re: Buffalo River in March?

March: No leaves, few ticks, no snakes. Decent water but can be cold and sometimes dangerous. Few crowds until Spring Break. First wildflowers and great views due to less canopy.

April: Great combo of the above. Awesome month. Avoid dangerous water if we’ve had big storms.

May: Water is often great and swimable. Ticks get bad near the river. Flowers are beautiful. College kids start emerging from hibernation and can ruin a section of the river.

June: If rain has been good all Spring, wonderful combo of air + water temps. Watch for snakes in narrow sections of the river. Ticks get horrible in early June, don’t go in grass near river. College crowds thin out. River is often not floatable by late June in many of the more desirable areas.

You can always float the White River and then hike the Buffalo of water is too low. Day 1: Float the White or Kings Rivers. Can’t swim the white, too cold. Day 2: Hike Buffalo around Goat Trail/Hemmed in Hollow. Swim at Jim Bluff.