Grinder's Ferry

Grinder's Ferry Home City: Marshall ARK GPS: Park 35.98493,-92.74401         Spot 35.9859, -92.74293 Shade: Fair Proximity to Food/Gas: ~ 10 Minutes (Marshall) How We Found It: On the fly in 2015. Fee: No Years Visited: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2024 Smoothness Of Road: Yery Good Photo Gallery: Here Pros: Plenty deep, easy to get to once parked, good jumping, smooth easy road, reasonably close to food places etc. Cons: Not very scenic, no hiking, can become very packed with canoers Grade: A      Grinder's Ferry is a spot we found on the fly in 2015 while checking out Shine Eye from the book, we pulled in for a quick look-see.      Much of the area seems to be shallow, but there is one spot (pictured, plus its GPS coordinates are noted above). At that particular spot, you can't get much better swimming anywhere. It gets really deep, and quickly, and without much hiking or grunt-work etc required. It's close to other spots like Shine Eye and Collier Homestead, making it a good quick visit, similar to Bradley Park in Jasper.      The main drawbacks are that it's not really all that scenic to me, and at times it can become very crowded with canoers. When we first visited the place in 2015, it wasn't crowded at all, but became more crowded over time to where by 2017 or 2018 (I forget which) we stopped visiting altogether, until I gave it another try in 2024. It wasn't as crowded in 2024 for whatever reason.      The drive consists of about a mile down a gravelish road right off 65, it can be a BIT hairy at times but it's mostly smooth going, just watch for a pothole here and there basically. It's near Tyler Bend, Shine Eye, and Collier Homestead.      It's not far from Marshall, where there should be enough for you to get something to eat. ----------- Nearby Gas/Food Marshall (about 10 min)

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