![]() ![]() An outfitter will drive you and your craft up the river, and you will float at your own pace back to the outfitter's lodge. ![]() For $14 per person, you can double your pleasure with a 12-mile trip of three to five hours. Depending on water level, the trip will last about one to three hours. For $12 per person, you can float or fish for six miles in a canoe. Good advice for any river runner is to slather on the sunscreen, drink lots of water and wear that life jacket.Prices at Arrowhead and Thunderbird are reasonable and fairly standard for outfitters on the river. Don't wait until you're 10 yards from a rock or tree to figure out how to get around it. If there's a tricky spot ahead, plan far in advance how to avoid it. The current will naturally want to pull you toward the outside where brush or boulders might be. When approaching a bend, stick to the inside of the bend. Trouble spots are often located on the outside of a river bend. Kings, Illinois and Elk are all Class I rivers, but that doesn't mean there aren't obstacles to avoid. Did we mention fishing? All of our Ozark streams offer superb fishing. Outfitters normally provide a mesh trash bag. A beverage in hand has to be inside a "koozie" so it will float. The rules on most Ozark streams require coolers have a lid that locks with a latch. You can always come back another day and do the longer float. ![]() It's better to finish up early than have your party whining, "where's the take-out," when there's still two more miles to go. If there's a choice between a short float and a long float, opt for the shorter trip. With this information, the outfitter can recommend a trip that's right for you and explain how you'll be reunited with your vehicle at trip's end. Leisurely paddling and floating trips can cover more distance. Four or five miles is plenty if fishing is the float's focus. Let the outfitter know if you'll be fishing, or just paddling and floating or maybe a little of both. Five or six hours or less seems about right for most folks. Contact your outfitter and let him know how much time you want to spend on the water. Most have websites with information and rates. Pick a river, then work with an outfitter on that river. So what does a first-time paddler need to know? How does a newcomer arrange that first downriver drift? Most floating on the Elk is between Pineville and Noel, Mo.Īll three streams are busy on weekends, especially the Elk. The Elk River starts at Pineville, Mo., where Big Sugar and Little Sugar creeks meet. The Illinois River flows on a westerly track with most float trips happening in Benton County south of Siloam Springs. Most floatable miles of the Kings River are near Eureka Springs and Berryville and flow north through Carroll County. All have outfitters that rent kayaks and canoes, offer shuttle service and expert advice for a safe and memorable float trip. ![]() These three are popular with novice and expert paddlers alike. Kings River, Illinois River and Elk River flow with a gentle current through beautiful Ozark landscapes. Three area streams are close to home and perfect for that first downriver adventure. First-timers will want to pick a gentle stream to get the hang of paddling and revel in the joy of drifting in moving water. Our Ozark streams seem almost alive as they carry us along, treating us to high, rocky bluffs, forested banks and pastoral countryside. A dozen or more creeks and rivers are less than a two-hour drive from most Northwest Arkansas driveways. Spring and summer are floating times of the year, when legions of new paddlers shove off on their first canoe or kayak trip. No doubt lots of our newcomers are eager to explore the region's outdoors, including our beautiful and clear Ozark streams. Follow the news and you've likely read that some 30 people move to Northwest Arkansas each day. ![]()
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