See all 5 routes on Saline River
Arkansas | Central Arkansas
Saline River
Tony Kelly Ford Access to Lyle Park Access
Check current paddling conditions for this Saline River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route snapshot
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Today
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Start with the verdict, current conditions, route plan, and quick facts before you commit to the drive.
Today's conditions
Gauge
Recent trend
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Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Best window today
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Today by hour
Short-route forecast
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Quick facts
Plan
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Use this section once the route looks viable and you need to turn it into an actual trip plan.
Access plan
Access, shuttle, and map
Launch at Tony Kelly Ford Access and take out at Lyle Park for the upper Benton Saline River water-trail segment. The direct Benton gauge works well here because the route finishes before the downstream spillway and low-water-bridge hazard that complicate lower segments.
Put-in
Tony Kelly Ford AccessOpen mapTony Kelly Ford is a simple public river access with no developed campground support in the reviewed source set.
Take-out
Lyle Park AccessOpen mapLyle Park is the clean public take-out before the lower-river spillway and low-water-bridge hazards downstream of Benton.
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Tony Kelly Ford is a simple public river access with no developed campground support in the reviewed source set.
- Lyle Park is the clean public take-out before the lower-river spillway and low-water-bridge hazards downstream of Benton.
- The current Benton gauge reading during this run sat near the low end of the general paddle band, so expect more scraping and slower shoals than on stronger flow days.
- Stay with the named public access points and avoid private banks, fences, signs, and purple-painted property lines along the corridor.
Watch for
- Low water around and below 3.5 ft, when dragging across shoals and slower pools becomes more likely.
- Higher water above about 5.0 ft, when AGFC says the river becomes experienced-only with faster current and less forgiving eddies.
- Fast chutes, riffles, strainers, fresh flood wood, muddy exits, and pushier current after thunderstorms.
- Private banks, anglers, swimmers near town, and late-day headwinds or heat on the longer pools.
Route gallery
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Sources
Check the data behind today's call.
Use this section when the page shows stale data, limited confidence, or a call you want to verify before driving.
Why this scoreToday's data confidence is checking
Data confidence mostly comes down to three things: how direct the gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking data confidence notes.
- Checking data confidence cautions.
OutlookTomorrow and weekend
This is a cautious early look. If the data is too thin, we leave it out.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Saline River at Benton, AR |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| Discharge | 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 |
| Target band | 3.60 ft to 5.00 ft |
| Low threshold | 3.50 ft |
| High threshold | 5.00 ft |
| Data confidence behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Arkansas Game and Fish Saline River Water Trail gauge bands |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Official route segmentTony Kelly Ford to Lyle Park, 8.2 miles
AGFC lists Tony Kelly Ford to Lyle Park as an exact Saline River Water Trail segment with a 4 to 6 hour float time under normal conditions.
- Direct live gaugeUSGS 07363000
USGS Water Services returned same-day Saline River at Benton values of 157 cfs and 3.64 ft at 2026-06-22 19:30 CDT during this run.
- Stage model3.5 / 3.6-5.0 / 5.0 ft
AGFC labels 3.5 ft and below as low, 3.6-4.0 ft as typical, 4.1-5.0 ft as optimum, and 5.1-5.5 ft as high experienced-only water. Paddle Today uses 3.6-5.0 ft as the broad audience band and treats water above 5.0 ft as outside the general recommendation.
- Put-in accessTony Kelly Ford Access, 34.5844, -92.6938
AGFC publishes Tony Kelly Ford Access as a named public Saline River Water Trail access with a Google Maps coordinate link.
- Take-out accessLyle Park Access, 34.5873, -92.6051
AGFC publishes Lyle Park Access as a named public Saline River Water Trail access with a Google Maps coordinate link.
- Route characterDeep pools, fast chutes, riffles, small waves
AGFC says paddlers can expect deep pools, fast chutes, riffles, and small waves on this Benton reach, with about two miles per hour travel under normal conditions.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
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Quick answers
Saline River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Saline River?
Paddle Today watches Saline River at Benton, AR and treats 3.60 ft to 5.00 ft as the target band for this route, with weather and recent trend included in the final score.
Where does this Saline River route start and end?
This route starts at Tony Kelly Ford Access and ends at Lyle Park Access, about About 8.2 mi on the water.
Is this Saline River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
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