The Lower Mississippi River Water Trail

SECTION	MILE	ACCESS CITY
Middle Mississippi & Bluegrass Hills / Bootheel	195-0, 954-850	ST. LOUIS TO CARUTHERSVILLE

Preamble
Introduction
St.Louis
St. Louis Gage (SLG)
Water Levels and Paddling Through St. Louis
Water Levels According to the St. Louis Gage
High Water Note
Water Levels and Dikes
Flood Stage Effects in St. Louis
The Great Flood of 1993
Historic Flood Crests
Low Water Records
Dredging Might Become Necessary SLG 5.0 to -7.0
The Upper Mississippi
200.6 RBD	Mapple Island Access Ramp
200.7 LBD	National Great Rivers Museum
200.7 LBD	National Great Rivers Research and Education Center
200.5 – 197.5 RBD	Maple Island
Paddling Downstream Along Maple Island
Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary
200 – 195 LBD	Alton/Wood River Industrial Reach
195.6 RBD	The Great Confluence!
What Color is the Mississippi River?
The Lower Missouri River
195.6 RBD	Ted Jones Confluence State Park
LBD Mile 0.5	Missouri River
195 LBD	Mouth of Wood River (Cahokia Diversion Canal)
195 RBD	Camp River Dubois
RDB Mile 3	Missouri River
Columbia Bottom State Conservation Area
Stopping at the Confluence
195.6 RBD	Jones-Confluence State Park
LBD Mile 0.5	Missouri River
195.6 RBD	Columbia Bottoms State Park
RBD Mile 0.5	Missouri River
195 – 194 RBD	Duck Island
194.2 LBD	Chains of Rock Canal (Entrance)
Canal: All Boats Enter Here
194 RBD	Canoe & Kayak Access (Columbia Bottoms State Conservation Area)
195 – 184	Big Muddy Wild & Scenic Section
194 – 184 RBD	Chouteau/Gabaret Island
190.7	Interestate 270 Highway Bridge
190.5	Highway 66 “Chain of Rocks” Bridge
190.4	Intake Towers
190.4	Intake Towers ##1
190.4	Intake Towers ##2
190.3	Chain of Rocks
Portaging (or Paddling) Over the Chain of Rocks
Portage the Chain in Low Water
Below 16 SLG: Portage LBD
Paddling the Chain in Medium Water
16 – 24 SLG: Stay Middle Channel
24 – 30 SLG: Open Channel
190.3 RBD	Water Treatment Plant City of St. Louis
Water Towers
Grand (“Old White”) Water Tower
The Bissell (“New Red”) Water Tower
Compton Hill Water Tower
190 LBD	Chain Sandbar (Low Water Only)
189 – 185 LBD	Mosenthein Island
Circumnavigation of Mosenthein Island
188 LBD	North Riverside Park Boat Access
187.8 LBD	Big Muddy Adventures (Primitive Mud Ramp)
About Big Muddy Adventures
187.7 RBD	Cementland Dock
Cementland: The Unfinished Adventure Land for Mischievous Adults
189 – 184 LBD	Gabaret Island
183.4 RBD	The Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing and Rest Area
184.1 LBD	Chain of Rocks Canal (Bottom End)
Safe Paddling Through the St. Louis Harbor
Port of St. Louis
The Insider’s Tour of St. Louis: On the River
Viewing the Great Arch from the River
183.2	Merchants Railroad Bridge
182.6 RBD	Dignity Harbor
182.6 RBD	Artica
182.6 RBD	Bob Cassilly Sculpture/City Museum
182.5	McKinley Bridge
Fishing Between the Chain of Rocks & McKinley Bridge
182.5	Venice Power Plant, Venice, Illinois
181.2	Stan Musial Veteran’s Memorial Bridge(I-70))
180.6 LBD	Schoenberger Creek
