Oklahoma River Float Trip in Oklahoma City

[@grindstone4910]

Good video! A friend and I did a portion from just past MacArthur to Riversport a few years ago. We had to portage around the two dams. The first dam at May we paddled up to the left side and it was fairly easy to just walk up and down the sidewalk portion. We put in right after the lock. The second dam near Walker, the river cruise boat was coming up stream out of the lock and honked and warned us to not approach the dam. We waited for the boat to pass and went up the right side. Climbing the rock levee was a pain in the ass AND I got bit by a fire ant. My leg cramped up and I couldn't carry the little 9' kayak by myself. We eventually made it to the boat ramp at Riversport where I left my truck and loaded up no issue. You're pretty spot on, nothing really worth doing past Portland. It was hot and not scenic. We'd stop at every bridge to rest in the shade for a bit before continuing. Naturally, the area around the Stockyard was also VERY smelly and made it hard to breathe. We had originally planned to drop in at 10th street by Crystal Lake, but the banks were way too steep. Here's a small album from the trip: imgur.com/a/udVhezs I do have a question. When we dropped in downriver of MacArthur, there was a small corrugated metal 'dam', I think? How did you navigate that portion? Or was it still there?

[@oklahoma7727]

Sounds like you might have gone when the river was low. A foot in gage height makes a world of difference. I was able to go right over the metal wall thing, or around it, it was hard to tell, but I know what you are talking about. I did t realize it went across. So probably important to check the gage height before taking this trip. There are charts and current measurements as well as my notes about the ideal levels on the website, oklahoma77.com

[@rileyherriman]

Sub # 20!! How long did that trip take? Might try and work this in before/after work a few times.

[@oklahoma7727]

When I "float", I'm just chilling and letting the flow do most of the work. That said, it was a little under 4 hours on this trip. Definitely check the flow rate and depth before jumping on this trip. I have heard there are some obstacles that show up when the overholser dam isn't flowing strong. I listed some gage depth levels and live stats on the website that you can check before jumping on this float to make sure it's in the ideal condition.