Over 12 MILLION gallons per hour

Visit Missouri! 📍 Big Spring | Van Buren, Missouri There are big springs…and then there’s BIG Spring! Nestled at the base of a towering dolomite bluff just south of Van Buren, Big Spring is the largest spring in Missouri and one of the largest freshwater springs in the United States. On an average day, roughly 289 MILLION gallons of water surge from its underground passages before flowing into the nearby Current River. Some of that water has traveled through the Ozarks underground from as far as 45 miles away! And that incredible blue-green color is completely natural. As groundwater travels through the Ozarks, it slowly dissolves the surrounding dolomite and limestone. Those dissolved minerals, combined with the depth of the spring and the way sunlight and the blue sky interact with the remarkably clear water, help produce the vibrant turquoise-to-deep-blue hues Big Spring is famous for. Weather can change the show, too—after heavy rain, sediment entering the underground system can temporarily make the spring appear cloudy or even brown. Nearly 300 million gallons every single day, seemingly pouring straight out of the mountain. Just another reminder that some of the most spectacular scenery in the Ozarks is hiding beneath our feet. 💙💦 #spring #bigspring #missouri #naturesbeauty #wow