Spring, Eleven Point, North Fork...

[Donna]

Thank you each and every one for the info you shared. I used some of your suggestions.

The Eleven Point is my new favorite river! I floated it from Greer Crossing, where I camped the first part of the week, down to Riverton. Whew! Twenty miles in one day! Following a 6:00 AM 24 mile scooter ride to set my shuttle.

After pulling up stakes mid week and running over to check out Big Spring near Van Buren MO, base camp was moved to North Fork Recreation Area on the NF of the White and 31 miles of that river was highly enjoyed, from Cane Bluff to Tecumseh Hwy 160 access. (Made three short floats out of that.)

Oh yeah. While camping at Greer Crossing, we ran down to the Spring River. About all I have to say about that is. The washboard and rutted roads suck! In my opinion, that river isn't worth what it takes to get to it. :roll:

I can't wait to get back to S MO! There's WATER in them thar hills!!!!

Thanks again for helping me plan my trip.

[Donna]

Correction.....
The North Fork starting point was NOT Cane Bluff as previously stated. It was Hebron Access. Cane Bluff is located over on the Eleven Point. Maybe I have water on the brain, or a senior moment, or......

[Minna Ulmer]

Sounds like a great trip! Is all thet water dam released? Do they have rapids like the spring? Doesnt sound like much dragging and nice to paddle when AR rivers are dry. Minna

[Donna]

Minna. NONE of the water is dam released. It is all from spring sources, which also makes it cool!!! Totally awesome. It's only 30 miles north of Mammoth Springs to Greer Crossing Campground.

[Richard]

I may get corrected but I believe Greer Spring is the second largest spring in MO so consequently below there is just like having a constant dam release. Actually, it is a narrower version of Remmel Dam to I-30. Springs and dams produce the same results in summer.
Donna, doing the run from Greer to Riverton in one day doesn't really give you time to take in all that the Eleven Point offers. Minna, you will love the Eleven Point.
Someone ought to post a trip before the summer is over. The trip should include a nights stay at Greer Campground and a night or two on the river before takeout at Riverton.
And just for the record. The Eleven Point is a jewel. The Buffalo when the weather is cooler and the water is up is far better than them all.

[Minna Ulmer]

What great info! I do have a vaca coming up. I would love to do that with a few folks. Since I kayak I would rather base camp though. I certanly dont mind driving that far. I just didnt know there were any rivers running that clost to us!

Donna, was it too terribly hot tent camping?This is gettin me excited.

[Donna]

Minna... I'm probably not the right person to ask about it being too hot to tent camp since I am very cold natured.... but I covered up every night, before morning. My nephew had a little battery operated fan in his tent and he didn't complain, so I would say that it was quite comfortable.

Richard.... you just have to get up early to do it in one day. I had delivered my truck to Riverton and was back on the scooter and on the water by 7:30... a little later than I wanted but I was lazy and slept in until 5:00 AM. We didn't do any fishing, but stopped for lunch and at every spring, nook, and cranny along the way. There wasn't a sign, but I think the arrow pointing up a little bayou looking spot might have been Stinking Pond. Just about fifty yards or so pass there, we pulled over at a small bat cave. There was some stone work there.... sort of like a small stone and mortar fence... and a black walnut tree. It was nestled in a small area between the bluff and river. I thought it strange and interesting to find the stone work. Would you happen to know anything about the history of it?

I may also be taking you to task on Greer Spring being the second largest. Boze Spring is pretty awesome! I will let your claim stand though until I do the proper research.

[Donna]

I may get corrected but I believe Greer Spring is the second largest spring in MO

Richard....
Silly me. I shouldn't have doubted you for one minute. According to, at least this one source, you are absolutely correct.

http://members.socket.net/~joschaper/sprclos.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[thebob.com]

If you didn't take the hike to Greer Spring you missed seeing a beauty of a spring, and a very nice photo opportunity.

Another beautiful photo opportunity is Falling Springs Mill, which is located a couple of miles north of the Greer access on Hwy 19.
You have to turn off of Hwy 19 onto a gravel road. It's only a couple of miles on the gravel road to the mill. Pretty spot. I believe there is a sign marking the turnoff to the mill.

The small cave you saw below Stinking Pond is probably named, but I have never heard it called by any name. Old timers familiar with the river would probably have a name for it. Often those types of small caves are called by several different names.
The stonework is the remains of a small building. Much, much more of it was standing in the early 80s. Time, and the river coming up in flood stage have conspired to tear it down, and sweep away much of the stonework. I heard a story in the 80s that many, many years ago, when the bat population was larger in the cave, there was an old man who lived there part time & "mined" bat guano to be sold as fertilizer. While possible, I don't place much value on that "story".

The photo you posted was taken at Hall's Bay Chute; about 2 miles above the Riverton access. The land on river left of Hall's Bay Chute is posted. If the owner of the land, or one of his employees see you get out of your boat on river left; they are likely to visit you & give you a lot of verbal feedback you don't really want to hear.

To make your trip longer, you can continue downstream past Riverton & take out at the Hwy 142 access. That would add approx. 8.5 miles to your trip. Some pretty river down there too. 3/10 of a mile above the Hwy. 142 access, on river right is "another" pretty spring called Blue Spring Branch. You will see some rectangular shaped stonework ponds there as you hike to the spring from the little campground (Morgan Spring float camp). The camp is very easy to bypass & not even know it. Supposedly there was a trout hatchery there long ago?

