Float Eureka — Local services in Eureka Springs

My wife and I had been wanting to do a float trip for some time. Living in KC means having to drive a bit to find a good floating river. Since we also wanted to go to Branson on this trip, it made it a little easier to choose the White river in Arkansas as it’s not too far from there.

Patrick was very informative and helpful over the phone in describing the river conditions and what to expect. The company website was easy to navigate for online booking for the float and the shuttle.

We visited the shop the day before as we were driving through Eureka Springs on our way to Bentonville for our hotel. Got to meet Patrick, ask some more questions and feel confident that we could just show up a little prior to the scheduled time since our hotel was an hour away.

The day of the float, we saw Patrick again and met Eric our shuttle driver. Both of them went over the same information about the river put in and takeout locations, which was nice way of reinforcing it. Eric also pointed out other points of interests along the way which was very interesting.

The float was a nice experience, very quiet and peaceful, especially after the various groups spread out. The current that day was almost imperceptible. We had chosen a canoe, which we had not done before. A little Wikihow and YouTube instruction and I’d say after about 20 mins of experience and we were pretty capable to make it go mostly where we wanted. Another couple on their first float did the tandem kayak and they seemed to take to it pretty quickly as they were out of sight while we were still turning circles.

I didn’t feel like we had paddled too much more than necessary to stay straight and keep a little momentum. Funny thing about a canoe, in the time it takes to put down your paddle and take a sip of beer, your pointing in a different direction!

Didn’t tip the canoe, had a lovely time, saw some eagles and some kind of large egret or crane. Will definitely be back to try out the kayak next time!

Don’t forget to say Hi to Abel the friendly German shepherd at the end (not part of Float eureka, but the unofficial greeter at the takeout ) and visit the little civil war cemetery at the end.

The previous reviewer claiming this is 8 miles in 4 hours is mistaken. IIRC, this is about 4 miles. We paddled just enough to stay straight and finished about 2.5 hours. We would have stopped , but I wasn’t too sure about not tipping the canoe getting in/out. We did stop a little across from the takeout because we didn’t...

The highlight of our trip to Eureka Springs!!! We rented a canoe and purchased the shuttle in advance for 2 adults and a dog. Float Eureka sent lots of detailed info in advance so we knew exactly what was going on. We checked in and they directed us to park, were super detailed and informative about the trip, and Erick the shuttle driver gave us lots on interesting historical tidbits and leads on other things to check out along the drive. Not only that, he unloaded and loaded all the kayaks, canoes, and gear. Make sure and tip him for his hard work! It was a hot day and the water was too cold to swim, but it was absolutely gorgeous and there was lots to look at and appreciate. Lots of fish in the water too. We brought drinks, snacks, and extra sunscreen. We kept our dog cool by draping him with a wet shirt and he was so relaxed he passed out. We even got to explore a little old cemetery at the pickup point while everyone paddled in and Erick loaded us up. Their shop is well-stocked if you forget anything and everyone was really friendly. Next time, we will wear full-coverage for sun protection, have some shade for the dog, and get licenses to maybe do some fishing along the way. We would...

My wife and I did a float last Thursday and the Eureka staff were friendly from the beginning, getting us checked in. The gentleman also asked if we had any questions about the float, take out point , landmarks that are important. Everyone had mask on, and that's important these days, as several of us rode together on the shuttle. The guys even told us that the white river was high and slow, and to anticipate lots of paddling. I appreciate honesty when it comes to the flow of a river. Some places always say the flow is great and fast and no dragging. It's a beautiful trip and a good workout. Beats the hell out of a gym membership. They also have hotel and restaurant/club. Great place to cool off and have a cocktail after long float. We...