Restoring Tyler Bend Boat Launch in Buffalo National River

Ready to launch

The Tyler Bend boat launch was introduced to the flagship campground in Buffalo National River in the late 80s. For decades, it has been known for kayaking and canoeing and offers many more recreational opportunities for visitors. “Aside from aquatic activities on the river— kayaking, canoeing, tubing, paddleboarding, anything that people enjoy doing in a river setting—we also have hiking, scenic overlook areas, camping, fishing, horseback riding and hunting is allowed within the borders of the National River,” Jesse Morris, Buffalo National River acting superintendent said. Following a 2011 flood that devasted the boat launch, the park decided to pursue a project to design, repair, and stabilize the Tyler Bend access route and launch to improve visitor safety.

“We put this project in around 10 years ago and unfortunately we just haven’t had the funding to do this,” Morris said. “When the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was passed, it was a great opportunity for us to put it in and it meets all the goals of the National Park Service of preserving and protecting resources and providing visitor access.”

Paddling on the Buffalo National River. NPS Photo

While a temporary launch was established to spread out use, boaters were still utilizing the damaged launch area. “We have 12 concession operators that have contracts with the National Park Service to provide float services via canoe or kayak, and some of them offer rafting as well,” Morris said. “The improvements to the launch are going to make it much easier for a larger group of visitors by including accessibility into the realignment to get gear and canoes onto the water,” Morris said.

Another concern that this project will address is high-traffic areas. “The congestion of the area on holidays and busy weekends will be improved by this project. The new flow of visitor vehicles coming in and out to drop off boats, canoes, and kayaks will create a nice opportunity for our visitors to better enjoy the space.” Morris said.

As part of the project, infrastructure will be moved out of the river corridor and return the area to natural processes by:

• Reducing sedimentation in the river
• Bolstering the resiliency of native species living in the water and natural river processes.
• Directing visitor use to hardened paved surfaces to preserve natural resources
• Restoring the river to a more natural setting
• Realignment of the wastewater system, to better control human waste
• Providing better facilities for visitors to use

Additionally, adjacent restrooms will be removed due to frequent flooding as well and the septic lift station will be relocated out of the regular floodplain. A drive-through area adjacent to the current launch area will be constructed allowing visitor launch access to the river with their canoes and kayaks.

Buffalo National River is consulting with their tribal partners as well as the Arkansas Buffalo River Conservation Committee to develop this Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funded project. “We’re using modern, sustainable building practices that we’ve seen in other areas like this that are successful hardened green design,” Morris said.

While Tyler Bend is mostly known for water activities, the repairs to the boat launch will benefit visitation to other park amenities. “We have a variety of historic settlements including the Collier homestead right near Tyler Bend Launch,” Cassie Branstetter, interpretation supervisor, said.

“This project is key to our ability to maintain our legislative mandate of having a free-flowing river system here,” Branstetter said. “The fact that we can utilize this type of funding to achieve those legislative mandates is a really great way for us to work together throughout the entire federal system to make sure that we are achieving our goals across the board.”

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

This project was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Ecosystem Restoration, signed on November 15, 2021. It is a historic investment in the restoration and protection of the environment. Learn more here.

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