Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

Small group heading to Ouachita State Park week of May 14th hoping to go white water rafting. I see places to paddle white water but can't find outfitters in their vicinity. Group I am taking are all newbees', we need a guide. Anyone know the best place to raft and of an outfit within a couple of hours from our camping spot?

Rafter,

The short answer is that there are only a few streams with raft outfitters
but many more that feature canoes and kayaks. To the best of my knowledge,
the Big Piney Ck., Buffalo R., and Spring R. are the only ones that rent rafts. These three streams are all in the Northern parts of the state.
By mid- May the weather is usually pleasant and warm enough to swim. I always enjoy this time in the late Spring because I can wear shorts and t-shirt rather than wetsuits and so fourth. If you could entertain paddling canoes and or sit-on-top kayaks, I'd sure recommend the Caddo R. near Glenwood, it's very fun for beginners.
Keep in mind, most of the streams are rain-dependent and in most years mid-May to early June the rains and river levels start to decline. Let us know of any other questions you may have.

Best Regards
jim

beg pardon, Mr Jim, Mulberry river has some I think... still, all far from Lake Ouachita

Right you are Clif, I forgot about that one. And, of the streams we mentioned, I didn't address Rafters question about whether a guide is also available. I think on the Piney at Moores but not sure about the others.

Rafter, of the streams we mentioned, three of them are rain-dependent however the Spring R. is usually always floatable that time of year due to
flows from Mammoth Springs. You can check the USGS gauge readings on
many of our streams then compare them to the recommended levels on the ACC home page.

Jim

larafter wrote:... hoping to go white water rafting. .... Group I am taking are all newbees', we need a guide.

Since you didn't say what you have done before, I'll throw out one additional information. The WW in Arkansas where you can rent a raft is fun, but much milder than what you might have run into if your past trips have been to places like Colorado or the "big name" rivers out East. Even with beginners, you won't need a guide unless the river is high, and they should warn you, or plain refuse to give you the raft, if the level is much more than a little bit above normal.

Thanks for all the suggestions! After some research an your feedback we have decided to wait until a week or so before get there to pick a spot. None are close so we may have to move camp for a day or two. This way we can check the river stages and pick the best choice. I have canoed many times and if we can't raft, we are going to canoe. At least two of the others have canoed as well. I rafted east and west, Class Iv-V but always with guides. I don't think I would try it without one with this group.

Thanks again for your feedback! Happy paddling!

Thanks for your reply Rafter, I just know you all will have a good time here, Arkansas is so pretty, and so many nice streams. When the time draws closer, do post again! There are many folks in our club, and all that have a helpful comment will certainly do their best with suggestions

Best Regards
Jim

Thanks Jim, I will check back early May.