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PhotoGuide to Alley Spring and Mill
Location:
About 7 miles west of Eminence, Missouri on Highway 106.
Features:
Here you'll find a bright red mill (Alley Mill) and a large spring (Alley Spring) surrounded by two hiking trails
Photo Equipment - what you should take:
- Take a tripod. Unless you get there in the morning, the spring pool will be in shade.
- Take a wide angle lens.
Photo tips:
There are a couple of good points from which to shoot:
- The first is from the bank or in the stream shooting toward the east face of the building. The photo above was taken with me wading into the stream (only about a foot deep here). It was really cold, but worth it. Note: Be careful here. On my birthday last year I fell off the bank into the stream and narrowly avoided dousing the camera. The ranger that pulled me out told me that happens a lot and that they were thinking about putting up a sign.
- The second is half-way around the trail shooting toward the pool. It's usually smooth as glass and makes for wonderful reflections of the mill. A telephoto might be useful here if you just wanted to shoot the mill or just wanted to shoot the reflection full-frame.
- There's a switchback trail of about 1/2 mile up to the top of the cliff. This is a very steep climb. At a brisk pace, it takes about 20 minutes to reach the top, where you find that you can't see the mill, spring or river very well, even in the winter. Totally not worth the trouble.
Get there before sunrise if you want the spring side of the mill in the light. After noon, it will be in shadow and much more difficult to photograph.
Seasonal Information:
The photos on this page were taken in late April, 2000. I was disappointed with the foliage present, but it made for some spectacular shots of the mill from across the pool. Late June through August should be perfect for dark green foliage. Fall foliage is unpredictable in these parts. Last year it didn't come at all. When it does, it usually runs for one week somewhere between the 3rd week in September and the 2nd week in August.
Update 9/9/2000:
I visited the mill today, and found that they hadn't finished the paint. The part that appears bright red in the photos has been repainted a weathered color so that it doesn't stand out so badly. I spoke to the attendant, who tells me that the mill isn't scheduled to be painted because of budgetary problems. She offered to buy the paint needed and do the work, but they refused on the basis that the liability insurance they have wouldn't cover voluntary laborers. Their current plan is to find a production company that wants to film there, and get them to paint the place...
Water level was really low.
Update 6/2004: The water level is high due to the seasonal rain. Foliage is wonderful. The mill has been painted one solid color. There are frequent weddings here on the weekends.
A view of the mill across the spring pool
My impressions and experiences:
It's a neat but brief place to visit. And if you don't get there at the right time of day (before sunrise), you're likely to be disappointed in the photos you get. It's marketed as a tourist destination by everyone from the state of Missouri to the telephone company (really - my new yellow pages has a picture of this place on the cover), so there are tourists. Get there in the morning and they're not a problem. Close-ups of the mill are impossible due to burglar bars on the windows, painted red to match the mill.
A Few More Photos:
A view from the west side of the mill
A view of the walking trail carved into the cliff surrounding the spring pool
A view from the cliff trail in winter
Driving directions:
It's located about 7 miles west of Eminence, MO, on highway 106.
Other Attractions in the area:
Eleven Point River - Class 2/3 rapids, a great three-day canoeing adventure and world-class trout fishing.
Round Springs - A deep blue spring that flows under a natural bridge which you cross to get to the spring. Lots of otters play in the pools here.
Rocky Falls - a really cool continually flowing cascade which falls about 60 ft to a large swimming lake.
Current River - Most of these springs end up flowing into the Current River, another class 2/3 canoeing favorite around these parts.
Greer Springs - If you're looking to get away from the tourists, this is a great place to visit. It's considerably more work, though.
Dining:
In Eminence, there's a combination bait shop, wildlife checking station where they check to see that what you shot is what you think you shot (and you thought the tests ended after college - ha!), ammo shop, gas station and restaurant. ColdBeerIceAmmoBaitFireworks, I think the name was. I'd recommend passing this by and driving 60 miles north on Hwy 19 to the brand-new Denny's restaurant.
Update 6/2004: There's still nowhere close to eat, but there is a McDonalds in Van Buren, about 40 miles SW of here. Big Spring (the largest in the state) is about 4 miles from the McDonalds.
email: sales@roadslessphotographed.com
Phone: (573) 647-5301