10/28/2011 - Greenleaf State Park and Lake

10/28/2011 - Greenleaf State Park, Oklahoma. Three day, lake floating and camping trip.

Starting Out:

This trip we left on Friday evening for a Friday/Saturday/Sunday camping and lake floating trip. We had decided to try a multi-night, multi-day camping trip and what better place than the beautiful park and lake Greenleaf. I would highly recommend to everyone considering a multi-night trip to make a checklist of items you wish to take so you don't forget anything as we did. It was not the end of the trip because we met some friends who were able to fill in where we left out but that may not always be the case.  Better to be prepared and we have since changed our practice of throwing everything we "think" we need in the car to going down the list and verifying that we do have it all.

Traveling:
Greenleaf State Park is located just south of Tahlequah, OK on highway 10 near Braggs, OK. It is very easy to get to and is paved throughout. From the North you'll take I44 to Highway 69 to Muskogee and then over to Highway 10 or the Muskogee Turnpike near Muskogee and over to Highway 10. From East in Arkansas you could take either Highway 412 to Highway 10 or I40 to the Muskogee Turnpike and over to Highway 10. Anyway it's a nice drive and the park is well work the efforts.

Floating:
We didn't do a lot of floating because it was relatively windy and it's a lake you typically paddle around on whereas a river you are heading downstream. However we did check out a nice camping spot off some hiking trails on the other side of the lake from the campgrounds. This offers an exciting opportunity to paddle across the lake to a shore only accessible via a 6-8mi hike or a short paddle across the lake to Mary's Cove. The lake is very scenic and the paddling is easy enough except when the wind is really up or other larger boats are making larges waves. The water level was down about a foot from earlier in the year but it didn't cause any issues boating only beaching the canoe to get out and take a look around the shore. That firm looking ground was actually a couple feet deep of mud. We managed although one of our party ended up with some nasty mud caked on their legs. Later in the afternoon on Saturday when the wind died down some we paddled across to "Vulture Island" which with the water being down was actually more of a peninsular. Here we looked around to try and determine why the dozens and dozens of vultures land on this tiny outcropping of land off the lake's shore. I still do not know why but it makes for an interesting feature. We also took the opportunity to paddle down some shoreline and stop and cut some dead and dry firewood. This was easily hauled back to our campsite in the center of our canoe and allowed for even more fun and excitement around the camp fire. We found some cherry wood that burned extremely hot for a really long time.

Camping:

The campgrounds at Greenleaf are many and diverse. With three distinct areas to the park you can go up on the hill to Gobbler Ridge which is the single largest area including water and electric spots, Cypress Row down towards the water for spots with water and electric, or down Deer Run that has full water, sewer, and electrical hookups. We chose the camper spots near the water since some of our crew had a camper and we had two canoes we planned on getting onto the water. That made the most sense for us but the views of the lake are really worth seeing from Cypress Row regardless of if you actual plan on getting into or on the water.

The overnight low on Friday was right at freezing so it was a little cold in the tent but we piled on an extra blanket and stayed warm enough to sleep. Black powder season open meant early in the morning we heard shots from a distance that were not loud enough to wake you up but noticeable if you were already up or a light sleeper. The area ended up being more crowded than expected since we were late getting there and the weather has been so nice this late into the year. We found a spot in the middle, I believe it was R13, that gave us plenty of room since the spots immediately around us were not taken and we could see the water from our site. It was not that far of a walk carrying the canoes to the water from here so we liked it and considering our available options it turned out well. I really think the next time we will plan on no campers and haul our gear across the lake to Mary's Cove and use one of the two trail camp sites there. It's much less crowded being more or less in the woods and only two spots near each other. It also has the added challenges of no water or electric and no facilities so that might not appeal to everyone.

Public Access:
The public access spots are as follows:
Greenleaf Lake - Total Shoreline 18.0 Miles:

• There is a concrete boat ramp at Cypress Row
• There is a doc near Cypress Row that allows for large motor boat put-ins

Gear:
Some of the more important gear we used:

• Canoe - Old Town Expedition (Discovery 169 re-badge for Bass Pro)
• Tent - Eureka Tetragon 8
• Airbed/Sleeping Mat - Coleman Queen Airbed (thus the large tent!)
• Sleeping Bag(s) - Eureka Sandstone 30*, Coleman Brazos 30*
• Lantern - Coleman gas lantern on 30" "tree" from a 20lb propane bottle

Photos:

10/28/2011 - Greenleaf State Park and Lake, a set on Flickr.

