The Arkansas River, sourcing near Leadville, Colorado, flows 1,450 miles across Colorado, Kansas, Northeastern Oklahoma and Arkansas to the confluence of the Mississippi River about 600 miles north of New Orleans, making it the fourth longest U.S. river. With a drainage basin of nearly 195,000 miles, the Arkansas River is the largest tributary of the Mississippi-Missouri River System. It enters Oklahoma near Arkansas City on the Kansas border above Kaw Lake in Kay County, then flows generally southeast through Tulsa and Muskogee before turning east and flowing across the Arkansas State Line into Fort Smith. Numerous dams have created very large lakes on the Arkansas River, which is fed by the Salt Fork of the Arkansas, Black Bear, Cimarron, Illinois, Verdigris and South Canadian along with several other smaller rivers, creeks and streams. Because of damming, a continuous downriver trip would not be possible on the Arkansas river, though various reaches are available for paddling and all almost always have adequate flow for navigability.

Click the links below for information regarding the section of the Arkansas River and its tributaries where you want to paddle.

[ Kaw Lake to SH 99 ] [ Keystone State Park to US Highway 69 ] [ Salt Fork of the Arkansas River ]
[ Bird Creek ] [ Caney River ] [ Cimarron River ] [ Salt Creek ] [ Spring River ] [ Stillwater Creek ] [ Verdigris River ] [ Neosho River ]