St. Louis Riverfront (Mark River Reminisces)
180.2 – 179.2 RBD	St. Louis Waterfront (Cobblestone Landing)
180.4	Union Electric Light and Power Company, Ashley Street Powerhouse
180.2	Martin Luther King Bridge
180.1 RBD	LaClede’s Landing
180	Eads Bridge
180 RBD	“The Captain’s Return”
179.9 LBD	East St. Louis Landing
179.7 LBD	Malcolm Martin Memorial Park
179.7 RBD	The Great Arch
179.2	Poplar Street Bridge
Paddling Route Downstream of Arch
Running “The Gauntlet”
179	Douglas McArthur Bridge (Railroad)
178.8 RBD	USS Inaugural
178.9 LBD	Small Sandbar Below Rocky Point
178.4 LBD	Small Sandbar Above Old Cahokia Power Plant
178.3 LBD	Cahokia Power Plant
176.8 LBD	Best Emergency Sandbar in St. Louis Harbor
176 RBD	Anheuser Busch Brewery
176.8 LBD	Cahokia Church of the Holy Family
176.9 RBD	US Army Corps of Engineers Service Base Dock
176.9 RBD	US Coast Guard (314) 269-2500
176 – 174 LBD	Marquette Transportation Fleeting
175.5 – 173.5 LBD	Arsenal Island
174.8 RBD	Iron Worker’s Cross/Diver’s Legs Sculpture
174 LBD	Cahokia Chute
174 RBD	Bellerive Park
171.8 RBD	River Des Peres
171 – 169 LBD	Prairie Du Pont Low Water Sandbars
170.4 RBD	Limestone Bluff Shelfs
American Bottom
168.6	Jefferson Barracks (JB) Bridge
Consider the Atchafalaya
St.Louis to Cairo
168 – 167 LBD	Carroll Islands
168 RBD	Bussen Quarries
166.7 RBD	Cliff Cave County Park
166 RBD	Fleeted Barges
166 – 165 RBD	Wing Dams
166 LBD	Luhr Bros., Inc.
164.5 LBD	Pull Tight Landing Blue Hole
161 LBD	Meramec Bar
163 RBD	St. Mary’s Convent
161.6 RBD	Ameren Meramec
161 RBD	Meramec River
The River of Ugly Fishes?
2 Miles Up Meramec River: Flamm City Access Ramp
St. Louis Circumnavigation
158.7 RBD	Kimmswick
158.5 RBD	Hoppie’s Marine Service
158.5 – 157.2 RBD	Dikes Below Hoppies
158 – 149 LBD	Foster/Meissner Islands Dikes
156.5 RBD	Sulphur Springs
156.3 LBD	Fountain Creek
155.5 – 153.5 LBD	Meissner Island Division Middle Mississippi NWR
151.8 RBD	Herculaneum
Herculaneum Downstream: Mississippi River Hills
151.6 RBD	Joachim Creek
149.8 RBD	Plattin Rock Boat Club (Hugs Landing)
148.5 RBD	Plattin Creek
148.2 LBD	Calico Island
146.2 – 144.5 LBD	Osborne Island
144 – 140.5 RBD	Harlow Island Division Middle Miss NWR
140.5 RBD	Saline Creek
140.5 RBD	Truman Access Boat Ramp
139.5 – 136.5 LBD	Salt Lake Island
154.3 – 132.3 LBD	Fort Chartres Island
132.2 LBD	Chartres Landing
132.2 LBD	Fort De Chartres
133.7 RBD	Top End of Establishment Island
132.5 – 129.6 RBD	Establishment Chute/Schmidt’s Island
128.7 RBD	Lawrence Hollow/Magnolia Hollow Conservation Area
127 RBD	Tower Rock Stone Company Quarry
125.6 RBD	Ste. Genevieve and Modoc Ferry
125.6 LBD	Consolidation Coal Company, Kellogg Dock
122.5 RBD	Ste. Genevieve Harbor/Gabouri Creek
122.5 LBD	Upper Moro Island/Back Channel
	Moro Island
120.4 RBD	New Bourbon Port Authority
117.8 – 115.8 RBD	Beaver Island
117.4 LBD	Kaskaskia River
117 LBD	Ellis Grove Landing
116 – 111 LBD	Opposite Cherokee Dikes
110.5 RBD	Access to St. Mary’s Boat Ramp Via Old River
Channel/Saline Creek
