FORUM — The Kings River from Marshall Ford to Rimkus Landing is one of the least paddled parts of the river.
A pity.
The 8-mile stretch is the finest along the 64 miles of river from Marble to Missouri 86 just over the Missouri state line.
It has much better scenery than the river’s more popular runs, such as Rockhouse Creek to Trigger Gap or Trigger Gap to the U.S. 62 bridge near Berryville.
It offers a decidedly friendly float at normal water levels when a nearly constant current carries a paddler along with the greatest ease. No obstacles to dodge, except for an occasional rock in a riffle or a low-hanging tree in a tight bend.
And it features a rich and varied wealth of smallmouth bass habitat practically the whole way. All this was discovered recently during a float with Terry Fredrick of Fayetteville, who is not only one of the most active hikers in the area, but also a frequent paddler who has canoed most sections of the Buffalo, Kings, Mulberry and Big Piney rivers. "It’s as pretty as parts of the Buffalo River,"Fredrick said of the Marshall Ford-Rimkus Landing run.
But it’s like the Buffalo without the people. "It’s what floating the Buffalo was like 30 years ago,"said Ernie Kilman with Kings River Outfitters at Trigger Gap, who provided the shuttle service for our outing.
He said that on a busy weekend in the peak of the paddling season he might put only five or six canoes on the stretch. None are the norm on weekdays for months at a stretch.
The comments, however, were totally redundant after actually experiencing the float.
The dominating presence of a high, long and overhanging bluff beside the river at the Marshall Ford put-in set the stage for what was to come.
A strong current was surging green and white about eight to 10 inches below the top of the bridge across the river at the ford to indicate a good level for a fine, hassle-free float.
As we set out under a hazy sky, a strong wind was ripping at the trees on bluffs high above, but all was quiet and calm down on the river, and would stay that way for almost the entire float.
The first few sets of pools and riffles bounded by bluffs set behind a screen of large trees were familiar from a wade-fishing trip three years ago.
Particularly memorable was a spot about a mile from the ford where the river turned sharply right into a deep pool beside a wall of limestone rising 100 feet or more from the river’s edge. At the base of the bluff, huge slabs of rocks lay slanting into the deep, emerald pool.
The notable spot, however, passed from my mind when a riffle of shallow, fast water over bedrock brought
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
