow is high enough to support floating from this access east of Plattsburg in Clinton County. But when it is, they’ll find a lightly traveled small stream where shallows connect deeper pools. Other streams in west Missouri traverse lowlands and offer deep water for float trips.

A popular easy-to-reach paddle destination in the Kansas City and St. Joseph areas is on the Platte River at the Platte Falls Conservation Area, east of Platte City. Several river accesses are found along the Platte. But the river segment at Platte Falls known as the “duck head” offers a chance to launch and take out at two different boat ramps without having to ferry vehicles. The river makes some sharp bends that on a map resembles the shape of a duck’s head. A high ridge with a parking lot on top separates upstream and downstream ramps, which are a few hundred yards apart. The float takes two to four hours, depending on a paddler’s chosen speed.

MDC’s Haysler A. Poague Conservation near Clinton in Henry County has 14 floatable and fishable strip pits. Parking lots near walk-in access points give kayakers a place to launch. They can then paddle easily to remote waters. There is no current to navigate and they are sheltered from the wind.

To look for MDC lake and river accesses near you, click here. MDC provides information about float streams here.