Information on Osage Cr.
Rating: III-IV
TDCR: 7666
Location: The put-in is located just north of Compton, AR in the
northwest corner of Newton Co. Take Hwy. 43 north from
Compton about 1/2 mile and take the first dirt road to the
left. There is a sign for an iron works place at the turn
off. The put-in bridge is about 1/2 mile down this. ASK FOR
PERMISSION to park near the bridge. The owners of the house
near the bridge are extremely nice, and they generally don't
mind boaters parking there if they ask to do so. To reach the
take-out bridge, go across the creek and take a right.
You'll climb a hill and go about 2 miles before taking
another right. Go about 3 miles to the small burg of Delmar
and take another right at the intersection. You'll cross
a small low water slab and go about one more mile to a
small bridge across Osage. Park near the bridge and don't
block the road.
Area Map
Topo Quad(s): Ponca, Osage NE
Gradient: 80 fpm (first 2 miles @ 130 fpm)
Length: 6 mi.
Season: FLOOD
Gauge: Osage is probably runnable when the Buffalo R. is about six
inches or more over the Ponca low water bridge, but the watersheds
are not very close, so Osage can be up when the upper Buffalo isn't
that high. The best place to gauge the stream is at the put-in.
If the first ledge below the bridge has water across most of the
ledge (between the big bush and the left bank) then the run is
good to go. If the first ledge is wall-to-wall muddy water and
the hole there looks really bad, the run through the gorge will
be extremely dangerous, sporting some of the worst keepers in
the state. You can also predict the levels using the Buffalo R.
river and rain gauges which are linked below. The Compton rain
gauge is in the Osage Cr. watershed, and it will usually
take an inch-an-hour rate of rain to bring the creek up.
LINK BUFFALO NATIONAL R. GAUGES (UPDATED HOURLY)
Hazards: big drops, undercuts, boulder sieves, hydraulics,
strainers, a fence in the last two miles
Description: Osage Cr. is a gem of an Ozark creek run. With a
short shuttle, easy access, a good watershed, A+ scenery, and
a 2 mile gorge boxed in by bluffs and chock full of class
III+ rapids, what's not to love? The first attempts
at running the creek were made in the late 1970's
by some of the BOC crew who were bored with the
Hailstone, and it was re-explored in April of 1997 by Bill
Herring, Howell Cox, and Jim Jernigan when all rapids were
run. This run is tougher than the average gradient would seem
to indicate. You know you're not dealing with the average
Ozark creek when you see the put-in. The run starts off
with a bang by dropping over a big rapid called Starting
Gun 15 yards below the bridge. This seven foot class III
fall will give you some idea of what is comming up
downstream. If this rapid gives you pause, don't venture
into the gorge below. It only gets tougher as you go down.
Another 40 yards brings you to Old Mill Falls, an eight
foot sheer plunge over an old dam. The landing is fairly
shallow, but it is easy to boof the drop on the right. For
the next 1/8 mile the creek tries to lull you to sleep
with some tight class II+ drops. When the drops start
picking up steam a little, the first class IV drop comes
into view. Bottleneck is a straight shot down the middle
of a churning sluice. The entrance rapid is class III, and
there is little room to stop before you go into the
maelstrom below. The line is obvious and not too hard to
make, just don't get upside down - there are several nasty
rocks under the surface. A very blind and tight class III+
drop follows Bottleneck and then the next class IV is reached.
Howler is a complex drop which requires some tricky
maneuvering to reach the final slot drops. The bottom drop
is split: the right has a rooster tail in the middle and
the left has a chance for a vertical pin. Howler
definitely warrants some careful scouting or maybe a
portage, both of which are best done on river right. After
several back to back class III to III+ drops, you come to
a long rapid that looks like a good place for a scout. Get
out on the right bank and walk down to take a look at the
biggest rapid on the run, Magic Mushroom (aka Moon Landing).
The Mushroom starts off with a long class III+ entrance which
dumps out onto a sloping shelf. With few good eddies to
catch, the creek screams down the shelf for about 30 yards.
At the end of this shelf the creek is confined between sheer
rock walls on either side and it drops about seven feet onto
another shelf. At moderate levels, most of the water is
channeled over a sloping ledge to the left. The water
banks off the left wall and pushes to the right below the
drop into a huge, slightly undercut boulder. The slide below
the big drop continues for over 50 yards around the corner. A
huge mushroom shaped rock overhangs the stream on the left
below the drop, providing for some of the strangest
scenery in the Ozarks. At most levels the Mushroom is a
long class IV drop, but at really high levels the combination
of the tricky entrance and the thundering main falls may
push it to class V difficulty. Scouting and portaging here
can be very difficult, but a scout is needed. It is
best scouted on the right, but the best portage route is
on the left, up and over the bluff and back down at the
end of the rapid. After the Mushroom, the creek drops
through myriad class III and III+ drops. At least two of
these cannot be navigated completely at lower levels. One has
a good looking entrance only to wash out into a boulder
sieve. Scout anything that you can't clearly see in this
section. Another nice class III+ drop is encountered near a
dramatic double cascade comming in on river right. Several more
class III's lead up to the final class IV drop. Switchback is
a powerful "S" turn compressed into the space of just a few
yards. It may not be as bad as it first appears, but a mistake
can result in a dangerous pin on the numerous rocks. Be confident
of making the required move or take the easy portage to the
left. Below Switchback the action slows down a bit, but several
good class III's remain. With the added flow from dozens of
tributaries, some of these contain some fairly sticky hydraulics,
so don't become too complacent. Finally the gorge recedes and
the rapids moderate to continuous class II+ for the last few miles.
There are still many bad strainers and one badly placed
wire fence to negotiate, so stay on your toes until you get
to the takeout bridge. If you tackle Osage Cr., be sure that
you have solid class IV boating skills. Even at lower levels,
the creek can be pushy and it is incredibly blind from the
cockpit of a kayak. The rapids are fast, powerful, and very
rocky, making the penalties for mistakes quite high. At higher
levels the rapids grow exponentially in power and danger. With
enough water to make the first hydraulic really bad, the gorge
is transformed into a very pushy, blind class IV+ run. Runs
of the creek often produce broken paddles, side pins, vertical
pins, lost skin, and bruised egos.
Return to Index