Buffalo River INFO Request | SouthernPaddler.com

Buffalo River INFO Request

bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Friend qp,

I have run the Upper Buffalo a few times. IIRC, there are no rapids up there, unless the High Sheriff shows up. The middle section is more fer fishin'.....slow movin'. I have run the lower part down ta Rush a few times. It is eazy paddlin'....slow movin' water. The Upper Buffalo will go dry quick when it dont rain.

The crowds like the Upper Buffalo in late April, mostly on weekends. In May it is real crowded. However, I got a wild hair one July 'n drove over that way. I showed up bout 3 p.m. aimin' ta spend the nite at Gordon's Motel 'n let Harold Gordon run me up ta the put in at Steel Creek the next day. Harold sez "why not put on now?" Best advice ever. When ya put on at 3 p.m. ya got the river ta yer ownself.

There are spots to git groceries along the route, guviment campgrounds, some with phones 'n bath houses. The last 25 miles are wild 'n really scenic. However, if ya try ta cross the White River when the dam iz blowin' hard, I hear yer life iz on the line....even fer Class III-IV whitewater paddlers. I got a lotta links if ya want. Check out our Buffalo trip reports on here.

regards
bearridge

ps Good info here. http://www.nps.gov/buff/

Ah, yes, divorce, from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his wallet. Robin Williams
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
John Depa sent me a article that is in the current "Paddler" magazine which is the official publication of the American Canoe Association about the Upper Buffalo

The article was written by Larry Rice , a well known canoe paddler and writer. He does a wonderful job explaining any trip he has ever been on.

On this trip he had Jim Mandel a registered New York State Adirondack Guide and experienced paddler along with a Yankee paddler called Cliff Jacobson.

They were going to do the whole thing from from Ponca to the White River a 125 mile paddle. When according to Larry Rice , Cliff said the only smart thing he could of said and as much as it pains me I have to agree with what he said ....( Jack , don't pass out ).

"With age hopefully comes wisdom. And wisdom tells me that its not the number of miles you paddle that matters , its the quality of those miles".

That my friends sums it up in a nice ball of wax , enjoy the paddle , see the scenery , take your time. Or as the old saying goes , Stop and smell the roses or as Cliff said , He wanted to stop and smell the dogwoods. :lol: Either way , that is the only way to paddle.

Then he added "This is a Float trip , not another one of our arse-kicking expeditions ! To have no agenda ? To chill and relax? What freedom! What Joy ! What wonder."

Or as we like to say ... Geezer paddling.:D

Chuck.
 

oldyaker

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
1,949
31
Surprised Paddler Mag did an article on a water with in reach..........A lot of different paddling magazines have articles such as "Surf Skis in the Easter Islands"...or...."Paddling the Hinterlands in my bazillion dollar kayak"......or stop using your toaster and driving your car, It's causing global warming.

The couple of Paddler Magazines I have seen ain't much better than C&K magazine. Sell stuff and push an agenda. :roll: All the pix are of young buffed out kids.....not a Geezer with a pot belly and gray hair from his ears and chest....like some of us. :? :cry:
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
Oldyaker

I'm with you , C&K did a article about Picnic Key ( Outhouse Key) or so I understand but you have not seen me running out and getting a copy. Canceled my subscriptions to both of them years ago.

Another equally useless magazine for folks in the south is Backpacker.
I subscribed to it for years , many years, and they might of done four articles about hiking in the south east part of the states , all of it was out west or in places that required numerous hours in a jet to get to. Then they started filling it with ads and decreasing the articles and to top it off they started doing articles about canoing , again out west. :evil:

Chuck.
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
I'm thinking that maybe folks choose to go north and west for scenery, and south for heat and humidity. Each area has its own characteristics, and everybody has wheels. Some go one way, others go another.
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
Kayak Jack said:
I'm thinking that maybe folks choose to go north and west for scenery, and south for heat and humidity. Each area has its own characteristics, and everybody has wheels. Some go one way, others go another.

They sure do , all of them retire and move down here. As one very wise person said , no one retires and moves up North. :roll:

Chuck.
 

