Arkansas | Delta

Bayou DeViewBenson Creek Access to Bank of Brinkley Access

Plan the full 15.2-mile Bayou DeView Water Trail from Benson Creek Access to Bank of Brinkley Access. Follow its public access chain through the Delta floodplain with an offline map, a float plan, and current gauge and road checks.

Route location

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DistanceAbout 15.2 mi
DifficultyModerate
Typical timeAbout 8 hr to 12 hr
ShuttleCar shuttle
Bayou DeView winds through a flooded bottomland forest in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas.
River contextBayou DeView in Cache River National Wildlife Refuge river-level photo — not necessarily this exact reach.Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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Trip details

Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.

Permits, camping and season
PermitsNone notedNo route-specific paddling permit is known. Use the named public AGFC accesses, follow Arkansas boating and PFD rules, and respect any WMA, refuge, gate, or road postings.
CampingOptions nearbyFree first-come campsites marked by blue paint are available on Dagmar WMA, making this full 15.2-mile trail the clearest Bayou DeView route for a conservative primitive overnight split. The sites have no amenities, and camping is not allowed on Cache River National Wildlife Refuge.
SeasonMar-NovThe full trail still depends on enough stage to connect the marked route without forcing shallow detours, and road-access checks matter because the Dagmar gate closes when the gauge reaches 17 ft.

Access and shuttle

Launch at Benson Creek Access and take out at Bank of Brinkley Access for the full Bayou DeView Water Trail. The water stays flat, but this is a serious floodplain-navigation route: use the Brinkley gauge, carry the AGFC map offline, and treat the day length and campsite plan as part of the safety decision.

Access map

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Start

Put-in

Benson Creek Access
DirectionsOpen map

Benson Creek and Bank of Brinkley are named public AGFC Bayou DeView Water Trail accesses reached by rural WMA or refuge roads rather than by developed park marinas.

Finish

Take-out

Bank of Brinkley Access
DirectionsOpen map

AGFC says the trail needs about 14 ft or higher to paddle and that the Dagmar Road gate closes at 17 ft, so verify both gauge freshness and road access before launching.

Road shuttle

Stage the take-out at Bank of Brinkley Access, then drive back to Benson Creek Access. Carry the AGFC georeferenced map before launching because this full-trail route uses the entire access chain and leaves no room for casual navigation mistakes.

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This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.

On-water distance15.2 miCreek-focused
On-water timeAbout 8 hr to 12 hrFull route option
ShuttleCar shuttleChoose a shorter in/out pair for a shorter day.

Benson Creek Access to Bank of Brinkley Access is about 15.2 mi. Use the planner to compare shorter access pairs.

Additional access notes
  • The main channel is not always distinct. Carry the georeferenced map or equivalent offline navigation before leaving cell coverage.
  • Stay with the named public accesses and avoid private banks, fences, signs, and purple-painted property.
More route and safety guidance
  • Carry the AGFC georeferenced map offline, file a float plan, and make a daylight decision about whether the group is completing the route in one push or splitting it with a legal Dagmar WMA camp.
  • Stay off private banks and expect wood, floating debris, wind exposure, and stronger current if the gauge rises toward the 17-foot road-closure mark.
Terms and safety
Plan this paddle

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Conditions

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Tomorrow and the weekend

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Station details and river cameras

Sources and methodology

Review source dates and published guidance below. We have not inspected this trip in person.

Data reliability: checking
Data status
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Gauge inputChecking

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Next stepChecking

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This rating reflects whether the gauge measures this part of the river, whether published water-level guidance is available, and how recently the data was updated.

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Water levels, published guidance and update times

These readings and published water-level limits help explain today’s score.

Gauge siteBayou Deview near Brinkley, AR
Gauge heightChecking
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24h trendChecking
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Rain last 24hChecking
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Preferred rangeNeeds paddler reports
Known low-water floor14.00 ft
High thresholdWater-level guidance unavailable
Evidence strength behind the rangeOfficial data source
Gauge observedChecking
Paddle Today updatedChecking
Main source behind this scoreArkansas Game and Fish Bayou DeView gauge guidance
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Published evidence and verification notes

These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.

  • Official route segmentBenson Creek Access to Bank of Brinkley Access, 15.2 miles

    AGFC still lists Benson Creek to Bank of Brinkley as the full Bayou DeView Water Trail segment.

    Source

  • Direct gauge thresholdAround 14 ft to paddle; Dagmar Road gate closes at 17 ft

    AGFC describes about 14 ft as the level needed to paddle and separately states that the Dagmar Road gate closes at 17 ft. It warns that high water is dangerous; the gate closure is not a route-wide upper safety threshold.

    Source

  • Put-in accessBenson Creek Access, 34.93569, -91.24092

    AGFC still publishes Benson Creek Access as a named public Bayou DeView Water Trail launch with a map-linked coordinate point.

    Source

  • Take-out accessBank of Brinkley Access, 34.80024, -91.30049

    AGFC still publishes Bank of Brinkley Access as a named public Bayou DeView Water Trail launch with a map-linked coordinate point.

    Source

  • Camping policyFree Dagmar WMA campsites on route; none on Cache River NWR

    AGFC still says free first-come campsites marked by blue paint are available on Dagmar WMA and that camping is not allowed on Cache River National Wildlife Refuge.

    Source

  • Planner modelCanonical Bayou DeView corridor with intermediate public accesses

    This full-trail slug preserves Benson Creek to Bank of Brinkley as the canonical route while the trip details keep Dark Corner, Hickson Lake, Rock Island Road, and Apple Lake available as named public access-planner stops.

    Source

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