Original river description courtesy of
Southwest Paddler. Used by permission. Updated by David McDonald. This page is under construction, check back for updates. - 5/09/2006
Note
This run flows almost entirely through the Three Rivers WMA (450,000 acres) - a cooperative agreement between the ODWC and Weyerhaeuser, the land owner.
An annual permit is required to access this land. Fees are $16.00 for residents and $25.00 for non-residents. Permits and free maps are available where hunting and fishing licenses are sold. Three Rivers permit holders are also allowed to access the nearby Honobia Creek WMA, home to more remote and seldom run streams.
Narrow ledgy creek, flows into Mountain Fork at "the Narrows".
Flowing northwest to southeast into the Upper Mountain Fork River near "The Narrows" and just below Smithville is southeastern Oklahoma's Boktuklo Creek, a short but very exciting whitewater stream with Class II to III ledge drops, a tight, twisting channel, boulder garden rapids and incredible scenery. The creek is in the very remote and undeveloped McCurtain County near the Arkansas and Texas state lines. It is also very near the Upper and Lower Mountain Fork, Glover, Little and Kiamichi Rivers, as well as Big Creek, Eagle Fork Creek and Buffalo Creek. Boktuklo is hardly a perpetual flow stream, depending entirely upon recent local rainfall in heavy doses to make it navigable, but its close proximity to so many other great streams makes it another asset in the treasure of Oklahoma rivers, creeks and streams.
With a gradient of about 40 fpm in the lower sections, this is not the place for novice paddlers or others without sufficient whitewater skills and the proper boats and gear. In fact, its remoteness and difficulty demand that boaters be prepared to encounter and overcome any number of obstacles that include moderate drops, techical maneuvers, tree and boulder dodging and possibly occasional portages. The creek flows out from a Weyerhauser forest road down to the Upper Mountain Fork River at "The Narrows" east of US Highway 259, the last practical take-out on the creek, though paddlers may opt to continue another 1.5 miles to the "Fork", then downstream to Broken Bow Lake if they so desire.
Boktuklo Creek is an uncrowded, seldom paddled whitewater stream with fantastic Class II to III rapids, ledge drops, tree-dodging and tight turns around blind corners in the Kiamichi Mountains of McCurtain County in far southeastern Oklahoma. A lack of sufficient flow most of the time prevents it from being a popular whitewater run, but those who catch it right after a significant rain event are fortunate to find a remote wilderness run far removed from signs of civilization where excitement is almost non-stop simply because you never know what lies around the next corner unless you have a lot of experience on this stream at various water levels. It is conveniently located near several other excellent Oklahoma and Arkansas streams including the Upper and Lower Mountain Fork, Glover, Kiamichi and Little Rivers, Buffalo, and Eagle Fork Creeks, all in Oklahoma, and the Little, Cossatot and Saline Rivers of southwestern Arkansas. The creek is located near US Highway 259, the nearest towns being Smithville and Broken Bow, though Antlers is just a few miles to the west. It is also close to the Texas-Oklahoma and Arkansas-Oklahoma borders. Boktuklo Creek is best left to experienced whitewater boaters with at least strong intermediate level skills and (hopefully) swiftwater rescue training. It is a very scenic run in an area with little development. No river-related services are available along the creek, but several outfitters offer boat rentals, shuttles and other services in nearby Broken Bow, Smithville and Antlers.