Ozark

Well-Known Member
Oct 23, 2007
627
0
Ozark Mo.
We get our share here in the Branson area. Chicago, Minneapolis and Wisconcon and of course are Californians. We have a little bit of winter with snow but not too much.
 

Ozark

Well-Known Member
Oct 23, 2007
627
0
Ozark Mo.
I haven't been on the Buffalo yet but really want to. I've been looking at LRG's site that would be a nice winter get away say in Febuary. There are cheap flights to Orlando from here so it could be a quick long weekend.
 

qpassage

Well-Known Member
Ozark said:
I wonder if Qpass is still considering the expedition?

Ozark

Yes I'm still planning on doing the Buffalo haven't set a date just yet but thinking of a 5 day weekend in early March.
This will be a take the better half "wife/Boss" trip as this will be the only way I'll manage to get a Quetico trip in next summer. I was told if she doesn't get a vacation with me I don't go north.
The Q trips I take would do her in the first day. So the Buffalo is a MUST.

qp
 

qpassage

Well-Known Member
oldsparkey said:
Oldyaker

I'm with you , C&K did a article about Picnic Key ( Outhouse Key) or so I understand but you have not seen me running out and getting a copy. Canceled my subscriptions to both of them years ago.

Another equally useless magazine for folks in the south is Backpacker.
I subscribed to it for years , many years, and they might of done four articles about hiking in the south east part of the states , all of it was out west or in places that required numerous hours in a jet to get to. Then they started filling it with ads and decreasing the articles and to top it off they started doing articles about canoing , again out west. :evil:

Chuck.

Send me some stuff to look at I'd consider publishing some southern paddling in the WP. It needs to pertain to wilderness in some way or form. Stories and lots of pics, videos work too.

qp
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
All the pictures of the Buffalo are in the trips section , we were busy paddling and gawking at all of the beauty the river has and forgot to take a lot of pictures.

I would suggest that anyone who wants to do it , to contact Bear or Tom at Buzzard Bluff about the water conditions , to low and you are walking or scraping the bottom of your boat , to high and you will be like me , swimming. :lol:

As far as the rivers down here , there is one right by me and I took a three day paddling an camping trip to shoot a video of it from the last southern put in (lower put in and it flows north) to the end at the St.Johns. There is plenty of narrative on the form about the Econ in the trips section.

I also have a video on the St.Marys River , the boundary between Florida and Georgia. Camp on the right side and enjoy sunshine , oranges and good times , camp on the left and be cold and pick peaches while listing to Coyotes at night.

I would be more then willing to send it to you and you can edit it to your liking.

If you are interested then give me a holler and I will have to see where the wife hid them.

Chuck.
 

Ozark

Well-Known Member
Oct 23, 2007
627
0
Ozark Mo.
Hi Bobber I've been watching some of your trip plans on a couple other forums. One of these days I would like to attend one or more.
Paul
 

bobber

Member
Aug 1, 2006
6
0
northwest arkansas
most trips a family friendly (not too keen about bringing dogs) we float monthly, on the buffalo mainly from ozark campground or, below. some times we camp in campgrounds, most of the time we gravel bar camp everyone is really on there own! and we group together. weekend trips are with the arkansas canoe club, and some day floats are with ozark mountain paddlers, and fishing trips are with ozark anglers. don't be shy post-up and come along! :wink:
 

Ozark

Well-Known Member
Oct 23, 2007
627
0
Ozark Mo.
Yep Bobber those are my forum haunts too, Ozark on both. For some reason though I can't get registered in the ACC forum.
 

bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Ozark said:
I can't get registered in the ACC forum.
Friend Paul,

If ya want, we kin fix that, but it iz top heavy with Moonbats. :mrgreen:

regards
bearridge
paddlin' geezer canoe clud

He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something. Unknown high school student
 

bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Friend Paul,

It haz been years since I joined up, but usually the authorizin' code is typin' the funny lookin' letters'n numbers in a block.....so the spamarama folks caint send out robots ta join up. Nobody likes a surly robot. :wink:

regards
bearridge

In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment. Charles Darwin