canoe the mississippi rivercanoe the mississippi river

In this section, the Mississippi River flows out of forest and wetlands and into a narrow valley surrounded by sandplains. Make sure that your boat is well above any possible rising water, including waves created by passing nighttime tows, or tie it securely to something that cannot possibly wash away, or preferably, both. I am 100% sure we made the right decision to take the Atchafalaya River to the Gulf, instead of paddling through the heavy boat traffic areas south of Baton Rouge. The wind blows mostly upriver, sometime quite strongly, and your body will act like a sail, slowing you down and shoving you around. And then there were many isolated unpredictable highlights that mean so much. While. Beaver Island Trail Access to ClearwaterPut-in location: River mile 925.8Take-out location: River mile 913.7Length: 12.1 river miles. Day trips include: St. On the other hand, it can be uncomfortably cool to quite cold from November to April anywhere on the route. New River Gorge National Park & Preserve. Look for white and red pines, oaks, maples, birches and aspens that create a home for diverse wildlife. When we had mild headwinds and manageable choppy water, our daily distances were reduced by 20 to 40%. Discover the Great River Roads fun events all summer long! Much of the shoreline is privately managed for forest or agriculture, with few houses due to the rivers tendency to flood. We heard about other paddlers from people on shore and found websites for a couple of them. The water is undrinkable due to sewage and industrial pollution. It seems inevitable that in the long, or not so long run, the Atchafalaya will get its way and become the exit for the Mississippi whether we like it or not. We also chose this route because: the heavy industrial areas from Baton Rouge south were not enticing to us; dealing with tows is challenging but confronting the ocean-going tankers was not something we wanted to do; New Orleans isnt easily accessible to paddlers; and we wanted to end up in the Gulf near a place where we might easily find a ride back to a town. The key factors for us were ease of access to gear and more storage space, ease of ingress and egress into the boat, multiple options for paddling position, and the smaller length and lighter weight of our chosen canoe than kayaks with equivalent capacity. At the Rice River confluence, a diversion channel carries water around the town of Aitkin during high flow. In high water, buoys can also rabbit. One issue that all river travelers must face is security of their person and their goods. 111 E. Kellogg Blvd., Suite 105 Watch for migrating waterfowl in the spring and fall. One has the option of staying off the river when its flooding. You'll paddle approximately a mile from the launch to reach the Mississippi River. Below Minneapolis/St. Millhone (far right) and team members Rod Price (left), Bobby Johnson, and Casey Millhone pose for a. Paddlers will find a lifetime of canoeing and kayaking along the Mississippi River in Kentucky,Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. The Mississippi River is the fourth longest river in the world, flowing 2,350 miles from Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River offers endless canoeing and kayaking opportunities and the Great River Road is a way to access this paddling resource. Weeks of being surrounded all day by hundreds of migrating swallows feeding near the surface of the water. The back channels are sometimes a bit longer and sometimes shorter than the main channel; they provide routes in quiet backwaters behind islands where the tows dont go. 1. And thats it folks! It is pointless to try to create a day-by-day plan for paddling this river. We had read stories before we started our trip of river paddlers who have had gear or worse yet, their boats, stolen. If you are paddling into a long stretch of unobstructed water, waves will have a chance to build and can be much larger than those created by the same wind blowing up a short reach. In Sartell, you portage across the parking lot of the Riverside Depot caf. Download the official NPS app before your next visit. Learn more. For day trip maps and additional day trips in this segment,look for Kiwanis Park to Crow Wing State Park Landing orBelle Prairie Park to LeBourget Park onthe Mississippi Headwaters Board website. This is an interesting and helpful read. Plan a weekend trip by combining stretches. We designed and constructed a fabric cover that enclosed the center portion of our canoe. Read. You may also notice the past effects of glaciers, where deposited rock and sand formed hills, or melting ice flattened plains. Youll find several public boat launches and campsites perfect for a picnic lunch stop or to stretch your legs along the way. I am seriously considering canoeing the Mississippi this spring. Gallery These distributaries originate as far north as the Baton Rouge area. Flood stage flow can be hazardous, as described by RiverGator.org. Hazards include snags, downed trees and a diversion channel dam. I felt safe, secure, and believed we could control it well enough to deal with any situation we were likely to have. After everyone is stable, the upstream gates are closed, the water level is slowly lowered to match that of the downstream river, and the downstream gates are then opened. Over 200 participants are expected to be at the Mississippi River Paddle Weekend. There are ten mapped segments of the Mississippi River in Minnesota, beginning at the source and ending on the Minnesota/Iowa border. Canoe team sets record-setting pace down the Mississippi River As an example, we met a woman on our first day as we portaged from Lake Itasca across the little rock stepping-stones into the shallow start of the river. There have been paddlers whose boats washed away during the night and this can really mess up a trip. I enjoyed the process of paddling and soon became very comfortable with our boat. Finally, I want to give a special thank you to our guardian angel, Krista Ronai. I enjoyed the Cajun bayous, the small towns, the alligators, and the scenery. Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park to Riverfront Regional ParkPut-in location: River mile 866.4Take-out location: River mile 860.3Length: 6.1 river miles. One of the largest of these distributaries is the Atchafalaya River. Most of the time these winds were annoying and frustrating, but did not keep us off of the water. Destinations Itinerary; Travel; Recreation; Travel Guides; Attractions Directory; Hotels Directory; Shopping Directory; . So much great information here and great photos too. For day trip maps and an additional day tripin this segment,look for Maple Island Park to Blanchard Dam onthe Mississippi Headwaters Board website. You can stash your gear behind the very friendly caf and stop in for a meal; their Battleship Burger is our lifetime favorite burger. The average discharge at its mouth is 590,000 cubic feet per second; this is equivalent to 18,400 tons of water passing a fixed point in one second or well over 1,100,000 tons of water per minute. Keep in mind that a large towboat has three screws and 11,000 horsepower turning them. About us We offer professionally guided canoe trips on the Mississippi River based out of Memphis, Tennessee. For us, this was probably to most significant downside of the trip and we wish we could offer a better solution. The Lower Mississippi runs from the confluence with the Ohio River (lower river mile 954 as measured from the Gulf) for 650 miles to the Old River Lock (river mile 303.8). With all this being said, make sure you see what other information is out there. 2019 DoingMiles.com | all rights reserved, Mississippi River: Source to Sea by Canoe. Watch for oxbows once carved by the river and now filling with plant life. As Americans, the MR is our river. There is also a local portage service operated by the Paddle Taxi. The river passes through 10 states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana), forming a natural border between them. What is the current status for a transit? The lock-master will respond and let you know whether there is a wait or not, how long the wait might be, or if you are lucky will say: Down bound canoe, this is Lock XX, well have it ready for you when you get here.. Finally, the wakes and turbulence will reflect off of the riverbanks and create random chop, particularly where the banks are steep and have been armored with rocks. One dam controls the level of Lake Pokegama, and the other provides hydropower to the Blandin Paper Company. Made of carbon fiber, these bent shaft models weighed about 10 ounces each. mosquitoes: likely worse earlier in the season than later. It can take a tow between one and two hours to transit a lock, so if one arrives just before you do, you are in for a long delay. This strategy requires crossing and recrossing the river as it snakes its way south, but we found it made life much easier to avoid the tow wakes. Day after day we encountered this outpouring of generosity. Launch from the Royalton Sportsmans Club (fee required). We carried a SPOT tracker, two iPhones, an iPod, a marine radio, and a camera. May 14, 2021 6:30 AM Listen New world record set on Mississippi River, but for how long? Other take-out points may require arranging a boat pickup, hoping to hitch a ride on a passing boat, or paddling back upstream to a boat ramp. Fantastic summary it makes me want to paddle the Mississippi again! Saturdays and Sundays and on major holidays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the last lockage at 5:30 p.m. Mondays and Fridays from 12 p.m. (noon) to 6 p.m. with the last lockage at 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays - Thursdays 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for COMMERCIAL traffic by APPOINTMENT ONLY with 24-hour notice (NO recreation traffic). Vekins Dam is an ancient low wood and rock logging dam about seven miles from Lake Itasca; it required a short portage. In 2014 we know of at least three paddlers who had some gear stolen. Stop for a great picnic spot at Suchers Campsite if it is unoccupied. We would buy the pads in a town somewhere downstream. There are three large lakes in the Headwaters section: Bemidji, Cass, and Winnibigoshish. And getting your favorite burger, the battleship burger. We packed everything in light duty dry bags that we put inside lightweight frameless packs so we could easily portage our gear. Be very cautious at the Blanchard Dam portage; this was the most difficult portage, with some people reporting taking three hours to complete it. Paddlers can access these pools from hundreds of boat launches and parks. Below is