See all 13 routes on Buffalo River
Arkansas | Ozark Highlands
Buffalo RiverSteel Creek to Pruitt
Full upper Buffalo National River continuation from Steel Creek to Pruitt, linking the exact Steel-Creek-to-Kyle's, Kyle's-to-Erbie, Erbie-to-Ozark, and Ozark-to-Pruitt paddles into one guarded all-day route. The Pruitt gauge is the direct same-corridor official check for the finish.
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Route location
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Route overview
Trip details
Access rules, camping and seasonal notes.
Permits, camping and season
Access and shuttle
Launch at Steel Creek and take out at Pruitt for a full upper Buffalo continuation through Kyle's Landing, Erbie, and Ozark. 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
Put-in
Steel Creek river launch (campground nearby)Steel Creek can be crowded during good water windows, and Pruitt is a busy Highway 7 access with loading traffic and posted park operations.
Take-out
Pruitt Landing / Highway 7 accessThis route inherits the rough-road practical constraints from Kyle's Landing and the long upper-district shuttle across several access roads.
Road shuttle
Stage the take-out at Pruitt Landing, then drive back to Steel Creek. NPS component shuttles add up to roughly 105 minutes between Steel Creek, Kyle's Landing, Erbie, Ozark, and Pruitt, and upper-district roads can still be rough, muddy, 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
- Use the direct Pruitt gauge check already documented on this card, but still verify current park alerts, launch conditions, and wood before committing.
- Plan around swift Class I-II current, repeated shoals, fresh flood wood, rough roads, limited cell service, long mileage, and the mandatory finish at Pruitt Landing.
Plan this paddle
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Conditions
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Recent trend
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Gauge source
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Weather
Hourly forecast
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Plan ahead
Tomorrow and the weekend
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Station details and river cameras
Station observations
USGS measurements
Measurement notes and coverage
These are observations at the station. Water depth and current can differ along your trip.
River camera · USGS
View at the gauge
Buffalo River at Pruitt, AR. This view may be outside your paddling reach. Images are periodic and do not establish safe conditions.
Photos and recent reports
Look for recent access, obstruction and hazard observations. Context photos may show a different part of the river.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
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Sources and methodology
Review source dates and published guidance below. We have not inspected this trip in person.
Why this scoreData reliability: checking
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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Data behind the scoreWater levels, published guidance and update times
These readings and published water-level limits help explain today’s score.
| Gauge site | Buffalo River at Pruitt, AR |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Preferred range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 100 cfs |
| High threshold | Water-level guidance unavailable |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official and local sources |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | NPS Buffalo National River Float Guide Pruitt gauge bands |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesPublished 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 shapeSteel Creek to Pruitt, about 21.1 miles
NPS publishes Steel Creek to Kyle's Landing as 8 miles, Kyle's Landing to Erbie as 5.7 miles, Erbie to Ozark as 5.4 miles, and Ozark to Pruitt as 2.1 miles, while the Buffalo access mileage chart lists 21.1 river miles from Steel Creek to Pruitt.
- Gauge check during route review · 2026-07-14USGS 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.
- 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.
- High-water cutoffNPS unsafe above 2,000 cfs at Pruitt
NPS says Buffalo River levels greater than 2,000 cfs at the Pruitt / Highway 7 gage are unsafe. The app does not turn that into an ideal scoring range.
- Access coordinatesSteel Creek 36.039309, -93.336228; Pruitt 36.057666, -93.135032
NPS identifies Steel Creek as a public river access. This water-entry coordinate follows OSM slipway node 12544125462; NPS campground GPS describes a separate campground anchor.
- Campground-backed put-inSteel Creek Campground
NPS campground pages support Steel Creek as a formal campground-backed launch for upper-district float planning.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- NPS Paddle Steel Creek to Kyle's Landing
- NPS Paddle Kyle's Landing to Erbie
- NPS Paddle Erbie to Ozark
- NPS Paddle Ozark to Pruitt
- NPS Buffalo River accesses and mileage
- NPS Buffalo National River paddling
- NPS Buffalo getting around / coordinates
- NPS Buffalo camping
- NPS Buffalo National River Float Guide
- USGS 07055680 Buffalo River at Pruitt
- USGS Water Services 07055680 latest conditions
Other routes nearby
More on Buffalo River
All 13Nearby routes within 75 miles
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