Buffalo River Trip - May '12 by Houston Canoe Club

[tgarber]

Hi ya'll,

I am putting together a Buffalo River trip from about Saturday/May 19 to May 25/26, 2012. We are looking at a core group doing the whole trip (Ponca down to the White River?) and planning on picking up / dropping off paddlers on the way. I am open for suggestions / pointers or resourcers if you care to point me in that direction.

I haven't been up there in 30+ years, and that wasn't the best of planned trips


Thanks & Best Regards: Tim Garber
Fleet Captain protem - Houston Canoe Club
Email: tim.garber@jotankers.com
Mobile: 713-628-6307

[cpresoz]

How exciting! I'm not sure whether to offer help on the logistics or to beg if you'll take me along. It would be neat for Arkansas club members to provide sectional support.
I'm sure Richard and some of the veterans will chime in with suggestions.

[Jaytee]

That's an awfully ambitious itinerary. Someone who has done the river end-to-end can give you more enlightenment (I've done it always in pieces, with the longest trip being only 3 days/2 nights).

I know there seems to be something magical about doing "the whole thing" but that just sounds like a lot to bite off for a 7-8 day float. One possibility is to start at Pruitt instead of Ponca. You'll avoid some of the whitewater part of the river (so you won't be passing through Grey Rock Shoals with fully loaded boats, etc.) but also the camping available in that upper stretch is limited to developed campgrounds at Kyle's Landing, Erbie, etc. and those can fill up. In other words, one of your biggest challenges will be finding a place to camp your very first night! After Pruitt it gets much easier camping-wise.

Also, whether the Ponca area is floatable in May is always up in the air. Sometimes way too much water, sometimes too little. Get a little lower on the river and that's less of an issue.

Those are my only thoughts. There are others here (Richard?) who will be detailed and excellent resources for you.

[Jaytee]

That's an awfully ambitious itinerary. Someone who has done the river end-to-end can give you more enlightenment (I've done it always in pieces, with the longest trip being only 3 days/2 nights).

I know there seems to be something magical about doing "the whole thing" but that just sounds like a lot to bite off for a 7-8 day float. One possibility is to start at Pruitt instead of Ponca. You'll avoid some of the whitewater part of the river (so you won't be passing through Grey Rock Shoals with fully loaded boats, etc.) but also the camping available in that upper stretch is limited to developed campgrounds at Kyle's Landing, Erbie, etc. and those can fill up. In other words, one of your biggest challenges will be finding a place to camp your very first night! After Pruitt it gets much easier camping-wise.

Also, whether the Ponca area is floatable in May is always up in the air. Sometimes way too much water, sometimes too little. Get a little lower on the river and that's less of an issue.

Those are my only thoughts. There are others here (Richard?) who will be detailed and excellent resources for you.

[Lupe]

My 2 cents is to prepare your group to be flexible, and have several contingency plans! In early May you might not have enough water to start at Ponca, or you could find the river flooded out of its banks and need to sit out a day or two. Assuming you have ample water, camping at Kyle's Landing your first night would be a good idea: you could put in at Ponca and paddle back to your camp. This gives everyone time to get their "sea legs" on what can be the hardest part of the river without loaded boats. You can paddle back to camp again at Kyles, or load up at Kyles and go downstream a little further to camp on a gravel bar. But I would be prepared to start your trip depending on what water levels will allow, and from there, just go with the flow!

Assuming you make it all the way to the White, Riley's Station is a great place to leave cars. It is a very short distance UPSTREAM on the White, but is pretty easy to ferry across to an island and then work up to where you can reach their landing. Very nice folks and secure place to leave cars.

A fun treat for a long trip like this is to stop at Gilbert and walk up to the Gilbert store for some cold drinks and snacks!


You'll need a lot of stars to align to pull off the trip, but even if you can't do the entire length, chances are good you'll be able to string together a very nice river trip. Again, just be flexible and just take what the river gives you! River tripping down the Buffalo is awesome, in any chunks you can get it!

[Renee H]

How exciting! I'm not sure whether to offer help on the logistics or to beg if you'll take me along. It would be neat for Arkansas club members to provide sectional support.
I'm sure Richard and some of the veterans will chime in with suggestions.

