Questions About The Buffalo - Lower Third

[hoglaw]

You can build fires anywhere you want as far as I know.

[Danoinark]

When you say the end of the Buffalo you are meaning your take out will be across and down the White River. This is where it will get tricky. As you know the White will still be blowing and going with several generators dumping flood water from Bull Shoals. It is going to be a chore to get across and down to the nearest take out. And dangerous to say the least in a canoe even for an experienced paddler. Forget about any take out upstream on the white. I would suggest you talk with one of the White River outfitters to see if they could provide you with motorized shuttle to your take out point.

Dano

[Al Agnew]

Excellent point, Dano. I've only taken out at Buffalo City once, and I'd much rather paddle the 12 miles down the White to Norfork rather than fight that current up to Buffalo City if the river is high. It's pretty much impossible in a loaded canoe. There are a couple of other accesses, both on the opposite bank, between Buffalo City and Norfork, but they aren't easy to see from the river and I've never used them. With high water, the White is usually easy to paddle down to Norfork, but your margin for error is zero...if you flip on the White in high water, you're in trouble.

[Spiff]

The take out point we've been quoted is 5.5 miles down on the White River from where the Buffalo River enters it.

(I forget the name)

The outfitter I spoke with said that the White is moving but didn't say anything about it being out of it's banks.

The websites I've checked don't show it being abnormally high.

I'll keep checking until our date for travel gets closer...

Thanks.

[Danoinark]

I am not sure where that take out is but I have heard there is one.

Unless we get flooding like the double shot we got last month the river will not be out of its banks..I was only referring to the fact you may encounter all 8 generators operating during that time. If so its a tough paddle. Remember too the river has changed since the flooding. Good luck on the float. One other suggestion on that stretch of the Buffalo you will be on. There are no places for provisions so take plenty of water.

Dano

[Wayne SW/MO]

I don't know that I would shoot for Riley's station with this water level, but he is very accommodating about shuttles and takeouts. He is just on the other side of the island at the mouth. He put us in for our lower river trip and at a reasonable price.

[Spiff]

Ship's Ferry is the public access point on the river. It's about five miles down the White River from the Buffalo / White confluence, on the north side of the White River, and according to our outfitter, pretty easy to see.

I'm assuming that Riley's station is at Buffalo City? (We're using Wild Bill's outfitters to shuttle our vehicle down to our take out point...I have my own canoe...)

That and having a GPS that will let us know when we're close...should make it easy.

I understand what you're saying about a loaded canoe in high / rough water - I've made over 10 trips to Quetico / BWCA and being in some of those huge lakes with a loaded canoe in high winds is enough to make you religious.

As far as the water goes, I have a purifier...just won't be *ice* water...

Thanks again for everyone's advice...I'll definitely post pics and let you all know when I return how the trip was. We do have a little over a week to let the water come down and hopefully clear up a bit.

[Danoinark]

Sounds like a great trip and we'll look forward to a paddlin' report....Dano

[Al Agnew]

Yep, sounds like you should have a great trip. That stretch of the Buffalo is absolutely gorgeous. Only the Ponca to Erbie stretch on the upper end is more spectacularly scenic.