Exploring Northwest Arkansas

Waterfall area - Buffalo River Float from Ponca to Kyles

There are a lot of fantastic sites along the Buffalo River -- and a favorite section for floaters is the float from Ponca to Kyle's Landing. You can read more about the float here, and probably the most essential stop along the float at Hemmed-in-Hollow here.

However, if you are floating this section of the river, there is another essential stop along the way that is far less well known, but is one of our favorites.

If you're floating from Ponca, the stop for this water fall area is about 8 miles down river (about 1 mile from the stop to Hemmed In Hollow). As you get close to the point, keep an eye out, and on your left will be a small little waterfall (maybe 6 feet hight) that flows into the river. When you see the water flowing into the river, pull out here on the left.

Up-river from this little falls is a series of smaller (and some of them fairly large) waterfalls for about 1/2 mile up this creek. They're each unique, and very cool. I've posted some pics to give you a feel for the area.

There is a trail that runs mostly along the left, then crosses the creek to the right, and then to the left again. At the top of one of the falls, the trail continues back up the stream for quite a ways.

I get thrown off on the geography a bit here as I have yet to take my topographical map on the river with me to figure this out, but this area seems to either be the Fishtrap Hollow area or the Bear Cave Hollow. If it's Fishtrap Hollow, there would be a much bigger falls further upstream. However, by that point in the float, we were late enough in the day that I didn't really have time to explore and figure it out. So for now, I'm just going to tell you to enjoy the waterfalls near the river -- and we'll leave anything else that may await further upcreek for a later trip.

This is a really interesting little area, and I almost never see any boats parked in this spot, and have never heard anyone talk about it. But I highly recommend it as a stop on the float.

Distance: 8 miles by boat, 1 mile round trip by hike

Footwear: Keens

Difficulty: Moderate

Kids: Maybe. This isn't really a trail, and there is a bit of scrambling that could be slick and dangerous for youngsters.

Hemmed-in-Hollow Falls - via Buffalo River Float

Hemmed-in-Hollow Falls is an extremely popular destination in the Buffalo River area. At 209' tall it is the tallest waterfall between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. This is a seasonal waterfall that is really nice when the water is high in the late winter and spring, but you may ask locals before making the hike to the falls as it might be disappointing if it's dried up, which it often is in the middle of summer and in the fall.

There are many ways to get to Hemmed-in-Hollow. One long hike comes in from the Center Point Trailhead. Another, more direct route, comes in from Compton. This is a very tough hike however (that I've done on a couple of occassions, but not yet covered on this blog).

I actually took this hike for the first time 12 years ago on my first ever visit to the Buffalo River area with my then girlfriend. That girl eventually became my wife, and we've continued to come to the area ever since.

However, by far the easiest way to get to the falls is by floating the Buffalo River from Ponca, and then hiking back to the falls.

To get there, rent a canoe and take the float from Ponca to Kyle's landing. At about 6 miles into the float, you'll reach Jim Bluff (there is a stone at the base of the bluff with the bluff name written on it). About a mile later, you'll want to pull out on your left and park your canoe or kayak to start the trail to Hemmed-in-Hollow. The best landmark for this really is to start looking for it after Jim Bluff and right before the trailhead, the river will turn fairly sharply to the left and you'll go through a series of pretty tough rapids with a big rock ledge on your right. Where the river turns again sharply to the right (and over another stretch of rapids), the pullout is BEFORE the second set of rapids on your left. If it's a good floating day, you'll be helped by noticing the parking lot of canoes along the shoreline.

Park the canoe next to the creek that flows into the river here.

Start on the trail on the opposite side of the creek and follow the well-worn trail back to the falls. You'll cross the creek and continue on on the left side of the creek.

Along the way, you'll pass a couple of smaller waterfalls that are really nice in their own right. At one place, a small creek comes in from your left (you'll have to cross it too) and forms a double falls on your right.

At about .8 miles in from the river, you will enter a huge hollow with a 209' waterfall flowing right into the middle of it (note the people in the picture above). When the wind is blowing, it's not uncommon for the water stream to get blown so much it breaks up to where it's hardly visible until it hits the ground at the bottom. This really is a fantastic area, and there is no real way to describe the feeling of being there -- and pictures don't quite do the whole experience justice. It's a pretty hollow, with a huge falls, and a cool breeze and the sound of the water as it splashes at the base of the bluff.

This is a great spot and really a showpiece of the Buffalo River area. If you get the chance to float this section of the river, you absolutely must take the time to go back to the falls.

