Boxley Gage

is a key gage as it gives a fair indication of most of the rivers in NW corner of Arkansas.

150 cfs on Boxley gage is low and getting close to minimum needed to put in at Boxley bridge. Also, 150 +-20 cfs is probably optimum for put at either Ponca or Steel Creek.

300 to 350 cfs may be optium for put in at Boxley. This 10 to 12 inch air gap at Ponca bridge. Some places are low and/or narrow, but there are several long stretches of continuous, class 2 whitewater at these lower levels. Several creeks join the river in this section and may cause the Ponca gage to show twice the flow as Boxley at times.

400 to 500 cfs is good bigger whitewater for put in at Boxley.

Somewhere about 1000 cfs, the NPS will close the acess at Ponca and Steel Creek.

Be especially wary when the river is rising, when the current has floating debris, and when there is possibility of rain storms upsteam.

See also Buffalo Outdoor Center Visual reading at Ponca and a good, daily interpretation of the river level.

At certain flows the Boxley to Ponca section of the Buffalo River has some of the longer runs of Class 2 Whitewater in Arkansas. Class 2 does not mean "safe", "easy", or "No Consequence". It is not unusual for boats to be lost, pinned on trees, root balls or strainers. or flipped by waves.

Class 2 does mean that clear channels are visible without scouting, some maneuvering in fast current is needed to avoid the various hazards, and self rescue is possible. Swimmers in fast current usually do get banged up, cut up, and bruised. Pot holes and strainers in the river's rock bed are present in places and can be very dangerous.

The NPS Guide of Buffalo River Levels should be used with care NPS uses 2000 cfs as flood at Ponca, but upsteam at Boxley is not labeled as flood until it reaches 6500 CFS. While quite possible that this is technically correct, it could be a very dangerous mis-interpertation of actual conditions not far from either gage.