richland right now

[gannon311]

how long would it take to paddle down if even possible.i know there will be lots of getting out but will it be worth it for the pictures is what I'm asking

[DeBo]

There is no paddling on Richland now at all. With the drouth conditions, the creek is mostly dry. There are a few short pools but you would be carrying your boat far more than you would have it in the water. If you want to take pictures it would be MUCH easier to hike up the creek bed from the camp ground to the Twin Devil's Falls. It should still be very beautiful.

[okieboater]

In years past, I have made the hike up from the campground to the falls.

A very nice way to spend a day.

Richland Falls really looks different with no water.

Check out Twin Devils Falls as well.

A pretty good trail for a while on the bank across from the camp. Or, at this level not bad to bush whack up the creekbed from the camp site.

Highly recommended.

[gannon311]

thanks y'all ,that's not what i wanted to hear.trying to used this for a excuse to get in our boats.looks like a foot it will be.i want to show my wife the creek from the creek the biggest she has done is the piney at 4ft.at what level does richland become barely passable and do u think that she could handle it at that low level.would not be opposed to her walking some of the drops

[okieboater]

http://www.ozarkpages.com/cgi-bin/stages.pl?ST=level" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

above is the best source of level for the Upper Richland plus other area creeks I know. Thanks to the "Fish"!

Having never boated with you or your wife, I cannot give specific opinions on when you should run Upper Richland.

I can say attempting to boat Upper Richland at levels lower than the Ozark Creek page recommends is gonna be a very very long day.

As far as skill level to run Upper Richland, running the Piney at any level is not much of an indicator as to what to expect on Upper Richland at any normal runnable level. Again my opinion and you need other opinions as well.

I would get a lot more experience and run other less challenging creeks before jumping from the Piney to Upper Richland.

But, each person is responsible for their own decisions as to when and what to run.

[Chester]

Without checking, I think the low is set at about 2.9', which I've done it at. I'd guess a 2.5' level would give you some good excercise in a paddling/dragging way. You would both have to walk some rapids. Below that, hike.

[Cowper]

Ditto what Chester and others have said.

Man, I like the way you think!

I tried (unsuccessfully) this summer to convince a friend to go on exactly the expedition you are describing – a low water run, under good weather conditions, where you stop to scout as often as you want and just portage anything you don’t like the looks of, or let someone else run your boat through for you. If I recall correctly, the forecast was something like 90 degrees and sunny (the friend may remember it differently…)

The friend thought I was a) trying to kill her, b) wanted to create some carnage to laugh at, c) in desperate need of a shuttle partner ‘cause nobody else would go at the low-low level, or d) all of the above.

But it was really e) None of the Above. Richland is short enough, and beautiful enough, that in my mind there is just no way this couldn’t be a fun day, even if you ended up portaging a dozen or more rapids. Chances are good nobody else will be there if you run it below 3 feet, so there won’t be anybody to laugh at you or any peer pressure to run anything you don’t want to run, and chances are good you’ll NEED to walk a few anyway just due to the low water. At low levels, the tendency is to just have an embarrassing pin, but you’re unlikely to have an injury-producing incident (as long as you don’t flip and hit your face on the bottom).

If you can do it in the summer, I think it would be a hoot to go at a ridiculously low level just to bounce down a few, drag a few, and swim and explore in the pools and around the rocks that normally form the rapids. If you’re doing it in cooler weather, I’d tend to want a hair more water to make portaging an option rather than a requirement.

[gannon311]

Cowper does that mean u will go on such a trip when it warms up next year? I really want Amber to see the creek. She would love but Don't think she will be ready for it at an optimal level. Cowper you could even take your CHAINSAW

[Cowper]

Sorry for the delayed response.

Heck yeah! But no chainsaws allowed in the wilderness...