What was probably a new hatch of mosquitos occured at that camp, and gave me one of the worst nights I have ever spent river camping in my life. I ended up sleeping on the concrete picnic table there, wrapped in 2 heavy tarps to keep them the mosquitos off. It was Summer; you can imagine the heat inside of 2 thick tarps............a long night...........

I would not recommend the river below the Hwy 142 access.


BOB

[Richard]

"You can dance with the river, but you have to know the steps".

Isn't that the truth. Just go with the flow and don't be rushed. TheBob is far more familiar with the Eleven Point than me. I have done the Greer Crossing to Riverton 6-10 times. Lost track. Anyway, I have enjoyed it every time . . . even when the temps got down to 20º a couple of times.

[thebob.com]

Hey Richard!

Yeah! I've put a couple of miles of the Eleven Point under some canoes.
Plan on doing some more too. Was out there 2 weeks ago.

I know for sure that between 1982 (when I started keeping a river log) and 2000, I did 56 trips on the Eleven Point. Most of them were 35 milers; from Cane Bluff to Hwy 142. Most were 5 to 6 day trips. We weren't just lily dipping down the river; we did other outdoor activities (caving, rockclimbing, rappeling, orienteering, and backpacking) along the way.
Got so bad at one point I could recognize certain rocks in the river.
Or maybe it got so good? I was being well paid, and generally speaking, having a damn good time. Well, as good a time as you can have shepherding 9 to 12 juvenile delinquents down a river for the best part of a week...........

The way I have it figured; if I count those "business" trips & many other "pleasure" trips out there..........I've spent over a year of my life camped on the Eleven Point, and have paddled in excess of 2,000 miles on that one river............

Don't get me wrong; I ain't complaining.
I'm retired, and they're "still" paying me!

BOB

[Lupe]

I'm going to hijack your thread here a little bit, so my apologies...

Not sure many of y'all know Bob (theBob), but Bob is the first "real paddler" I ever met. For reference, my definition of a real paddler at that time meant he knew what an eddy was, and would catch one on purpose. Crazy! And very impressive to a complete newbie on her very first moving water (putting in at Ponca with 4ft on the gauge). It didn't take long for Bob's stories to regale me into knowing that I, too, wanted to become a "real paddler."

Not only did I do my very first kayak camping with theBob (Jacks Fork), but then also my very first canoe camping (Eleven Point, Current, Jacks Fork) after I realized that the canoe was the superior camping vessel! theBob also invited me on my very first trip out to the Nantahala and helped to shepherd me down that raging river and down those turbulent falls (and was ready with a throw rope at the bottom for the inevitable outcome!)!

Yup - Bob taught me how to canoe, and even though he's strictly an open boater, he even really helped me learn whitewater (in my kayak). Bob doesn't get down here to Arkansas as often, but if you can dip a paddle with Bob in any Ozark stream north or south of the border, you'll be lucky you did.

Hope to see you some this fall, Bob. I really will finally make it back up to Missouri so we can paddle together again!!! Thank you again for helping this paddler find her path!!!

Take care,
Heather

[Richard]

Heather, you are up one on me . . . I have never met thebob but would love to. I am not the paddler he is but I am a committed camping canoeist. I am heading to Wisconsin in a few days with an open agenda except that I am going to join the North East Wisconsin Paddlers to paddle about 10 miles of the Fox River to Green Bay on Saturday Aug 14.

Ooooops! I think I am guilty of hijacking. Couldn't control myself.

[thebob.com]

Thanks for the kind words Lupe.............

I may have played a small part in your "introduction" to canoeing, but I'm sure if you think back, you can remember more than a few that provided you with positive role models............Jarvis, Dale, Gary, Bart, to name a few.

Bottom line; all of us knew you had "potential", and I think you've proved us right. A good student can sure make an instructor look good..............


Thebob's top 10 list of attributes of student's with "potential":

1. Observant

2. Learns from their mistakes & the mistakes of others.

3. Has the ability to assess risk factors.

4. Makes well reasoned decisions.

5. Is aware of potential positive/negative natural consequences of their actions.

6. Can accept constructive criticism.

7. Makes repeated efforts to improve/is not a quitter.

8. Has both common sense & intelligence.

9. Knows when to say NO, get out of the boat, and walk.

10. Has the ability to laugh at themselves.

Hope to see you real soon Lupe; have missed seeing you.
Ozark Rendezvous coming up in October...........

Take care,
BOB

[Donna]

theBob.com...............
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge of the Eleven Point (my new fav river). I was really wondering if there had been a house or cabin at that area I questioned about, in days gone by, as it appeared to be so but seemed like such an unlikely location. It was such a delight for me to read of your rememberance of it.
I did indeed hike to Greer Spring and enjoy it one late afternoon, but the other one you mentioned escaped my attention on this, my first, trip to the area. I saw the sign on the highway indicating it and wondered about it, but was hot on the trail to Big Spring before relocating to Hammond, so didn't stop to investigate. I will sure check it out next time. I find the old mill sites to be very interesting. Thanks again.