#easyfloat
Floating the Cove Creek run on Cadron Creek
The 2021 float season has been a good one so far. Planning has been a challenge at times but I’ve managed to paddle a lot of new water this year. This Spring, I made my first floats down Kyle’s Landing to Ozark on the Buffalo, and Norman to Caddo Gap on the Caddo River. And in May I finally got to float the Cove Creek run on Cadron Creek. (This is Hwy 65 to Hwy 285). This one had been on my list for a while since floating the section upriver from it many years ago. I’ve always heard this is a nice float, but the scenery and the river completely exceeded my expectations that day. Floating the Cove Creek run on Cadron Creek is really convenient for folks in Central Arkansas and the Ozark foothills. It’s only a half hour north of Conway and easy to self-shuttle. I̵...
Tyler Bend to Gilbert Float on the Buffalo River
I have seen a lot of requests lately asking what is the best float for beginners. I have seen this asked in various social media groups and been asked several times directly. There are a lot of great floats in our state that are great for beginners. And maybe one day I’ll devote a whole article to that list. But there’s one float that comes to mind that I recommend more than any other. The Tyler Bend to Gilbert float on the Buffalo River is, in my opinion, the best float for a first time or novice paddler. Why is that? I’m glad you asked. It’s a combination of several reasons. First, it’s an easy float that is safe for beginners. But it also has beautiful scenery, and enough swift water to make it fun. Next, it’s location makes it the quickest on the Buf...
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 the Lower Ouachita River
As the mid-Summer sun beats the Arkansas paddling rivers down to an unfloatable trickle, finding a place to paddle becomes a challenge. This is when it becomes necessary to turn to spring-fed options like the Eleven Point River, or dam-fed options like the Little Red or Little Missouri Rivers. For many in Central and South Arkansas, floating the Lower Ouachita River from Lake Catherine to Malvern is the go-to option. I had never floated this river until 2014. But I was pleasantly surprised by it and have made many return trips since then. I really like this float for so many reasons. Aside from being a short drive, the put-in and take-outs are also really easy to access. It’s a float that you can do fairly quick, or you can make it last all day. And best of all, the river almost alwa...
High-water float on the Buffalo River – Pruitt to Hasty
All of this rain recently has me thinking back to the summer of 2015 when a group of friends and I got to experience a rare high-water float on the Buffalo River. I say “rare” because it was in the middle of summer. It was the 4th of July to be exact. Anyone that has ever floated the Buffalo at that time of year knows the water is usually too low to float without a lot of dragging and paddling. But this time the water was so high we almost didn’t get to float at all. We had just had a heavy rain the day before we set up camp at Tyler Bend Campground. We planned to float from Baker Ford to Tyler Bend the next day. That evening our outfitter informed us that the river was over 12 feet. If it did not go down overnight, we would not be allowed to get on the water the next day...
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