a list of elapsed durations; note this is the weeks from initial put-in to final take-out, not the number of days actually paddling on the river: We took 58 days with an Atchafalaya exit; we took no zero days, paddled eight to ten hours a day and only lost a few partial days to bad weather. Nearby outfitters offer shuttling. We had never canoed together and paddling a big river would be an entirely novel undertaking. James read German Tourists trip report about the river, showed it to Amy and said Christine paddled the Mississippi, and she says its a trip that a well prepared, fit, novice paddler can complete. For paddlers, the Mississippi River offers three distinct sections. While Mississippi Solo was a great account of what it was like for a single black man to make the journey, it didnt do much good in preparing us. Even if not, the waves will usually be much smaller and should you swamp or capsize, you wont be far from shore. Be cautious about assuming that all of the buoys are in the right places. Boat launches and access points allow paddlers access nearly every major stretch of the river. Transiting to the Atchafalaya River is one way to complete a MR trip to the Gulf, and this is the route we chose. Boat ramps and ample parking can be found at both the put-in and take-out locations, which are 9 miles apart by road. We experienced head winds far more often than tail winds. Since capsizing is not a planned activity, those paddling in cold-water conditions might seriously consider wearing a wet or dry suit. This segment of the river opens up to spectacular bluffs and a whole new paddling experience. Given how much river traffic there is in this area, we chose to take the portage route rather than risk a long delay. Dozens of beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Ah, about the captions When we built the site 18 months ago we considered adding captions to the photos but decided it would take too long. The Pine River State Water Trail will intersect the Mississippi midway through your paddle. I wish we had found a way to be comfortable with leaving our boat and gear unattended so we could have explored the riverside towns more than we did; that was the biggest negative of the trip to me. Along the lower river at normal water levels, a multitude of sandbars provide very fine places to camp. At many locks, portaging would be difficult or impossible as there is frequently no place near the lock to take-out or put-in and the lock complexes themselves are more than mile long. We greatly appreciated those rides. They have the nasty habit of unexpectedly leaping out of the water right next to your boat. If you do the trip, please let us know how it went. The first portage is at the exit of Cass Lake at Knutson Dam. We considered the following factors when we chose our start date: We chose to start in early August in order to enjoy relatively long days, avoid the worst of the heat as we headed south, travel when the water temperature was warm; and minimize the worst of the insects. A typical fully loaded barge can displace 1500 tons, thus a 6 x 7 tow could displace 63,000 tons, which is greater than the World War 2 battleship Missouri did. More information on the river can be found here. South of Saint Louis, I had a love-it / fear-it relationship with the river. Just downstream of the Prairie River, watch for swallows nesting in the sandy banks. Does anyone have any info on whether they might be the youngest to accomplish this feat? The islands are a mix of public and private land. I regret that I carried the fear while on the Lower River, as it interfered with an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable and magnificent outing. This mighty river is one of the longest in the world, stretching over 2,300 miles from Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. We ate in restaurants or cafes at nearly every opportunity, about 20 times; the rest of our meals came from grocery stores. Distance: about 2120 miles. I recently retired, did a coast to coast solo Southern Tier bicycle trip, several sections on the AT and now thinking/planning a MR trip on a paddle board. It requires careful planning, preparation, and a lot of hard work. Know which side to portage or lock through. It added variety to the trip and often we were the only boat in these huge structures, which was really cool. For each river, . Depending on the winds, this may not be as simple as it sounds as there is rarely a place to tie up. Water levels will affect your experience at these dams. These can be very useful because the tows are going to stay in the channel and the buoys identify where it is. The team calls themselves MMZero, which stands for Mile Marker Zero, or the finish line for this record title. It was slightly weird being in these places, but nobody made a fuss when we somewhat musty river-rats showed up. The Mississippi River is the fourth longest river in the world, flowing 2,350 miles from Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. We both learned to canoe as children. It even includes canoe-size models of the giant freighters that ply the waterway. The locks allow boats to transit the dams, and use of them is free and available to any type of craft using the river. To use a lock without a marine radio, you paddle up to the end of the long wall, which is a huge concrete structure