Coldspring

I agree with coldwaterfisher. I was out there Saturday, spent Friday night looking at the stars, enjoying the sunset and sunrise. As many times as I've been there, it seemed more beautiful than ever, probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in Missouri. Didn't catch much, but I sure enjoyed being there. Wouldn't have minded catching something, so if that's what your after, good luck.

interesting article about The Nature Conservancy buying some land along the Kings. http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/arkansas/preserves/art31224.html I'm planning on visiting next month or early June.

Too bad it's no longer photogenic, since the church put up that tacky metal carport and parked a church bus right in front of the building.

Just to add to the confusion, I know some people that filter into the Arcadia Valley (Pilot Knob Hwy 21), take Hwy N by Johnson Shut-Ins, Hwy 21 to Ellington, Hwy 106 over the Current River at Powder Mill, Hwy H to Winona, then Hwy 19 on down to the Eleven Point. I've usually been a "draw a straight line on the map and follow as closely as possible" sort of person. It's all curvy or "dangerous" at some point, one of the reasons I like the Eleven Point better than the easier to get to rivers.

If you're following the White's Creek Trail, you're probably confusing Barn Hollow Float Camp with the small campsite in Bliss Spring Hollow. There are ways to get to Barn Hollow, if you really want to do so. I can't recall any accessible wading opportunities downstream of White Creek Float Camp, but there are primitive trails that go upstream, unto the gravel bars, where you could access the river. Off of Bliss Spring Hollow, you should be able to get to one really swift shoal and fish one hole (that gets fished a lot) at the bend in the river, wading any further upstream or downstream would probably be impractical. You can access both places by driving to the other side of the river via Whitten Access, but it's probably at least a 30 mile drive around from Camp Five Pond TH. The river's flowing pretty good right now, so keep that in mind.

Nothing you can do about it. More and more guides and canoe rentals keep bringing in more and more tourists. How are they going to make a living w/o promotion? Trophy cabins popping up in more and more places. The population is always going to grow higher than the 6 million plus we already have in the state. Enjoy what you can while you can.

I've camped there before, but couldn't remember how smooth it was (hammocker) You might also be able to camp down at the bridge where the Prongs run together, just a stone's throw away.

Someone from Mountain View slipped into the river this morning (Easter) A man jumped in and was able to help the person out, but the rescuer got swept away in the current and drowned. It was at Blue Springs. Just a reminder that we all need to be careful. Authorities are still looking for a man's body that drowned on Bryant Creek on Friday.

Just in case you didn't know, South Prong is an MDC area and isn't in ONSR. I don't think camping is technically allowed, but I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Heck, if you want in on a secret, take up backpacking. I encountered a few hikers the first week of October. Haven't seen any in 15 trips since then! Not too many secrets when it comes to fishing, especially trout.

Did the locals say how long they've known about them? I haven't wandered around the river much for a few years, never noticed anything like that, but there's a lot of places to see out there. I'm sure there's plenty of populations out there, but there was a sizable population by Big Spring on the Current River a few years ago. It's unbelievable how many holes they can root out and how many trees they can muddy up, over large areas.

I HATE to hear that!!! Where exactly did you see the hog sign?

You Rock! Not my thing, but I think it's awfully cool.

White's Creek cave is more my type of cave, it's HUGE and you can walk with lots of room to spare. At least the part I've been in. There is a sign back in there that tell you to go no further. Too bad you never got to go in, it's about a 15 minute walk from White's Creek Float Camp. If it ever opens up again, take a stroll up there and check it out. I just read they're talking about building a gate for another cave (not near the river) in Oregon County. I've never been to it, but ATVs riding in it is one of the reasons. All this time I thought it was a little cave entrance, even though it goes back over a mile.