10/14/2011 - Elk River

10/14/2011 - Elk River (Class I-I+), Missouri. Two day, 14mi floating and camping trip.

Starting Out:

This trip we left on Friday evening for a Friday/Saturday camping and floating excursion. Our destination was the Elk River in Missouri. The weather was gorgeous especially for this time of year. Cool but not cold, brisk air in the morning and nice temperatures throughout the day.

Traveling:

The Elk River is located in the South West corner of Missouri bordering Oklahoma and Arkansas in McDonald County. It is easy access from either state either using I-44 from the Oklahoma side or 540 in Arkansas. Highway 71 in Missouri runs right through Pineville so you'll most likely come in on that from either the North or South. We were headed to the Huckleberry Ridge Conservation Area to camp which is about 5 miles from the river just East of Pineville. It was easy to find just keep an eye out for the little brown sign that designates the area. There is a small dirt road immediately after the sign that you'll turn right on to get to a parking area near the camp sites. As far as the float access there are not many public access points on the Elk river, mostly private floats. I'm not sure if the private outfitters would allow you to put-in there or not but we decided to stick to the areas clearly marked as public access. Mt. Shira was very easy to find just to the left past Shady Beach outfitter coming from the North on Highway 59. Cowskin was also easy to find, we simply headed North on 59 to Highway 76 West then turned left (South) onto Highway 43. The access is just down a couple of miles on the right. It has a large parking area and a very nice large concrete boat ramp.

Floating:
The water level measured 3.5ft for the Elk River the few days leading up to our float trip. This is low but not especially so. The overall water level was good for this time of year (October) and we only had to get out and guide the canoe due to low water a couple of times. Compared to some rivers this is not bad at all in my opinion. The water quality was surprisingly good with very clear water. The current was a little disappointing but not unexpected considering the gradient is only 4 feet per mile on this section of the river. There are a handful of rapids, the best of which are just past the dam portage. Most of the river has a nice continuous current but there's not much in the way of rapids and there are a couple of longer sections where the water is not moving much at all. This is mainly due to the dam area which backs the river up for a good distance and forms almost a lake. The other parts are deeper and there's just not enough gradient to cause very good water flow. Over all though there are some beautiful areas and bluffs. This is not the most isolated floating so it has some different features to enjoy beside the wilderness quality you find some places. We ran across some cows who came down to the river to drink for example. This is not your typical "wildlife" but it still adds some interesting twists to a float trip. I would say the majority of this river below the Mt. Shira put-in is Class I with a couple of spots of rapids possibly Class II. There is certainly nothing more than that. The fishing looked like it might be good, we saw several fishermen who had caught some bass. Overall a fun time and we made surprisingly good time without too much serious paddling. I'd call that a win.

Camping:

The campgrounds, Huckleberry Ridge Conservation Area, are deemed "primitive" and that is no exaggeration. They are in the process of making individual camp sites and eventually it will probably be a pretty nice place but for this trip it was just an open spot in some woods with a dirt road. The area had recently been clear cut which made for some nice firewood but not the most scenic camp site. The remote quality of the area is nice and the information and map shows lots of hiking trails throughout. We found a flat spot, built a fire after some difficulty getting the damper wood to light, and enjoyed some good Dutch oven cooking.

Public Access:
The public access spots are as follows:
Elk River - Total 23.0 Miles:

• Highway 71 Bridge Access - Mile 24.5
• Mt. Shira Access - Mile 32.0 - Put-in (10/15/2011)
• Dam Portage - Mile 35.8
• Cowskin Access - Mile 45.3 - Take-out (10/15/2011)

Gear:
Some of the more important gear we used:

• Canoe - Old Town Expedition (Discovery 169 re-badge for Bass Pro)
• Tent - Eureka Tetragon 8
• Airbed/Sleeping Mat - Coleman Queen Airbed (thus the large tent!)
• Sleeping Bag(s) - Eureka Sandstone 30*, Coleman Brazos 30*

Photos:

10/14/2011 - Elk River, a set on Flickr.