Mountain Fork, OK

Photo#13947

Photo of Jordan Egan by David McDonald taken March 2006 @ 500

Gauge Information

River Description

Wide river with occasional ledges and long pools.

Three sections. Most popular is Smithville to the Narrows, beginning with the Toilet Bowl and ending with several ledges before the takeout.

The Upper Mountain Fork River forms near Hatfield, Arkansas southwest of Mena along US Highway 59 and Arkansas SH 246, then flows about 28.6 miles southwest to Broken Bow Lake in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, below which point it becomes the Lower Mountain Fork as it flows out of the dam below the lake at the power plant. The river slows considerably for about 5 miles between the power plant and the rereg dam, where the whitewater section of the Lower Mountain Fork begins.

This is a classic pool-and-drop river. It flows on a shallow gradient of 8-10 fpm along a riverbed consisting of rock ledges that create small drops and occasional long pools of flatwater. The stream is very popular with kayakers and canoeists because of its remote location, excellent scenery and sometimes exciting whitewater. The most popular section is a short run of about 9 miles between US Highway 259 at Smithville, Oklahoma through "The Narrows" at the top of Broken Bow Lake, where the larger drops are situated.

The Upper Mountain Fork is a seasonal stream that holds levels best during the late fall, winter and spring.