Month: May 2020
Overnight Float on the Buffalo River – Pruitt to Carver
The Buffalo River will be open again for camping effective May 29, 2020. This is great news for the paddling community! But you can rest assured that the campgrounds around the Buffalo will be full this weekend. Even if you can get a spot, if you’re concerned about social distancing, that might be kind of difficult in the campgrounds. Have you ever considered an overnight camping float on the Buffalo River? There are miles and miles of gravel bars to camp on, far away from anyone else. Packing your gear can be tricky. But once you’re packed and on the water, you’re free to stop wherever you want to spend the night. No schedule, no late pickups. You get your choice of the perfect riverbank to camp on, most of which are nicer than the campgrounds! My first overnight float o...
Floating High Bank to Byrd’s on the Mulberry River
We are over halfway through May, and the window to consistently float the upper end of most rivers will be closing soon. Last week, I wrote about floating Ponca to Kyle’s Landing on the Buffalo while you can. Floating High Bank to Byrd’s on the Mulberry River is very similar. The water gets too low to float once summer gets really hot and we get less rain. Unless you have the flexibility to go immediately after a rain, you probably have until around mid-June to float this stretch of the Mulberry. Floating High Bank to Byrd’s on the Mulberry River is one of my top 5 favorite floats in the state. I love it because it is such a beautiful area. And the further up the Mulberry River you go, the prettier it gets, in my opinion. It’s also a really fast, fun river to float....
Floating Ponca to Kyle’s Landing on the Buffalo River
Float season is fully underway in the Natural State. If you’re a paddler and haven’t been on at least one float yet, you have really missed out. The Caddo and Mulberry have been awesome. I’ve done those while the Buffalo has been closed. But great news – the Buffalo opens back up this weekend!!! So it’s time to start planning those float trips on the Buffalo. And this time of year, floating Ponca to Kyle’s Landing on the Buffalo River should be at the top of your list. Some will say that float season is year-round. I’ve always chosen to hike in the winter and float in the Spring and Summer. But I’m getting more interested in Fall/Winter floating. The water is often better. And frankly, I start to miss my kayak. Regardless of when you prefer t...
Six Finger Falls and Fuzzy Butt Falls
Falling Water Road near Ben Hur is home to many popular Ozark waterfalls. Some of them require a short, easy hike to see. Some of them are longer, tougher hikes. Others, such as the ever-popular Falling Water Falls, can be seen from the road. Six Finger Falls and Fuzzy Butt Falls are two others that are very accessible and easy to get to. Six Finger Falls, just like Falling Water Falls, is one that you can see from the road. You literally park next to it, walk 50 feet down a rocky trail, and you are there. Fuzzy Butt Falls on the other hand, cannot be seen from the road. But it is so close that I hardly even consider it a hike. If you are not a big hiker but still want to see some awesome waterfalls, these two are for you. They are so close together that if you are going to make the drive ...
Hike to Sandstone Castles
I recently made the hike to Sandstone Castles, but I have to admit I had never heard of it until this year. Some friends and I were planning an overnight hike to Twin Falls. My friend David had been to Twin Falls before and suggested we add Sandstone Castles to the hike. He had not been there before either. He looked for them on his last hike to Twin Falls but took a wrong turn and missed them. Once he told me about them and their proximity to Twin Falls, I was sold. We decided we would tackle this on Day 2 of our overnight group hike. In case you missed Day 1, we started off from the Richland Creek Campground. We hiked the trail along Richland Creek to Richland Falls, and then on to Twin Falls. You can read all about Part 1 of this hike here, along with all the pics and video. In fact, I ...
Richland Falls and Twin Falls Hike
There are several hikes in the state that have eluded me for years, for one reason or another. Trying to coordinate with friends, busy schedules, weather, float trips, social commitments – the list goes on. The Richland Falls and Twin Falls hike is one of those for me. It’s been on my to do list for quite some time. Well this spring, the planets aligned and I finally got to do it. And it was everything I hoped it would be. I usually give each waterfall its own article, but it makes sense to put these two together. It’s pretty much the same hike, with one waterfall appearing after the other on basically the same trail. If you are going to go through the trouble to see one, you might as well see them both. I had always thought that I wanted to do this one as an overnight hi...
