Minnesota Guys coming down to play mar15-23

[MinnesotaJoe]

Howdy all from the snowy north. Myself and a buddy are coming down to Arkansas to do some whitewater playing. We are both class 3 boaters, not epic class 5 monsters. We both have solid rolls and are looking to check out some of your easier whitewater routes. We will be driving down on march 16th and will have a week to play around. We are planning on hitting up Ouachita and the mulberry if they are both still flowing at that time. I am wondering if the locals have any advise for the two of us? What routes to check out? Where do the locals meet up? Anyone want to paddle with us? I have been canoeing and kayaking for the last 15 years but have gotten more into whitewater kayaking in the last 4 years. Before that it was a lot of sea kayaking and river canoeing, even owned a mohawk probe for a little while. Myself and my roommate are very safety aware and know our abilities. We are not looking for anyone to come out and rescue all day. So if anyone is willing to do the awesome local run with us, it would be cool if not any good local advise would be helpful. I can pay you back someday if you come up to the boundary waters or for some of our north shore snow melts.

[GN YAKN]

You should be in luck with your timing. That week is Spring Break for a lot of folks and the rains have been blessing us quite a bit lately, so, hopefully you will hit things just right.

I'm sure you will find that there will be plenty of opportunities and I encourage you to post up again when you get a little closer.

The availability of good water is extremely unpredictable so we kind of have a culture of spur of the moment trips with little time for planning for groups. But, most of the folks on this board would be willing to accommodate you and help out.

Consider the Buffalo, Big Piney, Mulberry options for the largest gatherings and probability of good water. Mostly Class II options with Class III feeders that run in flood.

Dave

[Chicago Bob]

I'll be at A.L.F in Tennessee until Sunday March 18 , but I would be able to paddle during the week either Ouachita or Ozark rivers. Big Piney Creek is a not to be missed run as is Cadron Creek. The Illinois Bayou and South Fourche Lafave are personal favorites. It sounds like you have either Tom Kennon's guidebook or the State tourist Adventure Guide, both offer ideas for paddling trips. I'll keep an eye on this forum as to your plans. I'm an Illinois transplant who is familiar with most of the states better runs. Looking forward to paddling together. BOB

[Chicago Bob]

P.S. One more thing boating in Arkansas is totally dependent on water levels so keep you trip flexible. Rains may hit one watershed and miss another. BOB

[philllll]

PM sent

[MinnesotaJoe]

So our basic plan is this. We have two automobiles driving down. One van one truck. The van will be filled with dudes and bikes hoping to mountain bike on the trails down there. The two of us in the truck will have boats and gear for ourselves. We plan on heading to mt. ida first as the biking boys want to ride some trails near there. This is when we will be looking for something within an hour or so of mt. ida to paddle. After a few days of camping together we are going to part ways with the bikers and head to the mulberry if its flowing. Minnesota is the same ways as down there, rain comes you get waves rain goes and so do your waves. We are flexible with what and where we paddle other then the first nights stay. We plan on checking american whitewaters levels and go where the water is. We are hoping to build up a few river options so we don't end up paddling flat water. Im actually hoping to hop on these forums and see where everyone is headed and meet up if possible. Thats how our local club works too. http://www.rapidsriders.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[paddledog]

Look here first, http://www.ozarkpages.com/cgi-bin/stages.pl?ST=level" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Then check the message board for trips.
Great to have you, don't tell anyone how nice it is here.
However we will need to confiscate your photos/video before you leave.

[BEubanks]

Mt Ida is a good base for the Southern options. The Ouachita doesn't have lots of whitewater but the Dragover section is minutes away, has a shuttle that can be walked, and is almost assured to have sufficient water this time of year. The Caddo upstream of Glenwood is also close. Again, class II and quite a bit of flatwater as you get close to Glenwood. The Little Missouri would be your next good option IF there's enough water. It's the least likely to come up. Albert Pike to Langley is a real gem. Upper class II lower class III is a place or two. Below Langley, class II but more likely to have enough water. Cossatot is another 30 minutes west but has everything from class II to IV, depending on the stretch. If the rains come and water is high, Brushy Creek would be a good option, too. Some other southern options include Fourche LaFave.

Starting with Mulberry for the north is a good choice. You should try for a trip on the Buffalo just for the beauty. With solid class III skills, hope for enough rain to go above Ponca. The upper 15 miles, Hailstone, is a rare treat.

Haven't been back to Boundary waters since summer of 1981, but fond memories (except for the portaging).