The Buffalo National River is the first designated National River in the country (1972), thanks to the efforts of the Ozark Society which was founded in the 1960s by Dr. Neil Compton. For years the Buffalo River has been known as a premier canoeing venue, but recently has added a trail system boasting scenery as magnificent as the river itself. It contains 95,730 acres and abuts the Ozark National Forest.
Although it is administered by the National Park Service (which normally requires permits and assigned campsites), at-large backcountry camping is allowed nearly everywhere. However, the free campgrounds maintained by the NPS are conveniently located every 6 or 7 miles and provide nice campsites, washrooms or port-a-potties, water, fire grills, and often phones.
The river begins in the Boston Mountains and flows 150 miles basically west to east (135 miles of it protected) through the Ozarks to the White River at Buffalo City. Along its course, it showcases towering limestone bluffs, thunderous waterfalls, and a rugged remoteness which endears it to all who experience it. Numerous trails exist, with the main artery being the 36.5 mile Buffalo River Trail, which connects to the Ozark Highlands Trail. Eventually, it will be part of a Trans-Ozark Trail running over 1000 miles through Arkansas and Missouri. There are 6 designated wilderness areas in the Buffalo River drainage, three administered by the U. S. National Forest and three by the National Park Service, totaling about 77,000 acres. Caving and climbing are also allowed here.
There are 54 species of mammals, 154 species of birds, 59 species of clearwater fish, and 62 species of wildflowers in this area. Animals include elk (reintroduced in the early 1980s), a few black bears, 4 poisonous snakes (copperhead, water moccasin, canebrake or timber rattlesnake, and pygmy rattler), several types of bass and catfish, indigo buntings, white-eyed vireos, whippoorwills, owls, bald eagles, osprey, armadillos, roadrunners, tarantulas, deer, opossums, bobcats, mink, beaver, alligator snapping turtles, and 12 species of bats. Ticks and chiggers abound in the spring, summer, and fall.
The river is renowned for its turquoise color, caused by the suspension of minute rock particles. Weathered microscopic clay particles from shale outcrops are washed into the river by rain and remain suspended for weeks, interfering with the passage of light. Light rays bounce among these suspended particles and separate into the colors of the rainbow. Of these colors, only blue and green are reflected, giving the river its vibrant turquoise color.
The towering and majestic bluffs, some reaching as high as 440 feet, consist of sandstone, limestone, and dolomite. Along with the bluffs, you find caves, cliffs, sinkholes, waterfalls, springs, and interesting rock formations. The trail in numerous places brings the hiker right to the river edge, albeit hundreds of feet above the water. The terrain change ranges from 375 feet above sea level to 2385 feet, allowing plant and animal species from the southwest, northeast, and southeast to co-exist here. And since people lived here for centuries, old homesites, cemeteries, and other artifacts exist, as well as evidence of prehistoric cultures dating back 10,000 years.