Live flow numbers tell you whether a river is floatable today, but they don't tell you which outfitter has the best shuttle, which campground has RV hookups, where to grab dinner after a long day on the water, or which trail to hike on a layover day. These guides do.
Every river page follows the same template: live status, float trips with put-in / take-out maps, camping, eats and nearby towns, when-to-float guidance, offline GPS navigation with Float Mode, and an FAQ. Where they apply, pages also cover outfitters, lodging, and layover-day hikes — and expert runs add a safety-and-skill section instead. On rivers long enough to have distinct stretches, cards carry a section badge ([Upper] / [Middle] / [Lower]) so you always know which part of the river we're talking about.
Buffalo
America's first national river. Limestone bluffs, three sections (Ponca, Pruitt, Gilbert), the marquee Ozark float.
Kings River
Clear-water Ozark gem near Berryville. Paired naturally with an Eureka Springs weekend.
Mulberry
Arkansas's most-floated National Wild and Scenic River. Class II whitewater through the Boston Mountains.
Illinois River
Closest float to NWA. Designated Extraordinary Resource Water. Year-round flow, family-friendly.
War Eagle
Quiet creek with towering bluffs and the historic mill. Withrow Springs State Park as a built-in basecamp.
Elk River
The party-float headquarters. Five outfitters between Pineville and Noel, gravel-bar weekends, summer crowds.
Big Sugar
Bluffs, caves, the Jesse James cave lore, and the smallmouth bass fishing locals brag about.
Little Sugar
The quieter sister of Big Sugar. Gin-clear water, two portages on the standard run, no crowds.
Roaring River
Not a float, a trout-fishing destination. CCC-era state park, full-hookup camping, historic lodge.
Flat Creek
The underdog. Shallow smallmouth water, no outfitter, BYO-kayak. Pairs with a Roaring River overnight.
Crooked Creek
Blue-ribbon Ozark smallmouth water near Yellville. Clear pools, gravel bars, free AGFC access.
Big Piney
Class I-III whitewater in the Ozark National Forest. The Longpool to Hwy 164 run is a regional classic.
Richland Creek
Class III-IV expert whitewater in the Richland Creek Wilderness. Twin Falls, rain-only, experts only.
Illinois Bayou
Scenic Class I-II Ozark forest float near Russellville. Not the NWA Illinois River.
White River
Legendary Bull Shoals trout tailwater near Cotter. Cold year-round; gentle drift when the dam is off, powerful when it generates.
Little Buffalo
Small rain-fed Buffalo tributary near Jasper. A DIY float down low, expert whitewater up top. No gauge of its own.
Spring River
Spring-fed from Mammoth Spring. Cold, reliable year-round float near Hardy with gravel bars and real ledges and falls.
North Fork
Clear, spring-fed North Fork of the White. Blue Ribbon trout and smallmouth gravel-bar floating near Dawt Mill.
Eleven Point
A National Scenic River through the Irish Wilderness. Remote, spring-fed, the Ozarks' finest wilderness float.
Current River
The heart of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Spring-fed, fast and crystal clear - Missouri's most famous float.
Jacks Fork
The Current's spring-fed sister stream. Tight, bluff-lined canyons; a spring-runoff classic up top, reliable down low.
Lee Creek
The closest real whitewater to NWA. A rain-fed Class II-III boulder creek near Devils Den that runs hard for a day or two after a storm.
James River
Clear, gravel-bottomed Ozark smallmouth float from the Springfield plateau to Table Rock. The Hootentown-to-Galena run is the classic.
Niangua
Clear, spring-fed float below Bennett Spring - cold, reliable trout and smallmouth water that keeps running all summer.
Beaver Tailwater
The closest trout tailwater to NWA - cold, clear water below Beaver Dam. Floatability follows the dam generation schedule, not the rain.
Norfork Tailwater
A short, world-class trout tailwater below Norfork Dam near Mountain Home. Wadeable when the dam is off, a cold drift when it generates.
No rivers match those filters.