I’m kind of a creature of habit. I have a lot of my favorite floats that I try to do every year. The down side to that is I’ve missed out on a lot of other great floats. You can only do so many per year! So I’m doing more new (to me)floats this year. And a few weeks ago I did the Woolum to Baker Ford float on the Buffalo in my quest to cover all sections of the river. I have floated sections all around this one, but just never got around to hitting Woolum. So my buddy Eric and I loaded our trucks and planned a self-shuttle float to cross this one off the list.
This float can be hit and miss by mid-summer. It may be too low one day, but with a little rain it can be fine. Before going, check the river level at American Whitewater or on the RiverApp. I tend to check both. But if the water is high enough, this a nice quiet float with some great scenery, and I suspect some pretty decent fishing.
Directions
From Hwy 65 at St. Joe, go south on 374. At the fork, stay left on Searcy 18 Hwy, following the signs to Baker Ford. Taking a right at this same fork on Searcy Hwy 14 will lead to Woolum. The roads to both points have several miles of gravel road. The put-in and take-out points are mapped below.
What to Expect
The Woolum to Baker Ford float on the Buffalo is 11 miles, and took us around 6 hours. It’s a very easy float as far as rapids go. We did this float at 3.8 feet on the RiverApp guage and 4.0 on American Whitewater. I don’t recommend this float if the levels are too much lower than that. None of the rapids were more than class I. I don’t know about them when the water is higher, but it looked like it could be really fun at 5-6 feet. The river was a little low that day, but we never dragged. It still had a pretty nice current but we did paddle quite a bit on some of the long pools. It’s a little longer and more difficult to get to than Tyler Bend and Gilbert. But aside from that, the float is very similar. It’s kind of a lazy float at this level, suitable for paddlers of all skill levels.
My favorite thing about the Woolum to Baker Ford float on the Buffalo was that it wasn’t crowded. We may have seen 20 or so other paddlers that day, and that’s about it. Maybe it’s more crowded on other days and we just got lucky. But I suspect it’s because the put-in and take-outs require a little more effort to get to. There’s nothing wrong with mingling with lots of floaters and having a good time on the river. I like those days too. But sometimes it’s nice to have a chill day on the water with a few friends. This is a great stretch of the Buffalo to do that.
Scenic Bluffs and Cool Rocks!
As for the scenery, I didn’t really know what to expect on my first trip there. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the bluffs on this stretch. A couple of them are huge – much larger than I thought would be this far down the river. Also there’s a lot of really interesting rock formations all along the float. Some of them are unique to this section of the river. I don’t remember seeing rocks like these anywhere else on the Buffalo. This float is worth doing for the rock formations alone.
Plan Your Trip
If you self-shuttle, you’ll want to be at Woolum by noon, which means you’ll need to drop a vehicle at Baker Ford around 11:30 or so. For anyone renting and/or shuttling with an outfitter, you’ll want to be at the outfitter by 8-9 am to ensure getting a boat. Some of the shuttles only run between 8-10 am. I recommend calling to reserve ahead of time. There are several outfitters between Hwy 65 and Gilbert to choose from. I don’t play favorites, so I won’t list them all here – just Google Outfitters near Tyler Bend AR, or St. Joe.
Accomodations
Cell service here is pretty good between Tyler Bend and Gilbert, so it’s easy to coordinate with groups from there. If you want to spend the night or weekend, there are plenty of options for that. In addition to the Tyler Bend campground, there are two campgrounds and an RV park in Gilbert. This would also be a great section to camp out on the river. For more on overnight floating, read my article here. There are also a ton of cabins and vacation rental properties in the area. But you better book those well ahead of time. They usually are booked at least a month out in the summer. For anyone that likes a good post-float dinner, there are plenty of dining options between Marshall and St. Joe.
Know Before You Go
Allow yourself 6-8 hours on the river, depending on how much you want to stop and take breaks. Be sure to bring food and drinks for the river and remember – NO GLASS! If you are a new paddler, please be sure to check out the Paddling Tips and Gear List on our Paddling page. Be prepared to pack out any trash you have. If you see trash in the water that’s not yours, please pick it up anyway. We must all do our part to leave no trace. This is how we take care of this gift we’re so lucky to have. Be safe and enjoy the float. We’ll see ya on the river!