extending many hundreds of feet upriver from the lock gates. Recreational use drops to near zero. Since a standard barge is 35 feet wide by 195 feet long, a 6 x 7 tow is 210 feet wide and almost 1,400 feet long, not including the towboat. Thanks for following along. This section of the river offers easy paddling, great fishing and many places to stop. Start With These! The river then widens through a mostly undeveloped landscape with bluffs. They will be able to answer your question, and they will be eager to read the journals and see the photographs. Everyones experience with the river is unique, and thats why its such a special journey. It was supported on a fiberglass wand attached to the two secondary thwarts. I entered this trip as a highly experienced long-distance backpacker, reasonably experienced dirt-road bicycle tourist, and completely novice canoeist. Do not tie off to anything in the lock or you may be dumped out of your boat and it will be left dangling as the water drops. We enjoyed socializing during meals and at campsites, but we did not spend much time off the water visiting museums or other points of interest. Anything concerning come to mind, why this might not be a good idea? The MR is the main stem of the largest drainage system in North America and currently runs about 2300 river miles from its source at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to its termination at South Pass in the Gulf of Mexico. We never had problems while on the water although other paddlers have reported being attacked by biting flies while paddling. The most northerly lock, Upper St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, was decommissioned in the spring of 2015. We drove a one-way rental car from California to Bemidji, MN. And remember that you likely will be having at least your feet in the water on a daily basis as you land and launch your boat. First, they are slow; 11 mph is about the maximum speed traveling downriver and they are much slower going up. Another source of info and great people who want to help are the Mississippi River Angels. Stay close to shore as you prepare to get out or enter a lock. Planning to do the trip starting in August of 2019 by solo canoe. Due to the record-breaking cold streak in November 2014, the parties that started in September faced many frosty nights and many days where the daytime high temperatures were in the 30s or 40s. The tow will generate massive waves in the narrow confines near the long wall that could easily swamp your boat. We cover any section of the river from Cairo, Illinois, to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. Distances covered will be affected by current or lack of it, winds and weather, lock delays or not, resupply activities that sometimes can be surprisingly time consuming, your physical and mental state and so forth. We started May 9 in a snowstorm, went through Minneapolis while it was still smoking from the riots, and finished via the Atchafalaya during hurricanes Laura and Marco. RiverGator.org recommends a wetsuit when the water temperature is below 60; south of Cairo this occurs starting sometime in November. Some portages require traveling on pavement through towns and crossing busy streets. Many times we went for two or three days without seeing anybody, and then wed stop somewhere and inevitably be greeted by the nicest people we could hope to meet. The still waters of the oxbows are excellent for fish and other wildlife. The Facebook groupsMississippi River Paddlers and Lower Mississippi River Paddlersare the best resources for planning and executing a trip like ours. It is the same satisfaction I get from a long-distance walking or biking trip. 6 people used pairs of two-man rowboats (one party of four, and a second party of two that had guests join for short stints to fill the additional seats). Located in northern Minnesota, the breathtaking Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is perfect for a three-day weekend. This segment will also take you along Fort Snelling State Park. This geography is a part of the rational for our decision to finish our paddle to the Gulf down the Atchafalaya, the real exit distributary. For any particular wind speed, the topography of the river can change what it does to you. Lake Itasca to Coffee Pot LandingPut-in location: Mississippi Headwaters River mile 1,341.6Take-out location: Coffee Pot Landing River mile 1,326.2Length: 15.4 river miles. In fact, there was such a void we based a lot of our research on a book written in the 1980s. In 2013, over 650 people summited Mount Everest, over 700 thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, and perhaps 50 paddled the MR from its source to the Gulf of Mexico. Two things likely exacerbated my fear. I live just north of Cape Girardeau MO and I wouldnt mind trying a solo paddle from St Louis to Cape G. After reading your post, I feel it can be done. ), Parks and Trails northwest regional office: 218-308-2700. Looking downstream, the river right side of the channel is marked with green flat-topped buoys called cans and the river left side of the channel is marked with red conical topped buoys called nuns. Follow the rivers meandering path between the two big lakes. There are numerous big floating casinos along the river with inexpensive all-you-can-eat buffets; these were a great source of diverse