Meramec River
The Meramec River is one of the longest free-flowing waterways in Missouri, draining 3,980 square miles while wandering 218 miles from headwaters near Salem to where it empties into the Mississippi River near St. Louis. Once upon a time the Meramec River was an important industrial shipping route to transport goods such as lead, iron and timber downstream by flatboat and shallow draft streamboat.Today, the river is primarily used recreationally by canoe outfitters and ferry boat excursions in addition to commercially by tourboat and gravel mining barges.
