Buffalo National River - Boxley Valley

The ongoing government shutdown didn't seem to impact the Buffalo National River much during our visit last weekend. Unlike previous shutdowns, the access roads to the river were open. The campgrounds and bathrooms were also open (but the Visitor Centers at Tyler Bend and Buffalo Point are closed). Hopefully the rangers and other NPS staff up there are getting paid, or the shutdown will end soon and they will get paid for the last few weeks.

Maybe it was because of the shutdown (or the rainy weekend), but the park didn't seem all that crowded. We did end up seeing a crowd of people as we drove into the historic Boxley Valley. There was a line of cars parked near the Ponca access point, with a bunch of people taking pictures with their phones (and a few real cameras). Which meant one thing - there were elk out there! We pulled over so the kids could see the elk, and I joined the scrum to get a few pictures too. There was one large bull elk walking around, seemingly oblivious to the people nearby.



The elk lazily walked through the field, and the throng of people would all hurry to change position along the nearby road. It was almost comical, the slow-moving elk on one side of the fence and the people on the other side creating a small traffic jam as they all moved their cars further down the road to get a better shot. We left the elkarazzi behind and drove deeper in the historic Boxley Valley. Our next stop was along this little dirt road, which leads to the old Beechwoods Church and cemetery.



And a shot of the old church (built 1915).



It started to rain again as we drove across the valley. We stopped by this old barn (built in the 1920s), and the kids happily ran inside to explore. It was also a good place to sit and watch the rain.



The next stop was a spot along the Buffalo River. The raindrops created ripples across the water, as fog drifted along the tops of the nearby mountains.





The fall colors seemed to get more vibrant as the day progressed, probably thanks to the steady rain. It was a good day to be out and about around the Buffalo.