We need less government regulations for small businesses and more regulations on big business, like Wall Street, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan. We've seen what derivatives and market manipulation has caused. But is the government really going to bite the hand that feeds it? We have to remember that congress doesn't work for the people, it works for the banking/pharmaceutical/media/military/energy syndicates that really control this country. You don't make it to the big leagues of politics by working for the people. The perks they are given, we'll never know. Could even have gold bullion deposited into an offshore bank. Most have scandals held over their heads, that could be exposed any day. We know they often get easy do-nothing consulting positions and lobbyist positions after their congressional career, as long as they follow orders. We the people really can't make them do a better job when they receive more rewards from their real employers. Sure, you can vote for the other party or candidate, but haven't we figured out that ain't changing a whole lot, is it? It might as well be a one-party system. Big money doesn't have the best interests of the poor American people in it's plans, they only want us to have a certain level of prosperity and happiness to remain complacent, to consume and pay taxes. Big money's ultimate goal is global economic and nation transformation and control. I want to go fishing now.

I hear you, I'm a lazy day floater, don't want anything to do with float bags, helmets, PFDs, or highwater out of the banks. I know they have some folks that like to paddle Richland Ck. when the water is going over the falls. Have you ever seen the extreme Arkansas whitewater people that paddle the gulfs and hollows around the upper Buffalo after heavy rains? http://www.ozarkpages.com/cgi-bin/gallery/index.cgi?mode=album&album=Boen%20Gulf&maxDimension=

It's a backpacking/kayaking/climbing/CLOTHING retailer with locations in Springfield and Kansas City. The owner seems like a great guy, very pleasant and nice. I'm not jealous that he gets to run a "play" business financed by the O'Reilly Automotive fortune, but I'm envious. I would buy things from them, but I either buy USA made gear from small independent companies when possible, or if I can't I order online for a much LOWER price!

Most of my backpacking gear is made by small cottage companies right here in the U.S.A. I'm sure some of the fabrics and materials are imported, but it is assembled here and sold directly by the company owner, that often assembles it themselves or has one or two employees to help out. This is about the extent of my patriotic consumerismm and it does make me feel good about myself to help someone make a living the old-fashioned way. I even communicate with the company president and assembler, sometimes they even take my input for new products or innovations. I don't have to worry about any of my money going to greedy executives, stockholders, hedgefunds, investment banks, pension funds, politicians, etc... Okay, they're actually only making a few dollars from me, it's not a big deal, but it's a nice philosophy, and I realize that this simple merchandise isn't advanced engineered electronics or industrial machinery. Last I checked, U.S.A. couldn't even make a good television or VCR before they quit producing. As far as autos go, I prefer Japananese vehicle. The ones that are actually manufactured in Japan. If you take a model that came from different plants (Japan vs. U.S.A.) the metals, the plastics, the fabrics, the fit and finish of the Japanese product are almost always superior to their American counterpart, even if the cars are the same color.

Happen to remember what side of the river it was on, left-north or right-south? Boom Hole is a hole of water at the base of a darkened, big bluff that's on the right-south side of the river. It's the next bluff downstream from the high one on the north side of the river where Long Hollow primitive access is. There is a primitive access at Boom Hole, that is accessed from the McCormack Lake road, but it is really getting "primitive" these days. Interesting trivia: The name Boom comes from the fact that a timber chute was constructed on the bluff during the logging boom. When the logs struck the water they boomed. I've looked around the top of the bluff for any sign of the chute, but came up empty, nice view though.

I know how you feel. I left a beloved hiking stick leaning against a tree at a campsite. I just knew it would be there when I went back, but it was gone. Do you have any other ideas about what happened to it? Or did you just realize it was missing from your boat? If I'm around there, I'll keep my eyes open. I think it would be cool to find it! Last night, I heard that the Ozark Mountain Daredevils will be doing a show in West Plains in April.

The headwaters of Mulberry Creek are basically over a ridge to the SW of the Buffalo R. headwaters. It then flows in a southwesterly-westerly direction towards the Arkansas R. Think Ft. Smith.

Beautiful photos. I really do need to float the Mulberry one of these days.