Information on Richland Cr.

Richland Cr.

	Rating: S1: III-IV
		S2: II-III
	TDCR: 6656 (S1)
	Location:  Newton and Searcy Co.;
		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.
		Area Map
	Topo Quad(s): Moore, Eula
	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.  You can also predict the levels using
		the Buffalo R. rain gauges which are linked below.
		LINK BUFFALO NATIONAL R. GAUGES (UPDATED HOURLY)				
		LINK TO USGS GAUGE
	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 R.