Places to float closer than the Buffalo

[kevintoy85]

Hi we just moved to Arkansas a few months ago and are looking for some fun floats that might be a little closer to the Jacksonville area. I have heard the Cardon is fun but have not been able to find any info on it on line are there campgrounds availbe there? Is there an outfitter to shuttle a car? Are there other places people would recomend. We did the Buffalo last spring and it was amazing just would like something closer for day trip or short weekend. The wife and I both love to go but work makes it hard to leave Friday to enjoy the weekend.
Thanks Kevin

[Clif]

Caddo has some outfitters. Where are you.

Not sure if Cadron outfitters survived increasing insurance fees.

[Stan]

First – a couple of questions. What kind of water are you looking to paddle? Do you have a boat?

If you need to rent a boat, there are outfitters on the Big Piney, Spring, Mulberry and Caddo Rivers. All four are fun rivers.

If you own or have access to a boat, then there are more options. If you are interested in flat water, the Wattensaw Wildlife Area near Hazen has a marked water trail. A shuttle is not necessary because it can be an “out & back” sort of trip. Grassy Lake near Lake Conway is a recent find for me. It is a fantastic place but using a GPS to navigate is highly, highly recommended!!!! As is exploring the Wattensaw off the water trail. Work is also being done on a water trail on Bayou Meto in Jacksonville.

Many people paddle the Cadron. If you have a boat, then I suggest you watch the General Discussion section of the message board for postings about running that river as well as others that you might be interested in.

“A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to the Ozarks, 3rd edition” by Tom Kennon is an excellent reference. I got mine at Barnes & Noble. You can also use the “River Info” section on the main page of this website to learn about Arkansas’ rivers.

Hope to see you on the water.

“Stan” AKA Margaret Bartelt

[Richard]

The Buffalo is the best . . .

[kevintoy85]

Thank for the info, and yes we do have our own Canoe its an old aluminum conoe but it floats and tracks well and the price I could not pass up. I knew there were smaller creeks and place to go just not sure how to get started.
Thanks Again
Kevin

[Cowper]

If you need to rent a boat, there are outfitters on the Big Piney, Spring, Mulberry and Caddo Rivers. All four are fun rivers.

Great post by Stan - one to add to the list, the Saline. It is close to Little Rock, and there is an outfitter that I'm sure would shuttle you. http://www.salinerivercanoe.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It doesn't have the super-tall limestone bluffs liike the Buffalo, or the fast rapids of the Piney, but those who float it seem to love it. Since you have your own boat, you could also consider the Ouachita below Remmel dam (near Malvern on I-30). That's close enough to LR that you could just take two cars down; but on most Saturdays you could probably find another boater to shuttle with. There are dam-controlled releases all summer.