Ouachita National Forest
Federal Building
Post Office Box 1270
Hot Springs, Arkansas 71902
Arkansas State Parks Department
One Capitol Mall, 4A-900
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 |
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Little Rock District
Post Office Box 867
Little Rock, Arkansas 72203 |
 Designated Reach: April 22, 1992, and February 2, 1994. The segment of the Cossatot River from the confluence with Mine Creek in Polk County, near the town of Shady, Arkansas, downstream to Duchett's Ford, 4.6-miles below the State Highway 4 Bridge. Also, the segment of Brushy Creek from approximately 4.4 miles upstream of the Ouachita National Forest boundary just north of State Highway 246 to its confluence with the Cossatot River in the Cossatot River State Park-Natural Area in Polk County.
Classification/Mileage: Scenic — 26.6 miles; Recreational — 4.2 miles; Total — 30.8 miles.
The National Park Service describes it as "probably the most challenging" white-water float in the state. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a little more emphatic, saying it "is the most difficult whitewater stream in the state of Arkansas." Early Indians simply called it Cossatot—their word for "skull crusher." Today the Cossatot River is still crushing things, but they're mostly canoes, ice chests and the egos of over-confident paddlers.
The stream heads up in rugged Ouachita mountain country just southeast of Mena. It flows in a southerly direction for about 26 miles before its current ceases at Gillham Lake. Along the way the Cossatot travels through the Ouachita National Forest, along-side a wilderness area, and over and around upended layers of jagged bedrock. This last characteristic is what gives the stream its Class IV/Class V rating among river-runners. The Cossatot, however, is not just for floaters. In fact, much of its whitewater is not recommended for casual canoeists. The stream offers something for nearly everyone interested in Arkansas's outdoors.
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