The
Current River forms in the southeastern portion of the
Ozarks of
Missouri and becomes a
7th order stream as it flows southeasterly out of the Ozarks into northeastern Arkansas where it becomes a tributary of the
Black River, which is a tributary of the
White River, a tributary of the
Mississippi River. The Current River is approximately long and drains about of land mostly in Missouri and a small portion of land in northeastern
Arkansas. The headwaters of the Current River are nearly above sea level, while the mouth of the river lies around above sea level. The basin drains a rural area that is dominated by
karst topography, underlain by
dolomite and
sandstone bedrock with a small area of
igneous rock southeast of
Eminence, Missouri. The annual daily mean discharge of the river near
Doniphan, Missouri is per second. In 1964, over 134 mi (160 km) of the upper course of the river and its tributaries were federally protected as the
Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the first national park in America to protect a river system.