Jacks Fork Natural Area
SHANNON 167 Jacks Fork
Jam Up Cave, Jacks Fork Natural Area
Little brown bat
A 966-acre area along the Jacks Fork River in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, portions of Sections 2-5, T27N, R6W, and portions of Sections 32-35, T28N, R6W, Jam Up Cave 7.5 min. topographic map. This area includes Jam Up Cave. Access is best by canoe, but it can be explored on foot with the aid of a topographic map. Designated May 27, 1980 and July 7, 1995.
Natural Features
A 3.3 mile stretch of the Jacks Fork with associated gravel washes, dolomite glades, cliffs, savannas, and forests. The Jacks Fork is classified as a small river in the Ozark-Black River Aquatic Division and the Lower Ozarks Section of the Ozark Natural Division. This stretch of the Jacks Fork encompasses a broad spectrum of aquatic habitats and includes four Ozark endemic crayfish and nine Ozark endemic fish. Jam Up Cave contains a variety of karst features including an enormous cave entrance, a swallow hole, a subterranean waterfall, a steepwalled sinkhole, a karst window and a natural arch. The cave opens into a magnificent dolomite cliff capped by sandstone. The arch of Jam Up Cave is 80 feet high and at least 100 feet wide and is partially blocked by huge boulders piled at the entrance. Many rare plants, that are northern relicts of the past glacial period, thrive on north-facing Bear Hollow, Jam Up and Angel Ridge Bluffs. The area is owned by the National Park Service, Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Jam Up Cave is closed to camping, picnicking, open fires and plant collecting. For further information contact the Park Superintendent, National Park Service, P.O. Box 490, Van Buren, MO 63965, phone 573/323-4236.
