I am looking to plan a trip for early April. I live in Michigan and am willing to drive 15-20 hours to get to a great destination. We will have 3-4 experienced paddlers. We are looking for reasonably fast water, but nothing overly technical. Scenery and relatively few people would be our priorities. Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Right now looking at possibly the Buffalo River in Arkansas.
Trip
– Last Updated: Dec-22-15 1:51 AM EST –
I vote for the Buffalo but that's just my favorite river. Two other possibility in that same direction are the Current river or the Eleven point river, both in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks and both just as spectacular as the Buffalo. All three Rivers are national parks. All three have incredible scenery, reasonably fast water and in early april, not many people.
Current river and Eleven point river are part of a national park called the Ozark National Scenic Riverway. The Buffalo is a national park to its self. One twenty mile streach of the lower buffalo is also a wilderness area.
Any of those rivers would be a great choice and you could hardly go wrong on any one of the three.
Request info about planning trips on any of these rivers here. Information is also available on the national park service web sight.
John
spring paddling.
Just make sure that you are dressed for immersion, even if the weather is warm. I have always wanted to paddle the Buffalo R.
Agree with that
– Last Updated: Dec-22-15 3:26 PM EST –
Or have a change of warm clothes easily available in a dry bag. These are small rivers, 30 or 40 yards wide. Long deep pools but the pools rarely cause problems. The places where you would be more likely to dump are the riffels or the occasional rapids. Usually not more than waist or chest deep and almost always narrow. If you go in the water in one of these places you can almost always get out quickly, if you have dry clothes to change into, not a deal breaker.
Buffalo river is a warm water river, fed mostly by run off from the Boston mountains. Cold when the weather is cold but warm or hot in warmer weather.
Current and Eleven point however are fed mostly by huge springs, some of the largest in the world infact. Those rivers are always extremely cold and many paddlers have been caught unprepared without the right gear when they dumped there boats in cool or even moderately warm weather.
Be prepared on these cold water rivers even during cool periods of summer, early morning, late evening, night. Always keep dry clothes handy, you could be many miles from help!
John
I think that a dry bag with clothing
– Last Updated: Dec-22-15 3:41 PM EST –
is just fine.. The Current is not extremely cold. It is a relatively constant 58-68 degrees year round being spring fed. For us up here that is summer lake water for swimming, so I suppose everything is relative. I spent a half an hour submerged in it a couple of years ago busy trying to get a canoe disentangled. The seat had gotten caught on an underwater snag. The month was late April.
Once that was solved and we were able to get out of the river, yep it was cool and a change of clothes was welcome and prudent.
The Buffalo is a very nice river too but maybe more apt to flood..
Both watersheds have probably gotten more snow than we have gotten this year..
Past Current Immersion
I seem to recall Peter telling that tale on a trip the following December.
I flipped on the Upper Buffalo in April
I was surprised at how hospitable the water was - being too cold for swimming but not remotely dangerous. I didn’t even change clothes afterward. I just dumped the water out of my boots, sat on the shore for a while, and was fine. It was a nice day, and had the weather been colder I might have changed clothes, but still it would have been no emergency. Can’t say another April would be the same, but this agrees with what others are saying.
I don’t think Pete was on that
particular outing… I do remember him being camped with us that week though.
Maybe it was my coming off a surfing wave right to bang into the Bob( Pete was on that trip too)… in his destroyer boat.
Well
– Last Updated: Dec-23-15 12:33 AM EST –
Maybe not extremely cold but cold enough that standing in it fishing makes my feet hurt, even when it's warm.
No snow yet this year, lots of rain though
John
If memory serves
he referred to a river wide log somewhere between Pulltite and the old Alton Box Factory property. I sure hate I haven’t been able to make a rendezvous yet. Circumstances seem to conspire against me every year.
Buffalo river…
I agree that the Buffalo would be a good choice in the Spring. It’s likely you’ll see few people then, and the scenery is beautiful.
The Buffalo has some “sporty” fastwater shoals, and and some small drops. Below the Ponca put in I’d classify it as Class 1 & ow Class II; nothing a paddler with some basic skills can’t handle.
