Canoe the whole Buffalo

Floating the whole Buffalo National River in one trip, 135 miles from Ponca to the White River, is the topic of a free program at 2 p.m. on March 20 at the Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area outdoor education pavilion.

Flip Putthoff, outdoors reporter at the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, floated the length of the river in 2009 and will talk about the adventure. He hopes to inspire others to float the whole Buffalo in 2022, which is the 50th anniversary of the stream’s national river designation.

Topics will include essential items to take, characteristics of various sections of the Buffalo and tips for planning long-distance float trips.