Since 1966
Six decades of Scout crews, rivalries, records and long days on the White River.
Timeline
Drawn from the race's records and the memories of the paddlers who raced it. Have a correction or a missing chapter? Let us know.
Explorer and Sea Scout crews race 50 miles from Batesville to Newport, changing crews at Oil Trough. Sea Scout Ship 107 of North Little Rock wins by a wide margin. Read a winner's story
Explorer posts from Cabot, Arkansas, win four straight years. Racers from this era remember starts at Sylamore and Cotter, overnights in Batesville and finishes as far down as Newport. The start later moves all the way up to Bull Shoals Dam. Read the 1968 story
A team from Brownsville, Texas, shows up with a long, narrow Sawyer racing canoe, and nothing is the same after that. The race splits into separate Aluminum and Cruising classes, and a feature in Scouting's national magazine draws teams from other states. Read Kim A.'s story
Laredo, Texas, and Las Cruces, New Mexico, take three straight overall titles before Little Rock answers. Paddlers remember 50 to 75 teams in the banner years. Little Rock's Post 8 wins three in a row from 1975 to 1977, and its 1976 Girls Aluminum record lasts 32 years. Read David S.'s story
Camdenton, Missouri's Post 29 wins in 1978 and 1979 and sets the Open Aluminum record that still stands. Posts from New Iberia, Louisiana, win the next four.
Coach Doug Summer's Post 301 from Faribault, Minnesota, wins nine overall titles and sets Girls Cruising, Coed Cruising and Coed Aluminum records in 1985 and 1986 that still stand. Post 313 from Bogalusa, Louisiana, starts a dynasty of its own, winning seven straight from 1993 to 1999.
Crew 300 from Russellville, Arkansas, wins five straight. In 2008 it sets the Open Cruising record of 11:41:06, the fastest youth time in race history, the same year Crew 313 and Crew 200 of Bush, Louisiana, set the Boys and Girls Aluminum records.
Bogalusa's Crew 313 wins nine of eleven overall titles, bringing Post and Crew 313 to 19 youth overall championships, the most in race history.
The race is canceled both years because of COVID.
The race returns in 2022 and opens to the public. You no longer have to be part of Scouting to race: youth and adult paddlers now compete in aluminum, cruising, kayak and Unlimited classes. Adults set new course records in 2023 and 2025, when Don Walls and Stephen Lynn paddled the course in 11:31:12. In 2026 the USCA Stock Aluminum Nationals ran alongside the race.
| Team | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Post & Crew 313 – Bogalusa, LA | 19 | 1989, 1993–1999, 2002–2003, 2009, 2011–2013, 2015–2019 |
| Post 301 – Faribault, MN | 9 | 1984–1988, 1990–1992, 2001 |
| Crew 300 – Russellville, AR | 7 | 2004–2008, 2010, 2014 |
| Posts 110 & 259 – Cabot, AR | 4 | 1967–1970 |
| Posts 517 & 81 – New Iberia, LA | 4 | 1980–1983 |
| Post 8 – Little Rock, AR | 3 | 1975–1977 |
| Troop 172 – Springfield, LA | 3 | 2023, 2025, 2026 |
Traveling trophies
Winning youth teams keep a traveling trophy for a year, engrave their name and bring it back to the next race.
“Coach Summer Sir” was the first coach of Post 301 in Faribault, Minnesota, which began dominating the race in the 1980s. He brought paddlers of every background together and built their love of paddling and teamwork. He died in a car accident in 1998 while returning from the USCA Nationals with junior paddlers.
An advisor with Post 29 of Camdenton, Missouri, Ron brought boys' and girls' teams to the race from 1974 to 1982. Post 29 won the overall title in 1978 and set the Open Aluminum record in 1979, and his teams raced in as many as ten states.
“Doc” Van Patter, an advisor with Post 8 of Little Rock, was one of the early founders of the race and one of the first advisors to bring a large group of girls' teams. His 1976 Girls Aluminum team held the class record until 2008, the longest-standing record in race history.
Other youth awards honor Col. Robert Miller (sportsmanship), Tom Edwards (most distance traveled), Carl Garner (spirit), George Wise (most Scouts participating) and Doyle Rogers (youngest team). See all youth awards
Race stories
Paddlers look back on fog, storms, rivalries and quick changes on the White River.
In 1966 I was a junior at North Little Rock High School (Arkansas) and in my younger days had been a Boy Scout and when Sea Scout Ship 107 was organized and sponsored by the North Little Rock Yacht Club I immediately became a member. The adult leader of the Ship was Mr. Jay Robison. I do not…
Read the story: The First White River Canoe Race in 1966In the early months of 1968 the Lion’s Club of Cabot decided that, in addition to their work with the sight impaired, they wanted to assist some of the local youth. They eventually approached me, the new football coach, about starting an Explorer Scout group. Their intentions were to buy a canoe…
Read the story: The 1968 White River Canoe RaceI went to Boy Scout summer camp a thousand years ago (mid-60s) and learned to paddle a canoe. For me it was the best part of camp. I "graduated" to Explorer scouting (Post 385 North Little Rock, AR) and in 1968 I heard about the White River Canoe Race for Explorer scouts. I knew I had to do it,…
Read the story: Kim A. StoryThirty years ago the White River Canoe Race was the highlight of my life. At the time, all of my best friends were members of a canoeing Explorer Post in Las Cruces, New Mexico. We raced anywhere there was water, but primarily in New Mexico and Texas. Several members of our Post did well in the…
Read the story: David S. StoryIt was cold, the sun was out and I couldn't be more ready. As I stood almost knee deep in the cold water of the White River, I waited for our team to come around the bend. It was the first day of the race, and everyone was watching with anticipation. In a way I was nervous, but I knew what I had…
Read the story: Paul Dauterive StoryIt was a dark and stormy morning; each team was timidly getting their boat set up for the 18 mile leg of the 40th annual White River Canoe Race. Ruth and I were busy filling our camelbacks, zipping our PFDs, and making sure our boat didn’t fill up with water before we even began paddling. Tave…
Read the story: Canoes of FireLast year was my sixth year to participate in the Explorer/Venturer White River Canoe Race. Many things have changed over those years, from the people participating in the race to the race course itself. At the same time, some things have never changed; competition has always been fierce,…
Read the story: Practice, Practice, PracticeI woke up at sunrise on the second day of the 120 mile White River canoe race. The morning air was thick with mist and the lingering wet scent of fire from the night before. I peered through the mesh window of the tent out toward the river. The water was completely covered with a blanket of fog,…
Read the story: The Day the Sky Cracked OpenThe Minnesota boys’ team was extremely excited for some real competition at the Arkansas Canoe Race this past summer. Throughout the first few legs of the race, the Russellville boys team and the Minnesota boys team were neck and neck in overall time. However, the Minnesota team fell far behind…
Read the story: Memories From Arkansas