For practical purposes, War Eagle Creek is actually a part of the White River system of waterways, but its close proximity to the Arkansas River, and the fact that most descriptions of White River tributaries are located on the eastern side of the state, make it reasonable to link it with nearby streams of the Arkansas River system. War Eagle Creek is somewhat of an anomaly by Arkansas standards - its flow is almost perpetual, though it is seldom boatable during summer months when the southwestern United States is usually hot and dry. The creek begins its life southeast of Huntsville near the small community of Boston in Madison County, then flows generally northwest across SH 68, through Winthrow Springs State Park to Beaver Lake just east of Bentonville and Rogers in Benton County of far northwestern Arkansas. Its headwaters are situated between the Upper White River (West Fork) to the west and the Hailstone/Buffalo National and Kings Rivers to the east. War Eagle Creek is a Class I to II moderate whitewater stream with some rapids in its upper reach that approach Class III difficulty at higher flows, usually when it is cold in this remote corner of "The Natural State of Arkansas".
The creek forms among the hardwoods of Ozark National Forest and flows through alternating forests and farmlands as it approaches Beaver Lake just south of the Missouri State Line. Its primary hazards are brush and debris piles left over from dead-fallen trees that find their ways into the creekbed. Scenery all around the creek is excellent. The flow is moderate except during drought periods or right after heavy local rainfall, two conditions which present very different characteristics to the stream. Basically, War Eagle Creek is a fun ride of about 26 miles without many true dangers (unless you hear some guys playing "Dueling Banjos" in the woods), but a lot of gorgeous terrain is all around. Winthrow Springs State Park is located at just about the midway point of this run, and can be an excellent stopover for overnight trips, as well as an intermediate access for shorter trips starting or ending there. Bring your camera to this leisurely, scenic, moderate whitewater creek and enjoy the Ozark National Forest on another of Arkansas' many wonderful paddling streams.
Madison and Benton Counties of far northwestern Arkansas very near the headwaters of the Hailstone/Buffalo National River and the West Fork of the White River, then flowing northwest to Beaver Lake east of Rogers and Bentonville, and just south of the Missouri State Line.
Fort Smith 82 miles; Fayetteville 20 miles; Little Rock 175 miles; Texarkana 262 miles: Kansas City 280 miles; Oklahoma City 262 miles; Dallas 422 miles; Austin 638 miles; San Antonio 718 miles; Houston 531 miles; Albuquerque 804 miles; Phoenix 1,262 miles; Denver 887 miles; Salt Lake City 1,421 miles (all distances are approximate, and depend upon starting point, destination at the river and route taken.)
Overall, water quality is usually good to very good due to the remote and undeveloped nature of the area, though farmland runoff can degrade it slightly, especially in spring and summer months. Flows are almost always adequate for paddling except during the summer months, when the creek can drop to levels that are not navigable. War Eagle Creek gets its water from local rainfall and runoff from feeder creeks and streams.
Usually, any time other than summer months is a good time to paddle War Eagle Creek. Prime conditions exist from late-October through March, depending upon season rainfall and occasional winter snow witnin the drainage basin.
There are no major rapids or similar hazards on War Eagle Creek at normal flows, though some of the Class II drops on the upper creek can approach Class III status when the creek rises above normal levels. Brush and debris piles from dead-fall occasionally create potential strainers and entrapments that must be avoided, but they are minor problems for competent boaters.
Arkansas SH 23 bridge southeast of Huntsville at 0.0 miles; Arkansas SH 68 bridge just east of Huntsville at about 10.0 miles; Winthrow Springs State Park, on river right at SH 23, at about 14.0 miles; Arkansas SH 45 bridge just north of Hindsville and west of Winthrow Springs State Park at about 26.0 miles. There may be other access roads between the first put-in and the last take-out mentioned, as well as below SH 45 and Beaver Lake.
Winthrow Springs State Park offers 25 campsites, drinking water, restrooms, showers, electrical hook-ups, picnic facilities and canoe rentals. There are no other known campgrounds located along War Eagle Creek. Parts of teh creekbanks lie within Ozark National Forest and are available for primitive camping, but other parts of the banks are privately-owned lands, and trespassing should be avoided unless having firest secured landowner permission to be there. Several other state parks, though