In all my trips there I have dumped a total of 1 time; I was rubber necking at some young, nubile, oiled, bikiniwearing, sun bathers. High centered & was in the water in a heartbeat. Felt good; it was high Summer.
You need to be very careful when heavy rains are predicted; make camp well above the river. Have an escape route & a evac plan. Quite a few people have paid the ultimate price for being camp close to the river when it came up into flood stage at night.
Follow the rules; Rangers will write a ticket if you deserve it, and the tickets aren’t cheap. I didn’t know, is not a valid excuse.
I’ve never been cited for any rule violation; I follow the rules. But I’ve seen river “dorks” who ignored rules, and it cost them several hundred bucks. The rules are very simple; I am happy to see the fools getting cited.
BOB
Buffalo river…
I agree that the Buffalo would be a good choice in the Spring. It’s likely you’ll see few people then, and the scenery is beautiful.
The Buffalo has some “sporty” fastwater shoals, and and a few small drops. Below the Ponca put in I’d classify it as Class 1 & low Class II; nothing a paddler with some basic skills can’t handle. In flood stage it can be more hazardous.
In all my trips there I have dumped a total of 1 time. I was rubber necking at some young, nubile, oiled, bikini wearing, sun bathers. High centered & was in the water in a heartbeat. Felt good; it was high Summer. They were worth the swim.
You need to be very careful when heavy rains are predicted; make camp well above the river. Have an escape route & a evac plan. Quite a few people have paid the ultimate price for being camped too close to the river when it came up into flood stage at night.
Follow the rules; Rangers will write a ticket if you deserve it, and the tickets aren’t cheap. I didn’t know is not a valid excuse.
I’ve never been cited for any rule violation; I follow the rules. But I’ve seen river “dorks” who ignored rules, and it cost them several hundred bucks. The rules are very simple; I was happy to see the fools getting cited.
BOB
Sun bathers can be a hazard but
– Last Updated: Dec-27-15 2:58 PM EST –
Early april will probably be to cool for that.
If a storm is predicted or expected overnight, simply camp in one of the national park service camp grounds, they are all on high ground well above river level, yet right next to the river and close enough for easy access. Camp grounds are staged about every 10 miles or so along the Buffalo. Early april crowds are small so plenty of camp sights will surely be available. All of the camp grounds have self pay boxes, water and bathroom.
Camping in an established camp ground takes away from the wilderness experience that gravel bar camping provides but trust me there have been a couple of rainy nights that I wished I would have choosen that option.
Another slightly riskyer option is to go ahead and camp on the river but chose a gravel bar where a horse trail crosses. Escape is easier up the trail, just grab your gear throw it in your boat and drag up the trail. Mark the water level with a large rock or a stick that can be seen from your tent then check it every couple of hours, if you see it rising get up and out.
Don't be afraid of every little rain storm when you are on the Buffalo, just understand that the river can rise fast in a heavy or extended rain. Be aware just like on any river. Plan ahead and pay attention to the weather forecast. Note that cell phone service in most of the river valley is non existent.
Remember that the river is 120 miles long so be aware of the weather upstream, this is where the park service comes in, they are in my experience very good at predictiting how the river will respond to predicted weather patterns. Don't hesitate to use them as a resource.
John
Hammock Camping
I have heard frequent mentions of gravel bar camping. Is camping in hammocks along the river feasible?
Thanks
Sure. Just have to walk up to the
tree line.
Yes
– Last Updated: Dec-29-15 7:41 PM EST –
You would probably be able to use hammocks, I don't think I have ever seen anyone go that route though. Higher up on the banks where the forest starts large trees are plentiful. Occasionally you will also find a few trees large enough to hang a hammock out in the open on the gravel as well.
late fall, Winter, early spring, going into the forest, no problem. Once the weather warms up in spring the dreaded ticks and no see-um chiggers will chew you up if you venture off the gravel banks and into the brush so watch out for that. First part of April probably not a problem.
Most of the Ozark streams are gravel bottomed and lined with hugh gravel bars along the banks. Those gravel bars and islands make great places to pitch a tent and camp, that's just what most people do.
John