Arkansas | Ozark Highlands

Buffalo RiverKyle's Landing to Hasty

Long upper Buffalo continuation from Kyle's Landing to Hasty, linking the exact Kyles-to-Erbie, Erbie-to-Ozark, Ozark-to-Pruitt, and Pruitt-to-Hasty paddles into one low-water fallback-friendly day. The direct Pruitt gauge remains the same-corridor decision point.

Route location

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DistanceAbout 19.9 to 20.0 mi
DifficultyHard
Typical timeAbout 9 hr to 11 hr
ShuttleCar shuttle
The Buffalo River flows past Pruitt Landing with wooded Ozark hills above the bank in the same corridor used for the longer Kyles Landing to Hasty continuation.
Route photoBuffalo River at Pruitt LandingPhoto by Chris Light via Wikimedia Commons
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Trip details

Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.

Permits, camping and season
PermitsNone notedNo route-specific private paddling permit is known for a normal Buffalo National River day trip. Follow NPS river rules, carry required PFDs, obey access and parking signs, and check park alerts, weather, and river level before launching.
CampingOptions nearbyKyle's Landing is a formal NPS campground, so this continuation can work as a campground-staged Buffalo day even though Hasty itself is a simpler rural take-out.
SeasonFeb-DecNPS says Buffalo paddling windows shift downstream as the river drops, and this Kyles-to-Hasty continuation should still be treated as a same-day rainfall-and-trend decision rather than a dependable summer float.

Access and shuttle

Launch at Kyle's Landing and take out at Hasty for a longer upper Buffalo continuation through Erbie, Ozark, and Pruitt. Use the direct Pruitt USGS gauge as the low-water check, and skip the route when the river is rising fast, very low, or above the NPS unsafe level.

Access map

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Start

Put-in

Kyle's Landing campground / river access
DirectionsOpen map

Kyle's Landing is a remote upper-district access reached by rough park road. NPS recommends high clearance and four-wheel drive for Kyle's Landing Road.

Finish

Take-out

Hasty river access / Chimney Rock Bluff take-out
DirectionsOpen map

Hasty is the sandy river-right take-out across from Chimney Rock Bluff. It is a rural access with limited services; do not assume cell coverage or quick rescue response.

Road shuttle

Stage the take-out at Hasty, then drive back to Kyle's Landing. NPS component shuttles add up to about 90 minutes between Kyle's Landing, Erbie, Ozark, Pruitt, and Hasty, and upper Buffalo roads can still be rough, dusty, or slow after storms. Inspect both accesses before launching.

Additional access notes
  • NPS says no road follows the river, access roads may be unpaved or rocky, and GPS can be unreliable in the park. Carry a real map and do not assume cell service.
  • This route uses the direct Pruitt gauge with minimum-only scoring. It is not a full ideal-range recommendation.
More route and safety guidance
  • NPS still says upper-district paddling is extremely dependent on rainfall, many access roads are rough or unpaved, and GPS can be unreliable in the park.
  • Use the direct Pruitt gauge and current park alerts before launching. Very low water can turn this into a long drag-heavy day, and NPS says flows above 2,000 cfs at Pruitt are unsafe.
Terms and safety
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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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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.

  • Checking data sources and update times.
Water levels, published guidance and update times

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

Gauge siteBuffalo River at Pruitt, AR
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Preferred rangeNeeds paddler reports
Known low-water floor100 cfs
High thresholdWater-level guidance unavailable
Evidence strength behind the rangeOfficial and local sources
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Paddle Today updatedChecking
Main source behind this scoreNPS Buffalo National River Float Guide Pruitt gauge bands
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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 shapeKyle's Landing to Hasty, about 19.9 to 20.0 miles

    NPS publishes Kyle's Landing to Erbie as 5.7 miles, Erbie to Ozark as 5.4 miles, Ozark to Pruitt as 2.1 miles, and Pruitt to Hasty as 7 miles, while the Buffalo access mileage chart lists about 20.0 river miles from Kyle's Landing to Hasty.

    Source

  • Gauge check during route review · 2026-07-15USGS 07055680

    This reading was saved when we checked the guide. It is not today’s water level. Check the current gauge and local conditions before paddling.

    Source

  • Low-water floor100 cfs minimum-only

    The NPS-linked Buffalo National River Float Guide uses Pruitt bands of Very Low below 100 cfs, Low from 100 to 200 cfs, Moderate from 200 to 1,000 cfs, High from 1,000 to 2,000 cfs, and Flood above 2,000 cfs. Paddle Today uses only the start of Low as a conservative floor.

    Source

  • Route characterUpper Buffalo continuation into the lower-water Pruitt-to-Hasty fallback

    NPS says the Kyles route is not for beginners, and the lower Pruitt-to-Hasty section is a popular alternative when conditions above Pruitt are too low for paddling.

    Source

  • Access coordinatesKyle's Landing 36.055756, -93.2813; Hasty 36.008993, -93.08242

    NPS Camping publishes Kyles Landing Campground GPS coordinates, and the NPS Pruitt-to-Hasty route page identifies Hasty as the sandy river-right take-out across from Chimney Rock Bluff.

    Source

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