Our extended family took a 9 ½ hour road trip to the Buffalo River this summer. It was the first time we had traveled together like this. Our oldest member is 68 and our youngest member is 5. We stayed in log cabins built by the CCC in the 1930s. This picture is of our whole group before we canoed and kayaked a 4-mile stretch of the river.
This trip will never be forgotten! Our family got a chance to know each other better and work together. The cell phone service was intermittent and the teens were forced to put away their electronic devices. But they didn’t mind nearly as much because they were in awe of the grandeur all around them. From swimming in front of bluffs, to floating the river, to a 3+ mile hike to a rock cave where Native Americans once lived, we had so much fun!
We are so grateful for this time we had together and the beautiful National Park System.
Sincerely,
Buffalo National River
The Buffalo is America's first national river and one of the last undammed rivers in the contiguous United States. Its 135 miles flow freely through beautiful Ozark forests and bluffs of limestone and sandstone, offering challenging whitewater conditions in the upper section and calmer Class I rapids in the middle and lower sections. There are not many roads or established overlooks in the park; the best way to experience the beauty of the water is to be out on it, navigating the cliffs, springs, waterfalls and multicolored rock. Just be alert and prepared for fast-changing conditions.
State(s): Arkansas
Established: 1972
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Greetings from Buffalo National River
I grew up a pastor’s kid and I had four siblings. As you might expect, we did not have a lot of money to take vacations. However, we could afford to camp in the natural beauty of the National Parks. That is exactly what we did. Some of my best…
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