First Ride on the Buffalo National River

The Buffalo River area is a special place for me. It was where my first attempts at backpacking took place years ago. I have hiked Hemmed in Hollow, Lost Valley, Cecil Cove, and the Whitaker Point trails at various times. I have lived in Arkansas for more than 20 years now, but I have never floated the Buffalo River until June of this year (2025).

For those who do not know, the Buffalo River was designated a National River by Congress in 1972. No development is permitted on the river, and the designation also saved the river from being dammed for hydroelectric power. The Buffalo is distinctly beautiful with prominent bluffs, water falls, and occasional swift water (depending on the water levels). Here is a link to more information.

Exploring a shallow cave between Kyle's Landing and Ozark on the BNR.

There are other sources of information and videos that document the beauty of the Buffalo. The purpose of this post is just to share our experiences and also some takeaways and lessons learned from our trip.

Here's What We Did

Accommodations and Food

Mrs. Gavagai booked an Airbnb for us in Jasper, AR. We drove up from the Little Rock area on Saturday afternoon, got checked in, then we went to dinner. The Airbnb was really an old roadside motel that consisted of several small cottages, called Little Switzerland. The price was right. They were not the most modern accommodations, but the upstairs room where we stayed was spacious, had wifi, a TV, mini fridge, microwave, the shower and other plumbing was working fine, and there was an ice machine at one of the buildings.

Little Switzerland

Jasper is located near the sections of the river that were floatable on the days we were there. There are a handful of restaurants in this small town, but you have to pay attention to when they are open. Not all are open daily. We also (sadly) missed the opportunity to try the pizza place in town because they sold out before we got there on Sunday and they were closed on Monday.

Our favorite meal on the trip was at Daisy Queen, about 13 minutes north of the Little Switzerland cabins on Hwy 7. It wasn't fancy, just burgers and homestyle food, but it was good quality and reasonably priced. It hit the spot for us. We had breakfast and dinner at Ozark Cafe in Jasper. It was okay. I enjoyed my omelet and hash browns.

Outfitters

There are a number of different outfitter companies that provide shuttle services in the area. We opted for Buffalo River Canoes. Their website doesn't seem to be working, but here is their phone number.

(870) 446-2644

Their prices were competitive and their staff were great. They rent boats if you need them, but we brought our kayaks.

It's interesting, the standard way that these outfitters in the area do shuttles is that you drive your vehicle to the put in river access location, leave your car key with their staff, and their staff drives your car to the takeout point.

This system was a first for us, but we haven't had a lot of experiences with shuttle services. Saline River Canoe drives you to the drop off point in their bus and you float back to the takeout where you parked your car. I think I prefer that scenario because a) a stranger isn't driving my car on bumpy washed out gravel roads, b) the key situation with the Buffalo outfitters' system makes me a little uncomfortable, c) when you arrive at the takeout point, you have to wonder if they successfully got your car there and you also have to wander around looking to find where they parked it. Cell service is very spotty in those valleys, so if there is an issue, you may have a hard time trying to reach them.

Nonetheless, it worked, and Buffalo River Canoes got our car to the takeout point on both days without incident. Thanks BRC!

Our Itineraries

On Sunday morning, we went to Lost Valley to hike that trail. Elizabeth has never been there. There is also a place just across the highway where you can see elk that were reintroduced to the area grazing. Lost Valley is a relatively short hike, but well worth the time if you're in the area. The outfitters don't open until 9 or 10am, so if you're an early bird like us, run out to the Lost Valley and explore it. Here's a link to a video showing some of the highlights of that short trail.

When we finished Lost Valley, we got packed up and ready for our float. The outfitters were sending people from Steel Creek access to Kyles Landing that day. This is roughly an 8 mile section. This section is a favorite for many people. At one point, the river passes below Hemmed In Hollow and there is a trail leading from the river up to the waterfall. We did that hike. I believe we also packed a cooler with sandwiches for lunch on that day. Water levels were mid, not too high and not too low, but it was apparently getting down to lower levels for that section.

On Monday morning, the outfitters were still putting people out at that same section for renters. However, we wanted to float a different section. We put in at Kyle's Landing that day and floated down to the Ozark river access point. That's about an 11 mile day. We stopped for lunch at Erbie. There is a trail you can hike at Erbie to get to the Parker-Hickman farmstead historic location, but we opted to not do the hike that day.

In total, we paddled a little over 19 miles over the two days.

Lessons Learned

Crowds on the weekend/outfitter drops

So, one of the first things we realized is how busy the river is on weekends. There was so much traffic on the river that day, we have decided that anytime we go back, we're going to make a point to do it during the week when the crowds are much smaller. We don't mind sharing the river but, as one YouTuber described it, "bumper boats" on the river is not ideal. If we had floated the lower section on Sunday, I'm confident that there wouldn't have been so many people because all the outfitters were dropping and shuttling that section. But because they were so busy on that day, they refused to do shuttles for other sections. It makes sense from their perspective because they need to concentrate their efforts and man power to one area because it's such a madhouse.

This may not be an issue for you. Some people may like the comfort of having loads of people on the river. If you get in trouble, there would definitely be someone floating past within minutes, if not sections on those busy weekends. But we prefer the quiet and not having to worry about what the other boaters are doing as we approach swift water sections.

Secure Everything/Take Your Time

At Steel Creek access, with the water at the level it was at when we were there, you hit a couple of rapids right out of the gate. I got Mrs. Gavagai in her boat and on the river before I had myself set. When I pushed her off the bank, the current took her right down to the rapids. She did fine and got through them unscathed, but she was waiting below for me. I rushed. I made it through the first rapid fine, but the second one was in a very narrow section with fast current pushing into the right bank, right into a root ball of a fallen tree. I tried to paddle hard to avoid it, but I went too close to the main flow there rather than keeping left. The current swept me into the root ball, and my kayak flipped.