Agreed Curtis! I have only floated a handful of sections - never the entire thing, but this sounds fun!

And Tim - I have an audit in Houston that will last around 3 months. I was assuming there isn't any boating nearby. Am I assuming right? If not, I guess I could drive and bring my boat.

[tgarber]

Thanks for the responses so far. Flexible is the name of the game for sure; made a drive all the way up there one time just to get turned away because of flooding, but we had a good camp trip.

for Rene H - here is a website for paddles around Houston
http://www.tamug.edu/paddler/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also sign up for up or drop a line on the houstoncanoeclub.org and we'll include you in any events, plenty of paddles within an hour or so of downtown. When will you be here? Houston Canoe Clubs meetings are the 2nd Wednesday of every month, welcome to attend.

[flow]

Lupe has some very good ideas! One thing to consider; if you float Ponca to Kyles I would strongly suggest camping there the second night as well! Expect a LOT of people on the river! Especially late May-early June. Good campsites directly below Kyles will be very hard to come by! ( been there, done that ) One important thing to remember about camping the Buffalo or any mountain stream, always leave yourself an escape route from the river! That includes yourselves, boats, and gear! Never camp with your back to a bluff! Hope this helps, Phil

[tomOzarkVideo]

I would love to join you for a section of the float. I'm in Houston almost every week. and it would be nice to meet some HCC folks. Even if it's on one of my home runs.

I'll stay tuned.

[Clif]

Isn't just paddling on the Buffy like saving your money for an expensive chocolate then never eating it??

If one were flooded in the uppre end..Ponca Kyle's.. hiking is incomparable to cabins, bluffs, hemmed in hollow etc...

Weekends in the upper end are wall to wall.. full.. did not look at your dates.

Exploring Rush, Indian rock house, rail area past Gilbert.... all equally as impressive as another 10 miles of river. If you have seen all this and just want to do river.. different story

[Stan]

In May 2009, I did an 7 day 100-mile solo trip on the Buffalo. I started at Pruitt and took out at Shipps Landing on the White River.

I started at Pruitt because I was going solo. While I have canoe-camped on the Kyles to Pruitt section, I did not feel comfortable doing that section alone. I heartily agree with the recommendation to leave your camping gear at Kyles when running the Ponca to Kyles section.

While I took out at Shipps Landing in 2009, I would now seriously consider taking out at Riley’s. The Ozark Society (OS) each year takes a 5-day trip typically starting at Tyler Bend and ending at Riley’s. I have heard good things about that take-out.

The following notes may be useful:

Mileage/day: 10 – 15 miles is a good idea. The Ozark Society (OS) annual Buffalo trip is about that each day. I prefer to stop for the day by mid-afternoon. It gives me time to find a place & to deal with unexpected situations. Also headwinds tend to be stronger in the afternoon.

Water level: The Buffalo often flash floods. A few years ago the river came up 40 –yes forty feet – in a day. I was very conservative on that solo trip. In Spring 2009 the Buffalo often flooded. I have the luxury of being retired and living in Little Rock. I waited about a month before the water level met my criteria - on the lower end of “Ample” per park service guidelines and a declining hydrograph. The guidelines are in the park’s newsletter “Currents”. The most recent “Currents” is dated 2009 and can be found at:

http://www.nps.gov/buff/planyourvisit/u ... 09_web.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Water levels can be checked at:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ar/nwis/curre ... y=basin_cd" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Under White River Basin Section:
Buffalo River at Ponca, AR is the Ponca/Steel Creek Reading
Buffalo River at Pruitt, AR is the Highway 7 Bridge Pruitt Reading
Buffalo River near St. Joe, AR for the Grinder’s Ferry/Tyler Bend Reading
Buffalo River near Harriet, AR is the Dillard’s Ferry/Buffalo Point Reading

Weather: I highly recommend keeping a close eye on the weather. While I had dry weather on my trip, I shortened it by one day because rain was in the forecast. It’s not that I don’t like to paddle in the rain (although I do prefer no rain). It’s that I do not want to be on the river at high water.

Cell phones may or may not get a signal. In 2009, I got a signal while in the Gilbert area. Otherwise – zip! I relied on my Radio Shack handheld weather radio and got the National Weather Service broadcast while on the Buffalo from Pruitt to the White.

