June 2-6 paddle trip

[Llwjrw03]

A buddy and I are planning a trip for June 2-6. Actually be driving mostly on 2 and 6 so really only 3 days and 2 nights on river. Plan A is to do 65 miles on the buffalo from ponca to tyler bend. But with the way it's looking there may be no water. So we are in need of a plan B. We'd prefer something with at least class 1 and a few class 2's. The only river I could think of was maybe spring river but the length and possible crowds has me worried. We're from south louisiana and are not at all familiar with the area so hopefully you guys can help out. Any info on rivers, shuttles, camping options(primitive on river away from campgrounds). We are bother experienced kayak eras and will be bringing our own yaks and gear.

[Tim Eubanks]

Middle or lower Buffalo should have enough. No whitewater, sadly. During the week you should be fairly free of crowds.

[Llwjrw03]

Do you guys think that the rain this week will make the buff floatable from ponca to Tyler's bend next week?

[datsevlu]

Hard to tell, just keep an eye on the gauges.

I use this site gives you a few gauges to look at.

http://www.buffaloriverchamber.com/ponc ... gauge.html

[Deuce]

Do you guys think that the rain this week will make the buff floatable from ponca to Tyler's bend next week?

The Buffalo falls almost as quickly as it rises, so probably not, but since y'all will be in kayaks you can tolerate lower levels. That said, if you're set on the Buff you need to adjust your expectations anyway. There's some mild white water even on the lower reach, but the best reasons to float camp that exquisite river have nothing to do with white water. If you want great fishing, seclusion, scenery and your pick of prime gravel bars for camping you can't go wrong with the middle, lower or both. There are reliable outfitters on every reach so once you establish your float plan you can just pick the one that makes the most sense geographically. When I do multi-days I just tell them approximately when I'll need my truck at the takeout and they handle the rest.

You asked about other rivers so I'll give you a couple of options to further confuse you. First, the Spring is a fun little river but not one that can really be float camped because its banks are mostly private property. However, it has some friends across the state line that would be outstanding options. The Current and Eleven Point are beautiful Missouri Ozark streams that make for excellent float camping. They have lots of scenery, both natural and historical, to keep your interest and good flow. They're spring fed so you can count on having water any time you go and they possess many (not all) of the characteristics that make the Buffalo so special. I think the Jack's Fork would also be a good choice but I can't speak personally for it since I haven't had the opportunity to float camp it. Those streams also have outfitters that can handle your shuttle and other needs but bring your wallet. It's pretty remote up there so shuttles ain't cheap.

Hopefully that will help you make a decision and not just make things even more puzzling. Also, this is my personal favorite for trip planning on the Buffy. http://www.troop142bsa.org/buffalo_national_river.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I like it because it not only links to the gauges but also loosely interprets them for you. One must make one's own decisions regarding what levels are appropriate but it's nice to know where to start. Good luck!

[tomOzarkVideo]

Eleven Point is an experience of all it's own. No real rapids, but the environment is incredible.

Keep a close eye on things for the buffy… She may go for ya.

[Deuce]

Eleven Point is an experience of all it's own. No real rapids, but the environment is incredible.

Keep a close eye on things for the buffy… She may go for ya.

What he said, and we'll be doing rain dances on your behalf.

[Llwjrw03]

So we ended up having just enough water to get downstream only having to get out a few times. Definitely gave the bottom of my kayak a new texture dragging multiple times but it was worth it. We put in at ponca at around 4pm Monday and made it to the mouth of sneeds creek. We camped there for the night. The next morning we headed down to hemmed in hollow. We made the quick well worth it hike. After standing under the freezing cold pressure washer for a lil while we hiked back ate a quick brunch and headed out down to Erbie for a late lunch break. We then headed all the way to the mouth of the little buffalo to camp for the night. We made a few stops along the way to take in the sights like bear cave hollow. The next day we paddled down to mt Hershey for lunch then down to woolum. Not much dragging at all this day. Plans were to paddle to tyler bend the next day but we ended up camping at woolum and taking out there. I got to see 2 elk, 2 deer, 100's of turtles, fish, and a bald eagle fishing at woolum to wrap up the trip. Over all it was well worth the 23 hour round trip drive. I will definitely be going back. Thanks guys for all the input.

[cpresoz]

Sounds like you had the classic, penultimate Buffalo float that many of us have.