Barely more than a small stream at its upper reaches near Thomasville, Missouri, it gains considerable width and depth as it proceeds southeastward. Springs pouring from dolomite bluffs or rushing up from a vast network of underground flow systems provide a continuous source of water and beauty.

Alternating stretches of rapids and deep clear pools wind around moss-covered boulders and shading bottomland hardwood trees. River birch is abundant along the shore, and aged sycamores lean out across the river from their shoreline moorings. In some places, the canopy of green closes overhead.