Rafting In Arkansas?

[TheRoadWarrior]

So I was hoping to start a discussion about Rafting in Arkansas. I'm curious what rivers & creeks people are running around the state in rafts. And what river levels people usually look for before busting out the raft.

I've got the piney covered... Some of you have witnessed me push a 14ft river cat down the piney. lol Long time lurker on this board. This is my first post though.

I have a new puma that needs to get out more.
I lived in Colorado & New Mexico for 6 years and ran a number of rivers out there. Just curious what gets rafted here when the level is right.
Looking forward to the discussion & making some new friends.

Thanks

[Clif]

At plus 3 levels, like now at 4ish, Cadron is fun. Issues with a put in spot, wouldn't wanna carry down a hill, but hwy 65 to 285 would work.

Have done Illinois Bayou at 7 feet and up, mostly paddler rig there.

Quite a few raft heads over here. What else?

[Heath]

the tot at 3.8 and up Little Mo at 5+ and up, Richland on the higher end.
havent seen it but EFLB at a good level would be a lot of fun in a raft. the hike in would suck unless you inflatted at the bottom. Pine creek in OK at a good level,say 1ft over the putin bridge. I am sure there is more.

[robkanraft]

We’ve got an 11.5 Otter on oars that we use on the Buffalo and Mulberry. I’ve done the Buffalo at 20 plus inches of airspace on the low side but usually look for the water to be at Ponca bridge level or over before planning a trip.

For the Mulberry, I like at least 3’ at Turner Bend gauge.

I also float the White River and Norfork River below the dams at all levels in pursuit of trout. Norfork at one generator is low water, great fishing.

Also have done upper Richland and the Hailstone at higher levels, though I can't give you guage specifics.

[Zach]

Hurricane is supposed to be good except for a portage over a downed tree.
Saw rafts on Hailstone at medium low level (in a kayak I would have done it lower, but not much).

[Half Ton]

Hey roadwarrior,

You say you have big piney covered does that include the hurricane creek ? If not, I recommend giving hurricane a run when piney is about 8-9 feet to 13-14 feet.

[davidbob]

ARG(*1) deploys its fleet of Super Pumas on most every stream in Arkansas, including the Hailstone (that may have been us that Zach saw a couple of months ago), Upper/Lower Richland, and the Cossatot.

*1 ARG = Arkansas Raft Guides. ARG is the only Arkansas whitewater organization devoted exclusively to the principle that we don't need to know how to tie pretty knots(*2) or stand waist deep in cold water for 2 days to certify ourselves as rafting experts. Our training process is different. In fact, at the rapid on the Cossatot that was recently renamed LLR(*3), the sole and only member of the Sugar Britches Division(*4) of ARG has begun training his raft to make its way to Dead Dog Beach without him in it.

*2 Update on Marcell. He is still banned(*5)

*3 Leaping Lippo Rapid, or the rapid formerly known as BMF

*4 Formerly known as the Branson Division

*5 So is Tim Man (we may be racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic, red neck, reactionary bigots who leave HUGE carbon footprints wherever we take our rafts (or, in Lippo's case, wherever we follow them), but ARG does not tolerate ageism)

[TheRoadWarrior]

Alright guys thanks for the replies.
I wanted to start off pretty general & see what the replies would be.
To be a little more specific... I'm very interested in running hurricane creek, upper/lower richland, Cossatot falls, Hailstone, & anything else class III and above.

I've run the upper lil Mo in an IK at about 8.5 on the guage. I would like to catch it at that level again or a little higher in a raft. Anybody out their caught the Upper lil Mo at flood in a raft?

Half Ton - I've ran the Piney from 4.5 to 9ft in a raft but haven't caught Hurricane. I've hiked in that area & would love to catch the creek at some point. I know it's a long way to get in there but I don't care. I love the scenery & new rivers.

Mr. Dale Barton... I ran the Piney about this time last year with a group that included you. I was rowing the big NRS River Cat. I was hoping you'd share some info on rafting Richland.

We usually run the Puma R2 or R3 but I do have an oar rig as well.
Looking to travel east or west some this summer too.
Wouldn't mind finding a group of Kayakers or open boaters to provide some raft support for either. Hope to run into some folks somewhere this weekend.

[canoe]

Stewart Noland is the source for rafting Richland. I've paddle Shredded it multiple times, at some huge levels, but only oared it a few times(and thanks to my run at Door#1, while oaring the Shredder, there is no longer the marker tree at Door1). However, Richland is definetely the show for oaring in Ar. Levels need to be fairly fat, might reach there this weekend. If so, I will be there with said Shredder, Oc1, and who nows what else> dale

[turboturtle]

Sweet!

All To Much So.

Raft Support!

So says a River Turtle

Waterheads Rule!

Bob

[Tim Eubanks]

No intentional thread-highjacking here, just want to make amends.

My exposure to rafting in Arkansas began with a R2 Puma trip on Upper Richland, Marcel my captain. Other than the 35 degree temps and one short swim, it was great. I was hooked. My second was the "raft recovery expedition" Stewart and Marcel as "co captains" in the Avon. Still a blast, still cold.

I'm the proud owner of a much-used Puma that still has many miles left in it. My wife (Cyndy, real estate agent) and I took it down the Rio Grande Race Course last June at 3700cfs !!!!

Having been with ARG many times and benefited from their copious generosity and willingness to tutor me in the ways of Raft Daddies, I have only positive things to say about this small band of brothers.

"Ageism?" ?Surely one little comment about the basis for my exclusion from the aforementioned brotherhood merely because of my late appearnace on the planet shouldn't be held against me eternally.

[L.A.paddler]

All this raft talk has really got me wanting to get my Puma out this weekend. I really want to raft Upper Richland asap (may need someone to show me the raft lines though?). I have run the middle section of the Tot in it but have yet to run the falls (something I hope to remedy soon) . I had a pretty good year last year I was able to run Pine cr. in Ok. the Taos Box at 3500, the Racecourse around that level as well. I was able to get it out on the Ocoee a few times also. The bigger water on The Rio was more intimidating, but I found the Occoee a much harder run to clean than the big water out west. There are a lot of little dink rocks on the Occoee that messed with me. Anybody else have an opionon on this?

TD

[boba]

I don't believe anybody mentioned the Ill. Bayou. I've taken my 14' oar rig down the middle fork from Nogo down . Also one of the better kept secrets, the north fork. (dry creek put-in) to the confluence with the middle/east forks, to Scottsville.

[davidbob]

"There will be a rain dance Friday night (weather permitting)" Geo. Carlin.

Although the Cossatot's primed, Marcell's already in the mountains. Could this be the weekend that a new chapter of The Paddler's Guide to Hiking Richland Creek will get written?

Tim Man - you've convinced me - I'll vote "yes" on one condition - you have to promise to vote a straight GOP ticket from now thru 2016.

P.S. Marcell's still banned.

[Zach]

I found the Ocoee a much harder run to clean than the big water out west. There are a lot of little dink rocks on the Ocoee that messed with me.
TD

I still contend you aced it just like the guides. You dumped all your passengers before broken nose while keeping yourself firmly planted at the stern, all while making it look like an accident .

I got stuck at work again today, but I'm hoping to get out tomorrow. If the water comes up and you get your raft out and need someone to R2/R3 with, let me know, I'd love to get out on that (with the caveat that I don't know what I'm doing). The day might also be begging for two runs, one in a raft then another in the kayaks .