From late winter to early summer the Mulberry River offers challenging whitewater throughout its entire 50 mile length slicing through incredible Ozark beauty. The Mulberry is definitely Arkansas’ wildest river during the spring pouring over ledges, shooting through willow thickets, and whipping around sharp turns. These “wild” characteristics are what give the stream its class II/III rating, and high marks from the floating public.

The Mulberry has easy access with several road crossings, two National Forest Campgrounds and several outfitters in the area. Whitewater canoeing and kayaking can also be enjoyed on Lee Creek, Frog Bayou, and several other smaller/seasonal streams.

The usual put-in for Frog Bayou is at Lancaster Bridge. The usual take-out is in downtown Rudy. Lancaster to Rudy is about a 4 hour float with a few stops. It can be paddled straight through in 2 hours. The distance is approximately 8 miles.

A useful website is: ozarkpages.com

The Arkansas Canoe Club’s website is: arkansascanoeclub.com