Sunday, November 30, 2003 – Little Arkansas River 6.8 miles
Photos: Steve Riley
Mark Ritter and myself (Chris Collins) met near Oak Park in central Wichita at 10 AM to run our shuttle. All both of us! We loaded Mark’s boat on my van and headed for a new put-in location I scouted a couple of days prior to our float. We unloaded the boats on 46th Street North about half way between Seneca and Salina and then parked around the corner on Seneca. We transported our boats and gear over the flood control dyke and then up stream about 50 yards to a fallen tree that we used as a lunch point.
It took about 3 ˝ hours to complete the scenic 6.8 mile trip. We were obviously not in a hurry. We observed much wildlife and evidence even more. The water was unusually clear. At one point I could see about 20-30 large carp swimming in the bow wave of my boat like dolphins in front of a boat at sea. That was a first for me. The Sun was in full view and the temperature climbed to 64F in the afternoon making it almost too warm because we were both well protected for an accidental swim in ice cold water. We had a light current until about the last mile of our journey. The gage at Sedgwick was out of service but I can tell you the river was at a normal low and we did
not have to get out and drag our boats. We did elect to portage the spillway near 37th Street North where the river exits the flood control project. I recommend a river left portage to a low spot where the forest drains into the river.
Two miles downstream from our 12th & Bitting/Carlos take-out, a dam maintains a nice water level through the parks even in the driest of times. The Little Arkansas then flows over a second dam into the Arkansas River in the shadow of the “Keeper of the Plains”
statue.
The Little Arkansas River in Wichita provides a peaceful and scenic paddle through the parks, even when other rivers are dried up. The concrete slab boat dock at 12th and Bitting/Carlos can be used for both put-in and take-out eliminating the need for a shuttle. A carpet scrap is recommended to help prevent scratching your boat or paddle. At night, this section of the river reflects streetlights; lights from downtown buildings and can provide a refreshing evening paddle following a hot summer day. From the 12th & Bitting/Carlos boat dock to the dam and back to the put-in is 5.4 miles. Since there is no river current in park and it is generally shallow, this stretch of the river is an excellent place for beginning paddlers to practice and experienced paddlers to enjoy nature. You are guaranteed to observe many birds, squirrels and fish. Deer and other creatures are occasionally seen.
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