Buffalo help

[402YJ]

Hello guys and galls I'm in need of a little advice as this is our first time doing anything like this. We do a lot of camping/boating but in a camper at lakes. I'm planning a trip for me, my son (13) and a few buddies but I only have two days and a 7 hour drive home on Sunday. The plan is to be at Grinders Ferry by 9:am Saturday to launch, camp that night at either Little Rocky Creek or South Maumee, then head to Dillards Ferry for pickup Sunday. 26 miles total. Is that to much for a two day trip in late June? I'm thinking of launching at Gilbert to cut 4 miles off the trip.
Thanks in advance.

[paddledog]

As nice as it is to get as many miles in as possible,
Why push it.
If you are early, take some side hikes or spend longer in camp.
No one likes to hear 'we gotta hurry, 5 miles to camp before it gets dark.'
On day trips, I plan for 3 miles an hour with a small group.
Over nighters it's 1.5 to 2 mph.

Hope that helps...

[AR-Nimrod]

Late June there may not be much flow even that far down. Might consider a Gilbert put in, camp at Spring Creek and a short float to Dillard's Ferry on Sunday morning. Or go ahead and put in a Grinder's Ferry, camp at Maumee and take out at Spring Creek. We opted for that stretch several years ago. Have a good time. There's nothing like river bank camping on the Buffalo.

[Deuce]

I'm a little confuzzed which is nothing new. Do you want to camp at a campground, or on a gravel bar? Since you're driving all that way I think you should camp on a gravel bar. As Chris said, chances are by late June you'll be limited to the lower river which makes planning easier. At ~fifteen miles Spring Creek to Rush would be a good overnighter for a crew concerned about hitting the road at a decent hour the next day. Great scenery, plentiful gravel bars, great fishing and swimming and you could spend a little time checking out the mining ghost town at Rush before heading back to reality.

[402YJ]

Thanks guys. I’m gonna talk to the shuttle service folks about taking out at Spring Creek. That sounds like a better plan due to the drive Sunday night.
June 21st can’t get here fast enough.

[motor floater]

Did y'all do this trip? We were camping on Gilbert gravel bar Saturday night June 22. I couldn't sleep so I checked the radar at 3am, then swiftly tucked tail and got out of there. I was glad to have the truck with me. Heading south at 4am I drove through a very hard rain between Marshall and Clinton. Hope y'all were OK.