Siloam Springs Whitewater Park

I made my second trip to the Siloam Springs Whitewater Park today and the place was packed.  There were tons of tubers and some kayakers, paddleboards, and even a guy in a canoe.  Some people (myself included) were even going over the rapids solo, but this isn't recommended.  It is especially not recommended to run/ski down the algae-covered concrete slopes of the rapids before diving into the pools beyond; a fact my hip can attest to.

The park has no lifeguards present, so life jackets are highly recommended and paddlers should wear helmets.  Safety and difficulty of the features will vary greatly with water level so be smart out there, watch your kids, and maybe watch people for a bit before you get in for the first time as there can be strong currents and eddies around the features.  During our visit, the upper feature seemed a bit safer, while the lower one seemed to frequently dump tubers out or trap them.

Also, if it is a busy day, please be be mindful of paddlers waiting to use the features.  The park is for everyone so make sure you take turns.  When we went, the paddlers seemed to realize this, but kids on tubes not so much.

The bridge right at the park on Fisher Ford is currently under construction, so be sure to approach for the north.

The city has more information, directions, and regulations at:
http://www.siloamsprings.com/

http://www.siloamsprings.com/_pdfs/Library-Parks/FAQs%20regarding%20the%20Siloam%20Springs%20Whitewater%20Recreation%20Park.pdf

Buffalo River - Gilbert to Hwy 14 Bridge

On the first hot weekend of May, we took advantage of the perfect water levels, nice temperatures (warm during the day, still cool at night), and the clear water not yet full of summer algae; and went on an overnight float on the Buffalo.  Gilbert was packed and business was good for local boat rentals and restaurants.  Having a dog and looking to camp, we wanted to pick a stretch of river that might be less busy than the popular Tyler Bend to Gilbert and Hwy 14 Bridge to Buffalo Point floats, so we settled on Gilbert to Hwy. 14 (also called Dillards Ferry).

After leaving a car at Dillards Ferry, we departed Gilbert at about three in the afternoon.  With the river at about 4.5 ft. we made pretty good time and didn't have to drag boats anywhere.  Our plan to avoid crowds worked and paid major dividends.  Less than 2 miles downstream of Gilbert, near the old bridge piers (a spot also accessible by foot from Gilbert) we spotted a Bald Eagle on the shore!  We spooked him too quickly to get a close-up, but luckily he flew downstream and we got a second chance to take photos (see below) and a poorly focused video.  We also saw a lot of other wildlife including a beaver, green herons, great blue herons, kingfishers, and approximately 1.3 billion turtles primarily of the red-eared slider and false map varieties.

We spent the night on Cain's Island, just upstream of Maumee North.  The next day, after the fog cleared, we paddled to Maumee and picked up an additional paddler: my dad.  From there we floated downstream to Dillards Ferry, stopping along the way several times to drain and reinflate the inflatable kayak.  The bluffs along this stretch were spectacular and there were lots of good pools for swimming.  It was really interesting seeing this section from another point of view, after hiking it earlier this year.

Mulberry River

I recently floated the Mulberry River for the first time.  We went when the river was at 2.7 and true to the descriptions, this was a perfect level for exciting rapids, but slow enough pools to allow for bailing and resting.  We put in a little downstream of Turner Bend and floated about 8 miles to Campbell Cemetery.

Turner Bend, located about 12 miles north of I-40 on Hwy 23, is the best place to get started on a Mulberry River float.  They have maps, supplies, boats, camping, parking, perform shuttles, and are very knowledgeable about current river conditions and float durations.

The photos below are misleading, since the only time I could take photos was while we were in pools.  There were numerous exciting rapids along the route and large waves and drops were common.

Buffalo River - Gilbert to Maumee South

This weekend, Buddy and I went with some friends to float the Buffalo River from Gilbert to Maumee South.  Due to its length (12 miles), this stretch is less congested than more popular nearby routes between Tyler Bend, Highway 65, Shine Eye, and Gilbert.  In fact, we didn't see another boat on either day of our float at the end of September.  Of course this could have been due to the fact that the St. Joe gage was at 3.3', meaning the river was REALLY low and we had to walk a lot even in kayaks.  The float was incredibly beautiful, with views of some of the best bluffs to be seen on the Buffalo.  We camped near Red Bluff and the dogs had a great time running around, digging in the sand, and chasing skipped rocks.  At night we heard elk (maybe), a screech owl, whippoorwill, coyotes, and a couple loud splashes that I assume were river otters (any ideas what else?).  During the day we saw Great Blue Heron, some turtles, spotted gar, and several Kingfishers.

