It’s officially summer. The water’s warm. The sun’s out. The gravel bars are dry. Nature is calling and you should pick up.
Here’s the case for getting yourself to the Elk River this month.
The Water Is Finally Right
May floats are fine, but in early May the water is still cold enough that swimming is more of a dare than a joy. June flips that. By mid-month the water has warmed up enough that you can actually swim, not just dunk and sprint back out. Flow is still high enough from spring rains that you’re not dragging your raft across gravel either. June is the sweet spot.
Daylight Until Almost 9 PM
We’re at the longest days of the year right now. Sunset doesn’t happen until almost 8:45 PM at the summer solstice on June 21. That gives you a full evening on the river after your float ends. Build a fire. Throw something on the grill. Sit in a camp chair and watch the light fade for two hours. There’s no rush in June.
Less Crowded Than You’d Think
Memorial Day weekend is loud. 4th of July is louder. June is the quietest stretch of peak season. School’s out, families are coming through, but it’s not the elbow-to-elbow tube parade you’ll see in July. If you’ve been waiting for the weekend where you can spread out on a gravel bar and not have someone’s bluetooth speaker 30 feet from you, this is the month.
What’s Actually Happening on the River
Some of the highlights of June out here:
• Turtles sunning on every other log
• Herons in the shallows
• Bass you can actually see in the water
• Smells of campfires and grills downwind
• Long mornings, slow afternoons, quiet nights
It’s the version of summer people remember from being a kid. Wet feet, sunscreen on your nose, no agenda for the rest of the afternoon.
Why You Should Stop Putting It Off
You’ve thought about it. You’ve watched friends post their float trip pics. You’ve meant to “plan something this summer.” This is the month to actually do it.
June weekends fill up. Father’s Day weekend (June 21) and the last weekend of the month are usually the first to go. If you can get out on a weekday, even better. Tuesday and Wednesday floats are gloriously empty.
The river isn’t going anywhere. But the perfect-temperature, perfect-flow, perfect-light, low-crowd weekends are limited. We get about 12 of them in the summer. Use them.
Written by the team at River Ranch Resort in Noel, Missouri. Book your first camping trip at riverranchresort.com.
