Good idea-
I didn’t realize they were calling for rain (sorry I was looking at weather here in Kansas City) Anyway,that section is definitely rain dependant- however is very prone to quick flash floods since it’s pretty much a canyon.
Speaking from first hand experience after getting caught in a flash flood on the upper Buffalo last year, be careful if you choose to go and be sure to camp up high.
By the way- Harveys canoe is who would be the outfitter to call that could help on the Upper Jacks Fork.
Jacks Fork
I actually spoke with an individual from Harvey’s today. He said the river is absolutely perfect but he wasn’t aware of the forecast for more rain in the area. It seems like we may get swamped out on this trip, but you never know, the forecasts are often wrong. That being said, I really don’t have any interest in picking my way through flood waters and dealing with nasty sweepers. With the big warmup I may be able to run something close to home but I’ll definitely keep the Jacks Fork high on my priority list this Spring.
had a similar experience this past june,
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paddled from cornell bridge to brewer bridge on a weekday. The only other canoe we saw was one that the outfitter shuttled with us. Dryland Aquatic in Sparks is pretty sparse on people if your looking for a less used outfitter. It may be different on the weekends but during the week after the post office closed at noon, it was slowwwwww, as in more livestock than people!
ONSR
Good call on avoiding the ONSR this weekend. Looks like there is a good chance for all those streams to be in the condition you fear by your arrival. However, you might consider the Buffalo. Neither rain chances nor totals are as aggressive as those in the ONSR and you have a great shot at paddling the sporty upper river without a bunch of company. If that seems like something you want to pursue this weekend let me know and I’ll help you sort it out.
that is a solid backup plan
The upper buffalo (or possibly a lower section) is my backup plan, however, not my preference since I already have a trip lined up to run Ponca to Pruitt at the end of April, I wouldn’t complain too much though, I absolutely love that stretch of river. I’m still holding out some hope for the Jacks Fork. From monitoring the gauges, I can tell this is a river that drains fast. We’re going to head that direction, regardless, on Friday and, if need be, continue toward the buffalo for a quick overnight. 3/4 of us have whitewater experience having run rivers like the Middle Fork, Kern and Grand Canyon, so if the buffalo is a raging, frigid torrent, we could rent a raft and some wet suits (plan C). What are your thoughts on this? Is there an anti rain dance you know of?
Who said anything about Ponca???
Are you referring to boxley?
We’re definitely not outfitted for the hailstone. Are you talking about running boxley or further downstream? There was a decent reading at the ponca low water bridge last I checked so I figured that would be viable. Is there something I’m missing here?
Boxley Run!
Gotta do it while ya can, baby. If you have a decent ferry you’re up for it.
Where are you coming from?
NE Iowa to the ONSR or Buff is a haul.
It is a haul but that’s not a problem!
We’re heading out from Iowa City tomorrow evening for the weekend. The nice thing is that I write the schedule for the company I work at and the company owner is one of the group. My weekend can be about as long as it takes, ha! So tell me about this Boxley run, I’ve read up on it and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of info on the scenic nature of this stretch. The information on the internet makes it sound like it’s not as spectacular as ponca to Kyle’s, but that could just be due to the fact it can’t be run as often. Big bluffs, clear water? Turtles everywhere? I’m game if it’s even half as awesome.
MN
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Northern MN has some nice rivers. The Big Fork and Little Fork rivers both have lots of camping sites along their length and, the Little Fork in particular, have something other than just flat water.
I've never done the Little Fork but I've done the full length of the Big Fork. It was early spring but I never saw another soul on the water the entire trip. Had all the camping areas to myself.
The St. Louis river looks like it could be interesting too.
MN has a ton of state designated water trails so there are lots of maps and information on the rivers, access, and paddling conditions on the MN DNR website.
Alan
Gotcha. Not quite as far then.
The scenery’s not quite as spetacular as Ponca to Kyle’s, but only in the way that a Rolls isn’t quite as specatcular as a Bentley (or the inverse if you prefer Rolls) 
There’s no part of the Buff that’s not gorgeous and options abound as every reach is there (Boxley’s a little low but could very well be there this weekend, and even if it’s not there will be no shortage of water). Options abound.
It’s 6.1 miles from Boxley to Ponca, then another 2.6 from Ponca to Steel Creek and 8 more from Steel Creek to Kyle’s Landing. If the levels hold or improve (possible) you could easily do Boxley to Kyle’s in a day. If you didn’t want to do that you could of course take out at Ponca or Steel Creek. The Boxley run is mostly just really good waves but the biggest hazard is right at the put in where one must ferry up stream a bit to set up for a clean run through a willow thicket.
If you want to float camp you can take your pick of reaches. IMO the best float camping is on the middle and lower reaches because the gravel bars on the upper reach have a lot of cobble, but the whole river’s spectacular and you probably wouldn’t have much competition for sites.
Fishing is good on the whole river. Consensus is the biggest smallies are on the lower reaches. In my experience that’s true, especially between Spring Creek and Rush.
I’ll go on if you ask, but I’d just like to say I love your attitude and really hope I get to run some rivers with you guys some time. I have a great crew that I float camp with too.
BTW,
not trying to talk you out of the ONSR. I love it too. I just thought since the Buff is there you should at least consider it.
send me an email!
Shoot me an email! madmonks1@gmail.com. I can’t guarantee my stupid/smart phone will work once I get that far out but I’ll definitely try to keep you clued in to how our plans shape up. We may end up stuck under our tarps part of the time and be swamped out but we’ll make the most of it. I should warn you, we are an odd lot. We’ve got two crazy tree climbers, a rock and roll drummer (me) and a hardcore wilderness enthusiast in the group. We definitely try to make these trips as much fun as possible!
Rifle?
I’m confused, never mentioned one?
Joke in response
You had mentioned needing more firepower for sinking an aluminum canoe, not a serious reply nor did I think you were instructing me to actually pack a rifle.
Thanks for the info!
I will definitely be looking north this summer.