Trying to organize a float trip with some friends. Anybody have any recs on a good resort or cabins? We may have 20 to 30 people. Several families.

Thanks

Farmer-

I have family in Leslie and been on the buffalo a number of times. Have stayed in Gilbert before in a number of cabins with family. Don't remember the names of the owners but it wasn't too hard to find/arrange. Probably some good places further upstream too.

Beautiful country and great trip. If you want me to check with my relatives let me know.

I live nearby and float it several times a year. The river is over 150 miles long

Where and when are you planning to float?

Yes, but we floated and fished several days camping in the banks. Probably better to see about a couple large VRBOs close together.

I have floated the Buffalo well over a dozen times. The last trip was last April with a group of fraternity brothers. We rented a house in Gilbert Arkansas from Buffalo camping and canoeing. Been using them since 1990. They have a variety of cabins and houses now to choose from. Back when we started it was just a campsite. They will take care of hauling you up the river on a one or two-day trip. There are other outfitters up there. But I'm very sentimental to them.

87Flyfisher said:

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I live nearby and float it several times a year. The river is over 150 miles long

Where and when are you planning to float?

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Not sure yet honestly, still in the discovery phase. All the recommendations here are great, learning a lot about the place.

Those picks look amazing. thats exactly what we want to do.

I'll check out the Buffalo camping place. Thanks for the rec!

Keep in mind that the river is mostly rain dependent and further you go downstream the longer the float season and the more consistent the water level. Everything is pretty good in April, May, early June.
Right now it is too low to float anywhere but the last stretch from Dillard's Ferry to Rush and that is on the low side.

The middle stretch (Tyler Bend, Grinders Ferry, Gilbert) is by far the most crowded on weekends and holidays.


The National Park Service website has a lot of good info on the river and a link to licensed outfitters in each section. https://www.nps.gov/buff/index.htm

We are in fact booking it again for next year. The greatest thing is you can just throw out the dates and each individual group that wants to share a place can book their own cabin. Our date next year looks like it's a little bit outside the usual Buffalo window. We are aware we may not get water. But, We have a guy coming in from Thailand so the dates have to work for him. Honestly, we'd be all right just sitting in it. Gilbert is kind of like a Mecca for us.

If you are ever in Gilbert and the water is too low, it is about a 40 minute drive to launch at Dillard's Ferry. (Wild Bill's and Dirst are the outfitters)

That section has the tallest bluffs on the river and usually the best smallmouth fishing. You take out at the ghost town of Rush, which was once the 3rd largest town in Arkansas before the market for Zinc collapsed after WW1.

We went this past June. We stayed at a cabin in Ponca through Buffalo Outdoor Center and hiked, fished, canoed, and swam. The scenery was excellent. The weather was significantly cooler than at home: 60s in the mornings and low 80s in the heat of the day. We had a couple days that were cloudy and rainy and cool, and the rest was beautiful. We canoed on the Buffalo River with some outfitters out at St. Joe. We did Lost Valley and Triple Falls for hikes with little kids (2-10) and old folks. Had a good meal at DeVito's in Harrison. Bring plenty of Off to keep the ticks off of you; we found a couple.


https://www.buffaloriver.com/

These guys have lots of different cabins of different sizes. We did the Big Sky Cabin for 6 adults and 4 kids. It was plenty big for that.

https://www.devitosrestaurant.com/
Steak, Italian, and they raise their own trout and cook it 8 different ways.

https://www.buffaloriveroutfitters.com/
Water was too low at Ponca yo float, so we drove 40-60 minutes down the river to St Joe and canoed with these guys.

https://www.nps.gov/buff/index.htm

I've started at Ponca twice and run to Mt. Hersey and started at Pruitt one time when the water was way up and I think we went as far as Maumee. After Pruitt, the river flattens out a bit and has less rapids.

Both of the Ponca trips were in May and the Pruitt start trip was in July (warm, sticky nights).

We've carried our boats up to AR and had BOC shuttle the cars.

My dad took me down it when I was probably six or seven. I have good memories of all of these trips, nice lazy trips down the river with a few exciting spots.

Good map for flow rates.
https://wise.er.usgs.gov/dp/buffaloriver/

87Flyfisher said:

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If you are ever in Gilbert and the water is too low, it is about a 40 minute drive to launch at Dillard's Ferry. (Wild Bill's and Dirst are the outfitters)

That section has the tallest bluffs on the river and usually the best smallmouth fishing. You take out at the ghost town of Rush, which was once the 3rd largest town in Arkansas before the market for Zinc collapsed after WW1.

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great info - does this go through the wilderness area or still upstream from that?

Lower Buffalo Wilderness starts downstream from Rush. Don't miss that landing. It is 25 miles and at least two days until Buffalo City.

Have you ever floated - camped that wilderness section? I have a combo turkey hunt / smallmouth trip on my retirement bucket list - still a few years out.

Not yet. We have planned to a couple of times and weather, water or some other issue has kept us from from doing it. It is still in our plans.

I know two people who did not believe in Bigfoot; until they spent a couple nights camping in the Lower Buffalo Wilderness.