How To Get There?

[jimrandolph]

Hey everyone. A friend and I are heading down to a cabin in town, then a canoe trip Sat, and Sun. We are coming from the St. Louis area. We were going to do it all last year but got rained out...I remember a posting on here last time about a quicker, more convienient way to get to Alton Mo. If anyone has any suggestions...

[FishinCricket]

I would think you could Go down 44 to St James, hang a left down the 68 to Salem, then take the 19 all the way down to Alton..

Otherwise they (mapquest, google maps) would have you going all the way down to Poplar bluff and then cutting back across the 160. I freakin HATE the 160...

Good luck, fish deep with jigs, white or egg patterns.. TL

[Brian Sloss]

I go the route that Cricket says as it is the shortest route. 19 is very roller-coaster like though. If you want straight roads, you can go 44 to Rolla and 63 to West Plains and then 30 miles on 160 east. The last 30 miles will be a little like the roller coaster. It is about 30 miles longer. You can also go 67 to Poplar Bluff and 60 west to Winona and 19 south to Alton, which is good roads all the way with the last 30 being a little twisty, but it is also at least 30-40 miles longer as well.

[FishinCricket]

I go the route that Cricket says as it is the shortest route. 19 is very roller-coaster like though. If you want straight roads, you can go 44 to Rolla and 63 to West Plains and then 30 miles on 160 east. The last 30 miles will be a little like the roller coaster. It is about 30 miles longer. You can also go 67 to Poplar Bluff and 60 west to Winona and 19 south to Alton, which is good roads all the way with the last 30 being a little twisty, but it is also at least 30-40 miles longer as well.

Yeah, I forget that 19 is pretty squirrelly too.. It's just that we're in the TA usually and enjoying the ride.. But you gotta admit that 160 is 10 times worse than the 19, eh?

JimR: whatever you do, take Brians advice, he knows that area better than most on this forum, I'd wager..

[snap]

...it takes me three hours from ste genevieve to get to the town of alton by going down hwy 21 at ironton. (The problem with 67 now is the construction.) A very nice scenic drive with parts of it cruising at 65 MPH. Hwy 21 hits 160 a few miles out from van buren. Then take it all the way to 19 at winona. 67 to farmington from st louis would add about an hour to the trip depending on where in st louis you would be leaving from.

[Coldspring]

Just to add to the confusion, I know some people that filter into the Arcadia Valley (Pilot Knob Hwy 21), take Hwy N by Johnson Shut-Ins, Hwy 21 to Ellington, Hwy 106 over the Current River at Powder Mill, Hwy H to Winona, then Hwy 19 on down to the Eleven Point. I've usually been a "draw a straight line on the map and follow as closely as possible" sort of person. It's all curvy or "dangerous" at some point, one of the reasons I like the Eleven Point better than the easier to get to rivers.

[BolivarBasser]

fastest way...hwy 60 in springfield to highway 63 to 160 to Alton.

[snap]

...LOL...!!!now that would be a 2 day trip for the some of us!!!

[BolivarBasser]

Sorry, should have specified that that was in my opinion the quickest way to get there from springfield. Obviously.

[Gavin]

19 is pretty good road for the most part...except for the stretch between Cuba & Salem...Try 34 between Piedmont & 160 if you want twisty.