National Geographic, who has earned the right to be an authority on natural beauty, has called the Buffalo National River its second most underappreciated park. Great Basin National Park, in Nevada was #1. From the story:
"People who canoe or raft the 135 mile Ozark river today -- the spring white water on the upper parts or the gentle flat water of its lower reaches -- give thanks that the conservationalists won. Three official wilderness areas along its length add to the "wild" quality of this river. At places like Steel Creek, sheer sandstone cliffs rise 400 feet from the water's edge, and all along the river are gravel bars for primitive camping, swimming holes for cooling off on a summer day and rewarding hiking trails."
The River brings an estimated $38 million to the local economies along the 135 mile river. While this park isn't under-appreciated by the writer of this blog, the increase awareness of it is pretty cool. Hopefully the good publicity will help bring more people for a visit, but here's to hoping that the increased traffic doesn't disrupt the beauty that we enjoy.
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