I was prepared to “sit it out” if the river got too high. I had extra food along.

Navigation: I took a GPS, East & West Buffalo River Trails Illustrated Maps & a compass. I fastened a dive (waterproof) compass on a thwart so I could monitor the direction I was traveling. That helped me keep track of where I was and where the nearest road or access point was in case I needed to get off the river in an emergency.

Campsites:
When going solo, I prefer a gravel bar that is not too big to discourage others from joining me. I also avoided staying at a site that had road access either directly or a site that could be easily accessed from a road. It reduced the possibility of being hassled by drunks.

Do NOT camp below a bluff. Across from a bluff is OK but not under one. If the river should rise, then an escape route may be needed. I always have an escape route planned out in advance.

At night before I go to bed, I have all my gear gathered together. So that if I should ever need to evacuate up the bank, all I have to do is pile the gear in my boat and pull it to higher ground.

I keep my canoe very close to my tent. I do not want it to float or blow away. That happened to some OS people a couple of years ago

Raccoons can be a problem. The OS has had several run-ins with raccoons raiding their kitchen. I too have had raccoons check out my camp after going to bed. I ended up bringing my gear into the tent several times to protect it from marauding raccoons.

Drinking Water: I plan on a gallon a day for drinking/cooking. Water can be replenished at Tyler Bend, Buffalo Point and several other campgrounds – see Currents for more info. (Bleach jugs are great water containers.) Tyler Bend & Buffalo Point also have showers.

Personal Locator Beacon (PLB): An activated PLB summons Search & Rescue if something really bad happens. I have a PLB because I do so many things solo. Some people like the SPOT system but for a variety of reasons I carry a PLB.

Miscellaneous:
●Trash can be deposited at the various access sites.
●Park personnel typically check each access site at least once a day so you could get possibly get “help” from them.
●Have at least 2 flash lights
●Bring sticky Velcro cut in half down its length to repair a damaged zipper.
●I also have a small sewing kit along.
●Ken Smith’s Buffalo River Handbook is a great to have along on the river.
●I carry a breakdown kayak paddle. Now some do not approve of using a kayak paddle in a canoe. BUT I find it very helpful when dealing with a strong headwind. I do not get nearly as tired.
●Once you are past Rush the next reasonable takeout is at least 23 miles down river. I recommend only going past Rush if everything (weather, water level, etc) look good. Very shortly after Rush is Clabber Creek rapids. It is not particularly difficult but at higher water levels there are some pretty good waves. I try to stay left to avoid them as much as possible.

“Stan” AKA Margaret Bartelt

[tomOzarkVideo]

Wow!

Nice beta, Margaret!

[Richard]

Two of us did Ponca to Norfork on the White River in April 2010. Water was at a good level. Wind was a big obstacle. We had rain one night about half way through the trip. We did not have any problem running Ponca to Kyles with gear. We decided not to bring perishables. That made a huge difference. No ice chests. More compact food. The biggest challenge was Clabber Shoals. The water was high and the wind was fierce. We decided to inch our way through the willows on river left to avoid the shoals. It was a good and memorable trip. But as others have said, shorter is frequently better.
Last May a friend from Alabama was going to go Ponca to the White. I was going to join him at Tyler Bend. He had to start at Pruitt because it was too low at Ponca. He made it to Skull Bluff when the rain began. He pulled off and made camp. The river rose and took his canoe and some of his gear. It was three days before anyone could get to him. Fortunately he had cell phone coverage and was able to let us know he was OK. He had no interest in finishing the trip.
As Stan mentioned, bleach bottles are good for potable water. Syrup bottles from IHOP work great.

Keep in mind that glass bottles are not allowed on or near the river. Food must be in sealed containers. Cans in koozies. Mesh trash bag attached to canoe. Practice LNT. lnt.org

[Braes_Bayou]

For those of you who have done it...
Is Gilbert to Buffalo City suitable for for beginner paddlers?
I am thinking of folks who are comfortable paddling Class 1 rivers, but not Class 2.

Appreciate any guidance.

Cordially,

Another paddler from the Bayou City.

[Deuce]

Yes.