calories. The river also passes through French Rapids, a narrow channel with 100-foot banks. From Minneapolis on to the Gulf, tows are a fact of life on the river. This video was taken on the Missouri River, but there are big expanses of water on the Mississippi River that can have similar conditions. Depending on the water temperature and skill of the paddler, when the wind is strong enough to kick up whitecaps, it may be unsafe to be on the water. Motorboats and barges create large wakes that can swamp unsuspecting paddlers. The river has some of the most beautiful scenery, which is a challenging adventure for those with little experience. GT, Brilliant write up thank you, so helpful. By this I mean its a living, breathing thing thats constantly changing. Hazards include rapids (near Sauk Rapids) and several dams. We did not take off together to visit stores, restaurants, parks, museums and so forth unless the boat was, in our belief, truly secure. A far better solution is to carry a marine radio (use channel 14, except for Lock 26, Mel Price, that uses channel 12) and contact the lock when you are 10 to 15 minutes out. Early miles are narrow and shallow, there are extensive marshlands and some huge lakes, coniferous forests line some of the riverbanks, and there are easily accessible towns. One has the option of staying off the water in these conditions. Our experience was humbling and gave us a renewed belief in the innate goodness of so many people. RiverGator.org is a mile-by-mile paddlers guide covering Saint Louis to the Gulf. These wakes can be large and very turbulent, particularly from tows going upriver pushing against the current. Lets do it. Amy read the report and agreed. However, each night we somehow found ourselves safely inside our tents. Watch for rocky riffles during low water levels. I too, plan to make this trip in 2033. Anglers will want to pack a fishing pole for this trip. This is the general phone line at the Mississippi River Visitor Center. Thank you for the great write up. What: down the Mississippi River by canoe, from Lake Itasca, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Royalton Sportsmans Club to Stearns County ParkPut-in location: River mile 953.6Take-out location: River mile 942.2Length: 11.4 river miles. Between St. Once in the channel, you will pass smaller Sylvan Island and soon see a dam. These things are big and you and your tiny boat share the river with them. This is awesome! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this. Several sites enable you obtain real time and forecast river flow data; this information is critical when choosing paddling routes and campsites: We also used iPhone apps Rivercast and Streamflow Plus to view river flow data, including the recent past and the 7-day forecast. Mosquitoes, wood ticks, and biting flies are reported to be very problematic May through July, especially in the Headwaters section, and by paddling in August and September we believe we avoided the worst of it. At a personal level, we never felt threatened in any way by anyone we met. Thank you for taking the time to put it together. Although this portion of the river borders one of the fastest growing areas in the state, much of the natural character of the river corridor remains. They will be VERY excited to hear from you. In the roughest conditions we paddled, we only took on minor amounts of water requiring just a sponge to bail out the boat. We were very pleased with the route we took; it is a quiet and beautiful alternative that is a geologically honest way to finish a MR trip. When there are tows holding position while a string of oncoming tows passes, the combination of all their wakes bouncing off the riverbank can get fairly intense. They often told us that they never use the river on weekends due to the morons and their behavior. A canoe racer from Minneapolis can't get enough of the Mississippi River. There are 4 distinct sections of the river: 1: The Upper Mississippi River (UMR) from the headwaters to the first lock and dam in Minneapolis. At normal water levels, we have been told, it is runnable by those who know the route, but should NOT be attempted by those who dont, if for no other reason than that some of the concrete blocks that make up the barrier have protruding rebar. I enjoyed this bllog! Commercial districts are historically located close to the river, but in many towns the main streets are commercially dead, killed by big-box stores on the outskirts of town. Where: Central United States; MN, WI, IA, IL, MO, KY, TN, AR, MS, LA. Nothing kills the mood of canoeing a tranquil lake amid loons and the gentle lapping of the water so quickly as a . Im just writing to acknowledge all the great work on your site. Launch from the confluence of the Crow and Mississippi River and enjoy the quiet natural surroundings as you float downstream to the Coon Rapids Dam. See these layers in the gorge from St. Anthony Falls to Fort Snelling. As RiverGator says, this river should be likened to paddling on the Great Lakes: when the wind is calm its easy, but when its blowing it is a different beast. Many five-star campsites on beautiful huge sandbars. There are also smaller towboats operating around docks. Mosquitoes often made birding near campsites difficult. Should there be stormy weather in the Gulf, the Hog Bayou alternate also leads to Burns Point.