Buffalo River Low!

Some friends and I had a very interesting trip to the Buffalo this weekend.  I can now say from experience that 3.3' on the St. Joe gage means the water is too low to comfortably paddle in the Tyler Bend/Gilbert area (4 to 6 or 8 feet is typically considered ideal).  It would have been a nightmare in a canoe and we saw one family turn back after about two miles.  We were all in kayaks and still had to walk more than a few times.  On the plus side, Buddy swam and ran most of the way from Tyler Bend to Gilbert and since the river wasn't crowded with paddlers, we saw lots of great wildlife including: a river otter, a mink, and a bald eagle in addition to the usual turtles, kingfishers, and green and great blue herons.

On the day after our float, we went upstream to checkout Woolum and were confused to find the river had some flow upstream of the put-in but was BONE DRY downstream of the bluffs there for a mile or more!  So after swimming briefly in the chilly pool by the bluffs and in the warmer, shallower pool just upstream of there, we took a unique hike down the dry channel of the Buffalo River.  To my disbelief, we didn't find any hidden treasure, but we did find bones, bleached crawdads, a few cans, and lots of interesting rocks and rock formations.

You can access the Buffalo River Trail and some other trails from Woolum.  We started on one but due to its overgrown condition and my paranoia of ticks and chiggers in August, we opted for the wide open dry channel of the Buffalo instead.

The following pages have more information on finding ideal water levels for floating the Buffalo:
http://trailsofarkansas.blogspot.com/search/label/Floats
http://ar.water.usgs.gov/buffaloriver/

It rained! Where can I float?

It rained over much of Arkansas yesterday and some places got over two inches!  Here are some sites to check to see if your favorite streams are up:

American Whitewater - http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/state-summary/state/AR/#
Arkansas Canoe Club (lots of useful links) - http://www.arkansascanoeclub.com/Default.aspx?pageId=471367
Buffalo River - http://ar.water.usgs.gov/buffaloriver/
Ozark Whitewater Page - http://www.ozarkpages.com/cgi-bin/stages.pl?ST=core_fact
USGS Map of Arkansas - http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?r=ar&id=ww_current
Fourche Creek via USGS - http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ar/nwis/uv/?site_no=07263555&agency_cd=USGS

War Eagle Creek

Located in NW Arkansas and flowing from south of Huntsville into Beaver Lake, the War Eagle is a scenic creek and makes for a nice float when the water is right.  Beaver Water District hosts a War Eagle Appreciation Day every year, where people float the river from the old 412 bridge to Withrow Springs State Park and stop at educational stations along the way.

Buffalo River - Tyler Bend to Gilbert

Some friends and I took advantage of the incredibly warm February weekend we just had and went floating on the Buffalo.  We left one car at Gilbert and took two inflatable kayaks and a normal kayak up the road to Tyler Bend.  The gate to the main access area was closed, so we took the gravel road to the smaller put-in just upstream.  After unloading all our gear, five friends and an apprehensive puppy set sail on a sunny Sunday.  Though the water was incredibly cold, it was perfect in terms of quantity (limited scrapping, no dragging), clarity (very high), and color (brilliant light blue).  I don't want to bore you with all the details, but highlights of the ~3 hour float included: no one spilling into the the freezing water, lots of rocks being successfully skipped, our dog not being super scared for most of his first float, seeing lots of kingfishers and non-shy turtles, and having the river largely to ourselves; something unheard of for this stretch during warmer months of the year.

This section of the Buffalo is great because the shuttle between put-ins is short and you can pick between floats of almost any length between 1 and 6 miles by using different combinations of put-ins at Tyler Bend, Grinder's Ferry, Shine Eye, and Gilbert.

If you ever find yourself in the area during bad floating conditions, check out some of the trails at Tyler Bend.