Dispatches from the Staff
2:07 pm | Wednesday, Jul 25th 2007
Independence Day Weekend on The North Fork Of the White River
Posted By Shannon
The White River is known for many things. Beautiful clear waters, plentiful fishing including trout and bass, and a swift current with some exciting class I and II rapids. Bryant Creek, a notable tributary is known for it’s excellent fishing holes and quiet, less traveled, waters. The North Fork of the White can be reached within a 4-hour drive from Columbia. There are many outfitters available in this area for rentals and camping. Mark Twain National Forest in this area has camping available as well.
Our family went down for an annual float over the fourth of July. Typically this is not the most opportune time to float if you enjoy quiet waters and a peaceful atmosphere but we managed to arrive on a Thursday evening and were able to enjoy the river before the flood of drunken “floaters” arrived. We chose to camp at the Mark Twain National Forest Hammond Camp.
Hammond Camp is set in the National Forest with river access on site and many more river access points within a 30-minute drive. There are also many trailheads for hiking and backpacking within walking distance on site from the campground. The campground has optional electric hookups or primitive campsites for a minimal fee pre night. Pit latrines are available throughout the camp area.
The first day of floating and kayaking began about 10 miles north of the Hammond camp put in. We started our float a bit to far north in my opinion. The water was murky and slow moving for about 5 miles until we reached Twin Bridges. This is a popular access point and the water seems to simultaneously turn clear while picking up speed to around 3mph. There were enough rapids to keep things interesting but nothing that a beginner with a more experienced paddler couldn’t easily work through. We took out around 8 pm after a tiring day of paddling and prepared for our second day of beautiful water and scenery.
Our next day would be Hammond access out in and 10-12 miles down stream. The water and scenery was gorgeous. The hundreds of canoeist and plentiful drunken college aged kids tainted the experience for short amounts of time until we managed to move past them on the river. The river had a few more challenging sections during this portion of the river and the current was swift. One portion includes a 2-3 foot drop off that if not passed over on the far right will dump most canoeist as well as most kayaks. A good reminder to keep all items secure in your boat.
At the end of the day we were exhausted and wishing we had more time on the river. This is truly on of the finest waters of the Ozark region.