The Lower Mississippi River Water Trail

Lake Providence Harbor Boat Launch

Narrow concrete ramp cut through the muddy banks of the harbor.  Good at all water levels.  Don’t leave vehicle here except for daytrip.  The walk to town is three miles.

 

Boat Launch to River

You can put in at the Lake Providence Harbor Boat Launch and paddle one-and-a-half miles to reach the main channel of the Mississippi River.

 

Back Channel Ajax

When the river is high (above 33 Vicksburg Gauge) adventurous paddlers can dive into a series of chutes and back channels that dart in and out of a myriad of islands that have formed over the years in the Ajax Bar vicinity.  The route chosen here is just one of dozens of possibilities.  Pick a line and follow it, but be watchful for snags, strainers and other hazards.  Frequent log jams changes in sandbar topography.  Ajax is mostly contained within the Shipland Wildlife Management Area.

 

LBD 487-481 Shipland Wildlife Management Area

 

 

Opposite Lake Providence and behind the Ajax archipelago canoeists and kayakers can enjoy the 3,500-acre Shipland Wildlife Management Area (WMA) which was established in 1982 on land purchased from the Nature Conservancy.  This is the only WMA in the Mississippi batture lands; that is, the land between the Mississippi River and the main-line river levee. The area is classified as bottomland hardwood but the habitat varies across the WMA from sand fields composed of grassland and stunted trees to a forest of oaks, pecan, and sugarberry, to low wet areas of willow trees and buttonbush.  During low water levels there are also several hundred acres of sandbars in the Mississippi River that can be accessed on foot. In the last 10 years, several types of logging operations were conducted on the area to improve the habitat for wildlife. WMA personnel also plant winter and summer food plots and maintain permanent openings to provide additional food for wildlife.  Shipland WMA provides year-round public hunting and fishing opportunities. Deer hunting is the most popular form of hunting followed closely by squirrel and waterfowl hunting. Deer seasons are restricted to archery and primitive weapon, with harvest limited to antlerless deer and bucks with an inside spread of at least 12 inches, or one main beam length of at least 15 inches. The black color phase of fox squirrels occurs on the area and is considered a trophy by hunters who come from areas where this phase is not found. Waterfowl hunting opportunities exist mainly in the Mississippi River, and the hunting can be good at times. Rabbit and turkey hunting is generally poor due to the yearly flooding by the Mississippi River depressing their numbers. There is a small ox-bow lake on the southern end of the area that provides good fishing opportunities. Although there is not a boat ramp on the area providing access into the river, there are places a small boat can be launched from the bank if the river is not too low. Primitive camping is also allowed on the area.

Shipland WMA is also a very good area for bird watching. The borrow areas next to the main line levee, and the sand dunes in the river provide excellent areas to see shore