Distance: 7 miles by boat, 1.6 miles (round trip) by hike

Difficulty: Easy

Kids: Yes

Footwear: Because  you'll be coming from the canoe, I wear Keens on the river and use them for the hike as well. The protective toe is essential (in my mind) for both hiking and for being on the river.

Star Rating: 5 out of 5. This really is a first class day with the canoe and the hike.

Buffalo River Float -- Ponca to Kyle's Landing

One of the most popular activities along the Buffalo National River is floating on the river. And one of the most popular floats is from the Ponca low water bridge to Kyle's Landing.

The float is as upstream as the area outfitters will put in (many experienced kayakers will put in further up river during very high water) and is usually only floatable in the early Spring and is usually floatable when the air space on the Ponca low water bridge is between 0 and 29" of airspace. Buffalo Outdoor Center is great about updating the airspace levels during the key floating season. BOC, along with Lost Valley Canoe, are two outstanding canoe rental places right there in Ponca for those who don't have they're own kayaks.

As a point of record, I've floated this stretch 3 times now at 3 pretty different water levels. 29" was really shallow, and we drug quite a bit. Our first time was at 13", and was VERY fast, and fun, but may be pretty challenging if you don't have much experience in a canoe. This past trip we were at 21" of airspace, which was great for floating, and yet still had some challenging spots.

The float to Kyle's Landing is 11 miles long. It's a long float, but usually moves pretty quickly in higher water.

The float goes by many of the biggest bluffs along the River, Roark Bluff, Jim's Bluff, and Big Bluff. It also passes Steel Creek Campground, the easiest trailhead to get to Hemmed-in-Hollow Falls and another great little waterfall area -- the links will take you to those stops. It's also not uncommon to see several volunteer waterfalls along the side of the river, depending on the river level. There also a couple of old barns and home sites along the route, so leave yourself plenty of time for exploring.

There are also several areas of great rapids that will test your canoeing skills (fun for kayakers too!) and pass the dreaded grey rock, which is large rock that is pretty notorious for having tipped many generations of canoers.

This is my favorite float on the Buffalo River, and definitely worth the effort. In my next two posts, I'll discuss a couple of my favorite stops along the way.

Floating Season - the Ponca low water bridge and river levels

It's officiall spring (although the weather doesn't yet feel like it) today. Spring is the absolute best time to float the Upper Buffalo River.

While floating any of the segments of the Buffalo River is spectacular, the upper stretch from Ponca to Kyle's Landing is a favorite for many. This section of River has the largest elevation loss on the River (making for faster currents and better rapids -- it's the only section of river classified as "Class II" ratings), many spectacular bluff lines, and several short hikes that can be taken that start right at the river's edge.

The other notable thing about this section of the Buffalo River is that it is not all that commonly floatable. Sometimes in the winter it's floatable. Often in Spring. But by late spring, Summer and Fall, the low river levels make this stretch unfloatable via canoe or kayak.

So how do you know?

For generations now the folks at the Buffalo River have been using the "air space" reading at the Ponca low water bridge. The Ponca low-water bridge was THE bridge crossing the Buffalo River until the 1970s. When the water was high and over the bridge, if people needed to cross the river they'd have to travel all the way around through Boxley and across the mountain road that passes through Mount Shiloh to get to the other side -- about a 20 mile detour. The new highway bridge we use now is a significant upgrade.

Anyway, to get the water level reading, they measure the amount of air-space between the top of the water, and the bottom of the low-water bridge -- measuring the amount of "air space" in inches under the bridge. The less airspace, the deeper the water.

Anything involving zero airspace is TRECHEROUS. If you are an experienced kayaker, and know your limits, do what is fun for you. But for the other 99% of us, it's best to stay off the river.

From zero to about 9' of airspace is pretty fast currents -- and experienced kayakers preferred. 9-21" is ideal for floating. I've done this section at 13" before and it was a really fun trip. At 23-29" it's low, but floatable, which means you'll drag at times over gravel bars but still make it down the river. More than 30" of airspace?  You'll be heading out further down river.

The Buffalo Outdoor Center has a great page (and video) detailing the river level readings and during the winter and spring they do a nice job of updating the current river level.

BOC is one of the top outfitters on the upper part of the River -- and are a great outlet for renting your kayak or canoe and arranging transportation to or back to your car.

So get out and float the River and enjoy it. Be careful, be sure to know your limits, and if the air/water temperature are cold, be sure to have proper wetgear to protect you from hypothermia. It's only fun if you're safe.

By the way, as you can tell from the photo above, the Ponca River bridge is a hub for recreation in the area -- with many people coming to hang out, float, fish, and swim in the area around the bridge. In the photo above (taken on March 16), the river level is about 22" or so of airspace -- so pretty good for floating.