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Joel’s Journal: The Buffalo National River
By Joel Raeber
 Joel’s Journal
By Joel Raeber
The Buffalo National River in northern Arkansas is one of the few remaining rivers in the lower 48 states without dams. The Buffalo flows through the Arkansas Ozarks and into the White River, cutting through massive limestone bluffs.
The National Park Service has a number of "developed" campgrounds along the River. These are fee-based sites and have water, toilets and picnic tables. The sites are large and most are level. The Buffalo Point Campground offers reservations. Wilderness camping is permitted on gravel bars and sand bars along the river.
 We camped at Buffalo Point, and the site was right on the river. Deep bamboo groves surrounded the site, which was sandy off the paved area.
For canoeing, the river is divided into three segments. Most visitors use the upper river (Ponca to Kyles Landing) and middle (Spring Creek to Buffalo Point) segments. The peak canoeing season is April through August. To avoid crowds in the spring, consider floating during the weekdays or floating on a lower section of river. An early morning trip will offer more opportunities to see wildlife along the river banks and better fishing. In the spring and late fall, the middle and lower sections of the river are seldom used. The lower district contains the park’s largest wilderness area and most remote sections of river.
The towering limestone bluffs along the river offered numerous photo opportunities, and the level rock bars made comfortable places to stop and enjoy the river.
 A unique feature of the Buffalo River is its blue-green color. Weathered microscopic clay particles from shale outcrops are washed into the river during rains. Suspension of minute rock particles causes this unique color. Unlike silt, the fine, light clay particles remain suspended in
the water for weeks. Light hitting the suspended particles gives the river its turquoise color.
Wildlife was everywhere, with deer, Great Blue Heron, Kingfishers and otter along the river. We watched a Red Tail Hawk chase a chipmunk for several minutes before the chipmunk found shelter under a large rock. At night, we were raided by a pack of raccoons that carried off a bag of dog treats we mistakenly left out. They were quite noisy, but did no real damage. After the raid, we listened to owl calls, some very close, well into the night.
 There are more than 100 miles of maintained hiking trails within the park. The Buffalo River Trail and Ozark Highlands Trail both pass through the park. Most of the trails are designed for foot traffic only and are marked with a white blaze. However, there are yellow-blazed trails where hikers share the trail with horseback riders, so be careful when hiking.
For history buffs, there are examples of prehistoric Native American Ozark Bluff Dweller cultures as well as Ozark pioneer homesteads. Along the lower Buffalo are the Indian Rockhouse Trail and the Rush Historic District. Rush was an early zinc mining community that is now a ghost town.
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If you have a favorite campground, RV park or other area you’d like to give your two cents on, email it to us
and get your 15 minutes of fame that Andy Warhol promised you. Photos are always appreciated.
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