Site Name: Richland Creek
Rating: III-IV
Region: AR
USGS Gauge: Richland Cr. at Witts Springs


More Information on Richland Creek

Directions:

S1: Take Hwy. 65 north of Conway from I-40 and then Hwy. 16 west of Clinton to Ben Hur. then NFR 1203 north to low water bridge at put-in. Take out at Richland Cr. campground north of Hwy. 16 on NFR 1205.

S2: Take out by driving north of Richland Cr. Campground on NFR 1205 and then turn north on NFR 1201 and go to Stack Rock.

Gradient:
S1: 55 fpm (some sections approach 80 fpm)
S2: 20 fpm

Length:
S1: 6 mi.
S2: 10 mi.

Season: FALL and SPRING

Gauge:
Low water bridge at the put-in should have between 18 and 5 in. of airspace showing. Richland Campground bridge should have 3 to 1 ft of airspace. The ACC Bulletin Board gauge should read between 3.5 and 5.0 ft. A level of 3.3 on the the Corps On-Line gauge (follow link below) corresponds to approx. 12 in. of airspace at put-in bridge. Levels over these maximum limits easily push the creek into the class IV-V range.

Hazards: dangerous rapids, undercut rocks, bad hydraulics

Description:
S1 is one of the premier advanced whitewater runs in the state. The first mile is relatively calm but the next five contain several class III-IV rapids including a six foot drop at Richland Falls and others such as Crack in the Rock (III+), Knuckle Buster (III+), Upper Screw Up (III), Lower Screw Up (AKA Shaw's Folly) (IV), and Maytag (III). The most dangerous drop is Lower Screw Up which has a badly undercut rock in the far right hand slot which is the preferred entrance to the rapid, but many of the other rapids can be rough on an inverted paddler (especially at lower levels). At higher levels the water volume and steep gradient can be a very dangerous combination making for a solid class IV-V run (if Richland is too high try Falling Water Cr to the south). A hike up to Twin Devils Fork falls (below Richland Falls) provides some extra scenery, and the rest of the run is very scenic, but it's hard to take your eyes off of the rapids! Only confident intermediates to expert boaters should attempt upper Richland. Be sure you have the requisite eddy hopping, ferrying, and rolling skills or you may be doing more hiking than boating. S2 is more tame, but still provides plenty of good action in the first few miles. The end of this stretch is relatively flat as it approaches the Buffalo River.