Buffalo River Handbook [Paperback]

Kenneth L. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2006

Ken Smith’s extensive knowledge about the Buffalo River country, including his experience setting up trails and publishing river guides, is on display in this fascinating book about the history and geology of the Buffalo National River. The book was done in coordination with NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAPS, TRAILS ILLUSTRATED.

Product Details

• Paperback: 436 pages
• Publisher: Ozark Society Foundation (January 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 091245623X
• ISBN-13: 978-0912456232
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Rafting
  • #39 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Canoeing

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bible of the Buffalo River country, December 15, 2007

By 

Richard Mcfadden "Canoe Camper" (Conway, AR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Buffalo River Handbook (Paperback)

If you are interested in learning about the trails, river, people, geology and biology of the Buffalo River . . . this is the place to start. No one knows the Buffalo River country better than Ken Smith. It has been his passion for more than 40 years. An earlier book he wrote, Buffalo River Country, played a key role in the creation of America's first national river. He knows the Buffalo River trail as no one else can. He laid it out and supervised its construction. He is actively involved today in the extention of it from Hwy 65 to Hwy 14. This trail will ultimately make it possible for a hiker to travel by trail from St Louis, Missouri to near Ft. Smith Arkansas.

Buffalo River Handbook easily rates five stars for anyone going to the Buffalo. I would also buy the Trails Illustrated maps of the Buffalo which he also edited and which go hand in hand with the Buffalo River Handbook.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent from the Historical and General Perspectives, March 19, 2007

By 

James Urbina (Texarkana, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Buffalo River Handbook (Paperback)

Admittedly, it is difficult to be comprehensive and remain a "handbook," meaning something that you could take with you and refer to while on the trail or the river. If you are looking for specific maps for trails, I would recommend books by Tim Ernst, or if you are looking for details on running the river, A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to the Ozarks are both superior for their individual information. This said, if you want something to refer to in general with historical as well as geological information along with talk of the flora and fauna with generalized information on trails and the river this book is outstanding. Excellent color and black and white pictures, and a searchable index.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good guide but heavy on geology, April 19, 2010

By 

William M. Warren "WW" (Aurora, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Buffalo River Handbook (Paperback)

I purchased this book for a recent trip down the Buffalo. I primarily wanted the mile-by-mile descriptions to help to know what to not miss on the river.

The author provides a lot of information in one place and a level of detail that is probably not available anywhere else. I believe this is considered the definitive guide to the river.

My biggest complaint is the seemingly endless geological formation descriptions. These are great if you are a geologist or geology enthusiast but become wearisome when you're just trying to find out what's ahead. (I understand Mr Smith's passion for geology and find some of it quite interesting but this is too much.) Too late now, but he probably should have included a separate mile-by-mile geologic description section instead of embedding this in the rest of the river description.

Also, the author mentions that the Trail Illustrated maps are essential to use with the book, prompting me to order them. I found them useful but not much more so than the USGS maps I already had.