Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

Can anyone give info about this area? Put in, take out, navigation, parking, camping, getting lost, etc./
thanks

This thread http://www.arkansascanoeclub.com/mb/vie ... lit=places" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

has some info on this and other "swampy" destinations; I'll copy the Bayou DeView portion here for a recap:
********************************************
Dagmar - Hickson Lake to Bayou DeView (~5 miles)

Although a through trip is described, simple "in and out" floats are also good and require no specialized map or GPS skills – only the ability to accurately retrace your path. Don’t be deceived during high water – it is very easy to get disoriented.

There is an existing, marked canoe trail down Bayou DeView from the Eden road (road that runs East from Dagmar headquarters). If you launch here, the trip is about 2 miles in length, OR, you can add about three miles by launching in Hickson lake and paddling out through the swamp to Bayou DeView, for a total trip length of about 5 miles. A GPS is suggested for those wishing to do the first three miles of this trip, starting at Hickson. Hickson also makes a good small lake paddle for those with limited time or just wanting to do a little bird watching.

Only approximate mileages are offered for these trips, because channels change and the amount of zigging and zagging varies greatly with changing water levels.

The access and intermediate waypoints for this area, in order, are as follows:

N34.8903 W91.2983 Hickson Lake boat ramp This is a good starting point for a Bayou DeView trip, or, for a short day paddle to watch wildlife in Hickson Lake.

N34.8853 W91.2862 small lake, Bayou DeView side channel This is where you join one of the Bayou DeView channels, and then turn to the south, generally following the flow of water downstream from this point. Use the “aerial map” button in MapQuest to get an idea of what you are looking for. This is an key turn on your trip, this is NOT an access point!

N34.8590 W91.2905 Bayou DeView, Eden Road access This is the northern end of the marked Bayou DeView birding (boat) trail. If you are coming downriver from Hickson Lake, you will pass about 400 feet to the East of this waypoint.

N34.8416 W91.2822 Apple Lake Access As you paddle down Bayou Deview, you may see a sign that says, “End of Trail” or similar. From this point, paddle East down a narrow boat canal to your take out in the Apple Lake parking lot.

One of the good things about the Bayou DeView float is that you can’t significantly overshoot your take out. If you come to an old broken down concrete bridge, with the Hwy 70 bridge clearly visible a few hundred feet further downstream, then you have gone too far. But you could take out right here and walk a few hundred feet back to your car in the Apple Lake access parking lot. During low water, you may find it easier to take out on the old road (near the broken bridge) than to drag down the boat canal.

Some level notes are as follows:
Gage at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?07077700" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Bayou DeView at Morton
~14 feet - Believed to be the "near minimum" water level. Expect to drag over several small beaver dams before you get to Bayou DeView, and possibly some portages on Bayou DeView get around or over logs.
~15 feet – Good floating. You still might have to drag over one very small beaver dam as you move from Hickson towards the bayou.
~16 feet – Good floating, many alternate routes through the trees.

Please note, this gage is far upstream - it might be several days after a rise before the section described is a good float, unless the entire watershed got the same amount of rain. If the gage has been above the indicated levels for 3 to 5 days, then the above descriptions should be accurate.
***************end copied post*********************

Looking at the previous post, here are some things I would add in response to your question:

Access the Bayou DeView area at Dagmar by turning off Hwy 70 at Dagmar road (N34.8389 W91.2943), which is a few miles east of Biscoe.
There are several designated camping spots along Dagmar Road. The one at Hickson Lake even has porta-potties which are typically well-maintained. For all sites, bring your own water.

You can also paddle on Robe Bayou, although we typically don’t paddle that as often because too much of it parallels the road through Dagmar.
Other access points for Bayou DeView exist at the Hwy 17 crossing NW of Brinkley, the Hwy 38 crossing East of Cotton Plant, and Hwy 60 west of Hunter. All of these points can be used for traditional “through floats” where you put in at one location and paddle downstream to another access point, OR, for “in and out” paddling where you simply explore the area and then paddle back to your starting point. If the current is flowing, until you learn the area, consider paddling upstream for the first half and then floating back to your starting point, as doing it the other way can leave you pretty tired if you underestimate how far you travelled during the first half of the day.

Advice on getting lost – let’s see; take a gps, but let your batteries run down. Leave your compass in the car. Go on a cloudy day, when BDV is at 16 feet or higher, so most of the area is “flooded timber” and all the trees look the same. And don’t forget to lay on the floor of your canoe, and take a short nap while it spins around a time or two in the gentle, almost non-existent current. If that combination doesn’t do it, I can’t help you!

OK, a more serious answer: With a compass, technically your back-up plan to being “bad lost” could be to simply continue due West, or Due East, until you hit one of the roads that effectively “surrounds” the BDV area, however, I don’t recommend this except as a last resort. In some areas, you might have to travel a mile or two of very difficult terrain, meaning, alternating between flooded and dry areas. In the winter, you’d be fighting hypothermia; in the summer you’d have to really like reptiles and mosquitoes (nobody I know likes both). Your best plan would be to follow the current downstream, no matter how slight, until you cross one of the roads. Even in areas where there is no visible current, if you look for clues, you can see things like which way the submerged grasses are waving; which side of a log is piling up with floating leaves, etc, and you can figure which way is “downstream”.

