Buffalo River Float During The Dog Days Of Summer
Posted on July 31, 2007
Filed Under Buffalo River Float |
The Buffalo is a great river for floating pretty much year round. But…we’re hitting a period of the summer when the river levels drop and floating on the Buffalo becomes more work than fun! Our summer started out very wet, but I believe the “dog days” of summer have finally arrived.
Even a good thunderstorm with heavy rainfall doesn’t do much to the river this time of year because the vegetation along the hillsides drinks up so much of the runoff before it has a chance to reach the river itself.
A quick check of the Buffalo National River Hydrologic Data System shows that there hasn’t been any significant rainfall in the area in the last couple of days and the upper portions of the river are considered “very low”. If you do plan to float anytime soon, I would say your best bet is going to be anything downriver from Tyler Bend.
For a “human” reading on what the river looks like right now, I would recommend a call to Silver Hill Canoe Rental at 870-439-2372, or Buffalo River Outfitters at 800-582-2244. They’re at the river every day and can tell you exactly what to expect.
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8 Responses to “Buffalo River Float During The Dog Days Of Summer”
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sometimes it will be scary to go of the river by just hearing its name, Buffalo River. What if the buffalo will kick you out or bit you off.
Hi Sel - No need to worry about buffalo here….they’ve been gone for a long time!
What are the depths in the river? Both during low times when you suggest not to run the river, as well as during peak season times. Thanks
A cold drink and feet dangling in the water sounds great : D I can’t wait to go on vacation!
How long is the “dog days” in your area? Is it longer than 60-80 days ?
Chris,
You make the river sound like a pleasant experience…I will have to visit it in the early spring to take advantage of it.
Me and my 14 yr old son floated from ponca to kyles landing and regretted it 2 miles into the 10 mile trip. A lot of long strecths where you have to row to keep moving and then series of rapids followed by turns at the end the chute…we wiped out 2 times and had to struggle with a canoe full of water while trying to catch all our gear floating away…we were sore for 3 days afterward
John, that does not sound like fun! I usually head down to one of the local rivers in Utah. They’re pretty good usually but there is some big rocks you have to watch out for. We rent those huge tubes. We just have to watch out for the protective cover on the tube, it’ll rub your legs raw if you let it.