110.5 – 109.7 RBD	Horse Island
Saline Creek
Switching to the Middle Mississippi Chester Gage (CHG)
Chester Gage (CHG)
Water Levels and Paddling Below Chester (To Cape Girardeau)
Chester Gage Water Levels and How They Affect the Town of Chester and Nearby Surroundings
109.9	Chester Bridge
109.5 LBD	Chester Boat Ramp
Chester, Illinois
Chester Downstram
Middle Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge
106.5 LBD	Mary’s River
106.5 – 104 LBD	Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area
105.5 – 103.8 RBD	Crain’s Island
102.5 – 101 LBD	Rockwood Island
101 – 100 LBD	Liberty Island
100 – 98 RBD	Jones Point Island
98 -87 LBD	Liberty Bar
97 – 95 LBD	Jones Towhead
96 RBD	Roman Landing
94.5 RBD	Cinque L’Homme Creek
94.3 RBD	Red Rock Landing Conservation Area
93 – 88.5 LBD	Wilkinson Island Middle Miss NWR
90 RBD	Seventy-Six Conservation Area and Boat Access
88.4 LBD	Lacour’s Island
88.3 RBD	Star Landing
87.2 RBD	Cumberland Rock
85 – 83 RBD	Gill’s Point Bar
84 – 83 LBD	Fountain Bluff
82.8 LBD	Fountain Bluff
81.3 LBD	Wittenburg Boat Ramp
80.8 LBD	Grand Tower – Devil’s Bake Oven (Rock Cliff)
80.5 LBD	Devil’s Backbone Park & Campground
The River to river Trail (American Discovery Trail)
80 RBD	Tower Rock
79.7 LBD	Grand Tower Boat Ramp/Seawall
80.7 LBD	Grand Tower, Illinois
79 – 76.5 LBD	Grand Tower Island
79 – 77.5 RBD	Cottonwood Bar
76.6 – 75.7 LBD	Big Muddy Island
75.7 LBD	Big Muddy River
75.3 RBD	Apple Creek
74.5 RBD	Hines Boat Ramp (Dysfunctional)
74 – 63 LBD	Hanging Dog Island
73.9 – 71.6 LBD	Crawford Towhead
71.6 RBD	Hanging Dog Bluff
69 RBD	Indian Creek
69 – 65.6 RBD	Trail of Tears State Park
67.5 RBD	Trail of Tears Overlook
Bald Knob Cross and the Bald Know Wilderness
66.6 RBD	Mocassin Springs Harbor And Boat Ramp
66.6 RBD	MIssissippi River Campground (Trail of Tears State Park)
66.3 RBD	Mocassin Spring Creek
63 – 61 LBD	Hamburg Landing Dikes
62.5 – 56.6 RBD	Schenimann Chute
62 – 57 RBD	Windy Bar Conservation Area
61 – 55 LBD	Picayune Chute
62.8 – 54.6 LBD	Devil’s Island/Swift Sure Towhead
56 – 53.7 LBD	Minton Point Bar
55.3 RBD	Flora Creek
54.5 RBD	Juden Creek
54.1 RBD	Cape Rock
Middle Mississippi – Cape Girardeau Gage (CGG)
Water Levels and Paddling Below Cape Girardeau (To Cairo)
Cape Girardeau Gage Water Levels and How They Affect the Town of Cape Girardeau and Nearby Surroundings
52.7	Red Star Boat Ramp
52.2 LBD	Cape Girardeau Flood Wall
Approaching the Ohio River
51.5	Cape Girardeau (Bill Emerson) Memorial Bridge
51 LBD	Giboney Island
51 – 47 LBD	Marquette Island
51 – 47	Cape Bend Chute (Marquette Island Back Channel)
48.8 RBD	Castor River Diversion Channel
48 RBD	Shoutheast Missouri Port Authority/Cape Girardeau
Slackwater Harbor
46.2 RBD	Gray’s Point
45.8 LBD	Rock Island
45.5 LBD	Clear Creek
46 – 40	Pawnee Hill/Thebes Dome
44 LBD	Thebes, IL
43.8	Thebes Boat Ramp
43.7	Thebes Railroad Bridge
42 – 39 LBD	Orchard Springs Island
42.0 RBD	Uncle Joe Light
40.3 – 39.3 LBD	Betsy’s Bar
Comemrce Rock
39.7 RBD	Commerce, MO
Entering the Bootheel