Cowper wrote:has some info on this and other "swampy" destinations; I'll copy the Bayou DeView portion here for a recap

Nice Cowper...bookmarking that thread.

Wow! what a wealth of information.
Thanks, Cowper.
Any suggestions for a good GPS that will also accept road maps?
Thanks again.

UPDATE: I found AGFC has put out some really good maps of areas they own or manage; the one showing much of this area is at
http://www.agfc.com/pdfs/wma_lake_maps/Dagmar.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On this map, what I called the "Eden Road acess" is labelled as the "Rock Island Road". The map clearly shows how many designated campsite there are along the roads in Dagmar. Also of note, the trails marked "handicapped access" - permit required" - you should check with the area manager to be sure, but my experience has been that the permit would be required if you wanted to use an ATV on those trails. I don't think they really care if you are just hiking, OUTSIDE of hunting season. During hunting season, I think using those trails would be equivalent to parking in the "handicapped only" spots at Wal Mart - something you just shouldn't do if you're not legally handicapped. Since this is, after all, a boating web page, this probably isn't an issue for you.

Also, I should mention - one trip I would recommend ONLY at higher water would be floating from Hwy 17 down to the Rock Island Road access. There is a section of swamp where there is really no defined channel, and unless the water is high you run a very good chance of having to do many log portages and possibly even some dragging as you make your way downstream. I always carry two "push poles" in addition to paddles when I venture into this area, if that tells you anything.

On the other hand, paddling down from the Hwy 17 bridge, and then back upstream, puts you into a nice area with big trees and lots of wildlife.

Good GPS that will also accept road maps:

This got long, so here's the exective summary if you don't have the time:
Get a Garmin eTrex Legend HCx, a 1gig or larger MicroSD card, a copy of Garmin City Navigator, and a copy of Garmin Topo U.S. 2008. OR, have a friend download just the maps you need for the Topo software, and then buy the rest of the country later. Buy a screen protector from http://www.zagg.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now, the original "long version" follows
I'm a Garmin fan; in that line:
Colorado, Oregon - "the latest thing", but I don't feel I need the touch screen or wireless features; I get the functions I need in much less expensive units, and I like to use a heavy-duty screen protector made by Zagg, which would almost certainly interfere with the touch feature anyway.
1) eTrex Venture HC - best if you are on a really tight budget. Has the same "high sensitivity chip" as the more expensive units, just not much map storage memory so you have to download maps for a smaller area before each trip. Very compact, but does not float.
2) eTrex Legend HCx - adds the ability to use micro SD cards; longer battery life. This is the one I would buy if my house burned down tomorrow. If you use when paddling, attach the lanyard to something that floats.
3) GPSmap 76Cx - Slightly bigger and thus less optimum for hiking, but the buttons are a little easier to use than the eTrex series, and it has a significant advantage for paddlers - it floats.

All three of these units can download Garmin maps; which basically come in a "roads" version called "City Navigator"that has detailed street names and can search for addresses, and a "Topo" version called "Topo U.S. 2008" that has the same roads, but without names and addresses except on the major highways, but adds contour lines and streams. They also have a more detailed "Topo 24k", but I don't use that version because it gets too expensive - you have to buy individual maps for each area of the country, where the "Topo" version has slightly less detail, but you get the whole United States for about $100, and the Topo 24k covers only a few states anyway - I don't think they even have Arkansas yet.

Basically, as an outdoor type person, you should buy both the City Navigator and the Topo 2008; the GPS allows you to store both maps at the same time, and then "toggle" back and forth according to which one you want to see at any given moment. With a big Micro SD card, you can store at least 1/2 of the US on the GPS at any given time; you might even be able to get the entire US if Garmin has "fixed" a software issue that limited the total number of sub-maps stored at any one time. (David, do you know? - jump in here, I know you're ahead of me on ability to answer some of the software capability questions!)

There are some other interesting units out there - for example, the DeLorme PN-20 and PN-40 have the ability to download actual scanned, full-detail Topo maps and even satellite photos, but, the Topos run about $100 per state last time I checked, and I just don't have the hands-on experience with the Delorme units to make a specific recommendation. At one time, if you searched the internet you would find more reliability and customer service complaints about DeLorme than about Garmin, but, DeLorme is a good company and those issues may have now been corrected.

While we're on the topic - BDV is at a good level already, and got another minor rain hit today. Paddling there should be notably good for at least the next week; maybe longer.

Levels out east are looking good...we should have several nice options to choose from for our Annual New Year's Day Swamp Paddle! Final trip destination still to be determined, but Bayou de View could certainly be a nice choice to greet the new year!

You can also find details here:

http://theflyingcarpet.net/dagmar.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Excellent, Excellent.
Thank you all so much!

If you are free New Years Day come join us on a trip down Bayou DeView. See the New Years Swamp float thread.