North Fork of the White River family trip.

May 24@ 8:30 am – May 25@ 5:00 pm    Free – $11.50

We will do day paddles on the North Fork of the White River from Twin Bridges from our base campground. On Saturday we will paddle 10 miles from North Fork campground to Blair Bridge.  We will meet at 8:30 at North Fork boat ramp.  On Sunday we will paddle 6 miles from the Hebron Access to Twin Bridges.  We will meet at Twin Bridges at 9:00 Saturday.  There will also be a fee to park and take out at Twin Bridges.

We will be camping at the North Fork Recreation area at the North Fork of the White and Highway CC. It has campsites, showers and cabins which is where highway 14 meets the North Fork River.  Directions: From West Plains, MO take State Route CC west, (18 miles) and the site is on the left side of the road.

This trip is for intermediate to advance skill levels and appropriate for all plastic kayaks less than 16 feet long and all canoes.

Forming in far southwest Texas County, in the Mark Twain National Forest of the Missouri Ozarks, is the North Fork of the White River, a 78-mile long, Class I to II stream with an almost perpetual, spring-fed flow that runs south through Douglas and Ozark Counties to Northfork Lake along the Arkansas border. This beautiful wilderness river is characterized by excellent quality, crystal clear water, banks lined with hardwood trees, a usually swift current, small ledge drops and standing waves that provide excitement, though not too much technical difficulty. The river is navigable by boaters with even modest skills and experience. A moderate gradient averaging about 7.5 feet per mile (fpm) maintains a gentle current that makes paddling easy.

From its headwaters to SH 76, the river flows about 28.5 miles along a narrow channel among dead-fall debris strainers. Access near the top is a little less inviting than on reaches below. The middle reach from SH 76 to SH 14, where popular paddle and fishing trips usually begin, is about 24.1 miles of gorgeous river, natural scenery and few people. This section is ideal for those looking for a trip away from crowds. The lower reach runs about 25.4 miles from SH 14 to Northfork Lake Public Access just below US Highway 160 at Tecumseh, and is the most popular reach of the river. Spring and summer months produce large crowds of canoeists, kayakers and tubers enjoying the gorgeous water with its steady 4 mph current where boaters can either paddle or float, depending upon their desires. Several springs feed additional water into the river, as well as contributing to the natural scenic appeal of the North Fork. Some of the ledges produce drops of 2-3 feet, just to make it interesting. The USFS operates excellent campgrounds at North Fork Camp and the Missouri Department of Conservation has one at Patrick Bridge, two of the intermediate access points between the SH 14 put-in and Northfork Lake. True hazards are few, but depending upon flow conditions, the Dawt Mill low-head dam and the low-water bridge below it, as well as some of the ledge drops, can pose risks to less experienced paddlers, though easy portages offer ways around them. Bring your camera and enjoy this fantastic, moderate whitewater stream that is boatable almost year-round.

Tip leader Dave Haessig (dghaessig@yahoo.com  314-304-7970.)

We will post trip updates on the trip forum.

To attend this trip/event:

1. 1. You must reserve ticket for each person attending (see tickets below).
      This provides the trip coordinator with important information for safety and communication and gives the club important information we need for reporting to ACA within 30 days of the event.
   2.  You must fill out THIS waiver if you are not an ACA member (minors without an ACA membership must also have this waiver filled out):  https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/FsaS2rycbPA6PkQUL6me47/
   3. If you are an ACA member and have either an ACA annual waiver or LCKC annual waiver filled out, you do not need to sign a waiver for this trip.
   4. If you are an ACA member but have not yet signed an annual waiver, or you believe it may expire soon, fill out this waiver: (It is visible to our club admin AND acts as an ACA annual waiver.)  https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/VSyMLYT6M3s3w4jDmWBhwN/

To chat about this event: If you want to chat about who is going, ask questions, arrange carpools, or check last minute updates, please see the relevant post on the Club-Sanctioned Trip Into & Comments section of our forums: Club Sanctioned Trip Info & Comments – St. Louis Canoe & Kayak Club (stlcanoekayak.com)