White

Pettigrew to Elkins (37 miles)(Upper)

DifficultyI-II
Length36.1 mi
Avg Gradient17 fpm
GaugeWhite River Near Fayetteville, Ar
Flow Rate as of 1 hour
3.18 ftbelow recommended
Reach Info Last UpdatedJanuary 26, 2009

River Description

Hwy 16 parallels the run and several access points are available. Most of the land is private so please respect posted property.

A recommended short strech is from Cannon Creek to Thompson as described on Bill Herring's Ozark Whitewater Page.


River Features

Put In

Distance: 0 mi

Take Out

Distance: 37 mi
Take Out

Good float, perfect for the 1st float of the season.  Strong headwind! We did 8.5 miles in a little under 3.5 hours.

MD

I floated on this stretch on 5/12/2019, with discharge at about 850 cfs at the White River at Elkins (which seems to be a new gauge that should be used for this run instead of W.R. near Fayetteville). It was totally floatable at that discharge, but would be more fun a bit higher. Much lower, and it would start getting pretty bony. Unless I missed something, the access at Cannon Creek is no longer an option. It was my first time here, so I didn't have prior experience. However, the road headed down to the river at this point had a gate across it (at both entrances) with no trespassing signs. I put in at Crosses instead, which was a perfectly fine access. In fact, at least at these flow levels, the best rapids on the 4.5 mi stretch from Crosses to Thompson were just a bit downstream of Crosses.