AGFC dedicates first water trail in northwest Arkansas

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission gathered with its conservation partners in Siloam Springs last Friday to celebrate the official opening of the Upper Illinois River Water Trail, the first Arkansas Water Trail in Northwest Arkansas. 

In addition to being the first Arkansas Water Trail in this corner of the state, the Upper Illinois River Water Trail is the first in the AGFC’s list to span two states. It begins at Chamber Springs Access near Pedro, and continues through Siloam Springs Kayak Park, eventually ending at WOKA Whitewater Park in Oklahoma. The entire trail is 15.5 miles long, but is split near its midpoint at the kayak park, where the dedication took place.  

“The trail features two separate sets of rapids at the whitewater parks, but floaters shouldn’t be intimidated,” Kirsten Bartlow, AGFC Watchable Wildlife Program coordinator, said. “You can easily carry your canoe or kayak around the Siloam Springs Kayak Park, and you can take out before you get to the whitewater park in Oklahoma. With those two exceptions, it’s a fairly gentle Ozark stream with pools and riffles.”

Although this is the first official Arkansas Water Trail in the area, paddling and canoe floats are nothing new to Arkansans, as many people make the journey to the Ozarks each year to enjoy destinations such as Kings River, Crooked Creek and America’s first national river, the Buffalo River.

“This section of the Upper Illinois is really an overlooked gem by a lot of paddlers,” Bartlow said. “Some of our streams get loved to death, and this is an excellent option for people who are looking for something a little different or want to escape some of the more crowded streams during peak floating season.” 

Bartlow said another endearing aspect of the Illinois is its consistent nature for floating.

“A lot of our other streams become too low to float during late summer or drought conditions, but the Upper Illinois generally has a constant flow, so it’s a great option for people when some of the other streams are running dry.”

Although this is the first Arkansas Water Trail in Northwest Arkansas, it’s not the first time the AGFC has worked with many of the partners involved in the project.

“The Illinois River Watershed Partnership has been a fantastic partner for years,” Bartlow said. “They’ve put in a lot of hard work on developing the Illinois River Conservation-Based Recreation Management Plan to ensure people recreate responsibly on our waters and have the opportunity to fall in love with the outdoors. They were also the ones driving the bus on this project and putting in a lot of hours to see this trail come to fruition. The City of Siloam Springs has also been great with this effort, and the Grand River Dam Authority has been really helpful, as has the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.”

AGFC Recreation and Access Coordinator Darrell Bowman was one of many excited attendees of Friday’s celebration. 

“This was a great day due to all the partners’ dedication to pull the new trail designation together,” Bowman said. “It was energizing for all of us to continue the work to enhance conservation and recreation on northwest Arkansas streams.”

The Arkansas Water Trail Program has come a long way since its inaugural float on Wattensaw Bayou in 2009. Arkansans now have 21 designated water trails to choose from, ranging from flat-water floats to streams with moderate current and a few challenging sections of rapids.

“That’s not including Arkansas’s more notable paddling destinations like the Buffalo and Spring rivers,” Bartlow said. “AWT is about helping people in all areas of the state find a canoe or kayaking destination in their own backyard. Some are in remote areas, and others meander right through a few of Arkansas’s larger cities.”

Visit www.agfc.com/things-to-do/water-trails/upper-illinois-river-water-trail to learn more about the Upper Illinois Water Trail, including a map and GPS coordinates to the three accesses along its length. Websites for the two whitewater parks and two outfitters operating along its length are also available. For more information on the Arkansas Water Trails Program, visit www.agfc.com/watertrails