There were three items that were not secured; sunglasses, water bottle, and a towel. Mrs. Gavagai acted quickly. She went downstream from where I flipped and she managed to catch my water bottle. We looked for the towel and sunglasses but never found them.

If I had taken my time, I think I might have made a better choice about positioning before that second rapid and I might have thought to better secure my sunglasses and towel, at least.

Footwear

I still love my Xero Shoes Z sandals, but they are not ideal for kayaking in rivers with moderate to strong current and rocky bottoms. Times when I was out of the boat and walking with any current at all, I struggled to keep my feet from slipping, and the lower strap on my standal would slip off my feet.

Since this trip, I have floated a couple more times. Once on the Saline River and once on the Maumelle River. The Saline River has some current, but it's not as large nor as fast flowing as the Buffalo (at floatable levels). I wore my trail running shoes with wool socks for that float and it was great. The Maumelle River (floating the section above Lake Maumelle) has almost no current whatsoever. I wore my sandals for that one and it was fine. The river bottom on that river is also more silty than the Saline River. Most of the Saline riverbed is rocky. Going forward, that's going to be my rule: Rocky bottom and current - shoes. Silty/muddy bottom and slow to no current - sandals.

Xero Shoes Z Trek

Walking in Current

I have done several river crossings while backpacking. When I do, I am almost always wearing trail runner shoes, I have a pack on, which may help keep me weighted down as I cross, but every single time I have ever crossed a river with current, I have trekking poles. That experience made me think I could cross the Buffalo at the Hemmed in Hollow trailhead. The place I chose to cross seemed shallow, but it was narrow and the current was moving through it very fast on that day. I fell at least once and had trouble getting up.

Mrs. Gavagai crossed upstream where it was deeper and wider, but the current was considerably slower. It was a better choice. Even there, swimming to cross rather than walking through the river would have been a safer choice.

I have since learned about shallow water drowning. This happens when people are walking in current, they fall (sometimes breaking a leg on a hole or getting their foot trapped in a crack or log, and the current traps them. This is a dumb way to die. I will make better choices in the future. When we got back to the river after our excursion to Hemmed in Hollow, I opted to cross where Mrs. Gavagai crossed.

Skills

Before this trip, I was feeling relatively confident that my skill set with kayaking was moderate. I honestly didn't think the Buffalo was going to throw anything my way that I couldn't handle. After all, complete beginner float it. While that's true, they also flip and get stuck, and sometimes get into serious trouble and even drown there. We didn't get into serious trouble on the Buffalo, but I definitely realized that I have a lot to learn and skills to develop. I didn't "read the river" well when I flipped on day one by Steel Creek. I also failed to fully appreciate the potential danger of the root ball. My instinct to lean away from it, also contributed to my spill because the root ball pushed up on that raised edge of the boat, the current was pushing on the lower portion, turning the boat over like a machine that was made for flipping boats. I don't know if a bracing stroke would have helped, but it's another thing I need to work on to help keep myself upright.

General Safety Knowledge/Equipment

Probably the most eye opening moment for me was on day two of our trip, when Mrs. Gavagai flipped in a rapid. I was downstream from her, having gone through that section first. I made it through, but she flipped and got stuck in the current. I realized that I wasn't 100% sure the best course of action to help her. I beached my boat on the bank, then proceeded to walk back upstream toward her, through the current. This was super dumb. I was fighting current, slipping on rocks, and also fighting to just keep my sandals on (hence the footwear section above).

Mrs. Gavagai was clinging to the kayak for dear life, afraid that if she let go, it would float away and we would never see it again. She injured her arm hanging on when she could have let go. She was also lying face down on her belly with her head downstream.

In hindsight:

1. She could have let go of the boat from the start. I was downstream and could have easily intercepted it.
2. I should have walked upstream on the bank, not fighting the current. I would have gotten there more quickly and more safely for me. I can't help her if I'm falling and/or get hurt myself.
3. Turning on her back with her head upstream would have been better. Feet downstream and up off the bottom is apparently the best for when you're in current. Once you get to somewhere that you can swim to an eddie or to the bank, that's when you can roll to your stomach to swim.

I've done a good amount of researching the topic of river safety and river rescues on YouTube. I feel like I know more, but I also want to take a kayak/canoe safety course when I'm able to do so.

To our credit, I will say that we both had on our PFDs (Personal Floatation Device) aka, lifejackets the whole time when we were on the Buffalo. On some of our previous float trips, I have put my PFD in the Kayak, but not on my body. I will do better going forward. 

Wearing my PFD on the Maumelle River

I have also invested in throw bags and an unpin kit since this trip. A throw bag is just a bag of rope that you can throw to someone who is being swept away by the current. The rope unspools from the bag as it sails through the air but the thrower holds onto the other end. These rope bags can also be used to rescue boats that are pinned by current.

An unpin kit, is a set of tools that can supplement your pulling power to help you unpin a boat from swiftwater. My kit has carabiners, pulleys, prusik loops, and webbing that can be used to make an anchor point and then a pulley system for mechanical advantage to free a pinned boat.

I wouldn't say that an unpin kit is 100% necessary, but it's yet another one of those skills that I have learned about, partially for the joy of learning a new set of skills. 

I would say that a throw bag isn't 100% necessary for floating, but anytime I'm floating on a river with any real current where I might struggle to get to safety, I'm definitely bringing throw bags for my boat, and for whoever I'm with to also have one.

Mrs. G on the Maumelle

Oh. In case you're interested, I bought our throw bags and the pulleys for my kit from a company called River Station.

Well, I think that does it for this post.

Cheers,

Gavagai