39 -35 LBD	Burnham Island
39 -35 LBD	Santa Fe Chute
37.7 35.7 LBD	Jack Pattern Chute
34 RBD	Goose Island BLue Hole/Old River/Horseshoe Lake
Horseshoe Lake Nature Preserve
34 – 33.3 RBD	Billings Island
33 – 32.7 RBD	Lower Billings Island
31 LBD	Doolan Chute (Power Island Chute)
31 -29 LBD	Bumbgard ISland
31 – 29 LBD	Burnham Island Bend
29.8 RBD	Price Landing
27	Hacker Towhead Levee Break
26.5 – 24.5 RBD	Buffalo Island
25 LBD	Brown’s Chute (Top End)
25 – 21 LBD	Brown’s Bar/Dogtooth Island
21 – 20 LBD	Dogtooth Bar
20.2	Thompson Boat Ramp
18 – 17 RBD	Thompson Towhead
Approaching the Ohiao River Valley
16.8 LBD	Scudder Bar
14.5 – 11.8 LBD	Sister Chute
14.3 – 13.5 RBD	Island No. 28
13.5 – 11.8 RBD	Island No. 29
13.5 – 11.8 RBD	Island No. 29
13 LBD	Cache River Diversion Canal
10.2 – 7.7 LBD	Boston Bar
10.2 – 7.7 BD	Boston Chute
7.5	Interstate 57 Bridge
5 – 1.8 LBD	Angelo Towhead
5 – 1.8 LBD	Angelo Chute
1.3	Cairo Highway Bridge
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo Landings
Cairo Camping
0.8 LBD	Fort Defiance
Continuing Downstream from Cairo
Cairo to Caruthersville
The Lower Mississippi and Ohio River Forecast
Lower Mississippi Mileage
Switching to the Cairo Gauge
Referring to the Cairo Gauge (CG)
Cairo Gauge
Dikes and Water Level According to the Cairo Gauge
Dike Exposure Using the Cairo Gauge
Effects on Cairo and Surrounding Towns in Regards to Cairo Gage
Cairo Gauge: Effects on Cairo and Sorrounding Communities
Historic Highs and Lows According to the Cairo Gage
954.5	Ohio/Middle Miss River Confluence
Start of the Lower Mississippi River
The Kentucky Hills (Loess Bluffs)
Greatest Dust Storm Ever
954 – 953 RBD	Birds Point Dikes
953 – 952 LBD	Wickliffe Reach
952.6 LBD	Quaker Oats Light
952 RBD	New Madrid Floodway Inflow Crevasse
952 RBD	Bird’s Blue Hole
952 LBD	Wickliffe Boat Ramp
951 LBD	Wickliffe Docks and Wharfing
951 LBD	Wickliffe Cross (Jefferson Hill Memorial Cross)
951 LBD	Wicliffe Bluff (1st Kentucky Bluff)
950.2 LBD	Mayfield Boat Ramp
950 LBD	Mayfield Creek
950 LBD	Westvaco Pulp Mill Dock
949 RBD	Norfolk Landing
949 – 946 LBD	Island No. 1
Zadok Cramer: The Navigator
947.7 RBD	Pritchard Boat Ramp
950.5 – 945.5 RBD	Pritchard Revetment
944.5 LBD	Island No. 1 Boat Ramp
943.6 LBD	Carlisle County Boat Ramp
945 – 943 RBD	O’Bryan Towhead/Pritchard Dikes
943 – 939 RBD	Chute of Island No.2 (Lucas Bend)
942 – 939 LBD	Campbell Dikes
938 – 937 LBD	2nd Kentucky Loess Bluff
Chain Across the Mississippi?
937.2 LBD	Columbus-Belmont State Park
937 LBD	Iron Bank Light
937 LBD	Columbus Boat Ramp
936.9 LBD	Ingram Drydock
Wild Miles Below Columbus
935 – 934 LBD	South Colombus Island
934 LBD	Chalk Cliff Bluffs (3rd Kentucky Loess Bluff)
934 – 933 RBD	Sandy Bluffs Opposite Wolf Island Bar
935 – 930 LBD	Wolf Island Bar
935 – 930 LBD	Wolf Island Chute
First Order (Big) Islands on the Lower Mississippi River
930 – 927 RBD	Moore Islands
930 – 928 LBD	Williams Landing Bar
926.6 LBD	Samuel Light Sand Dune
926 – 924 LBD	Beckwith Bend Bar
924.6 RBD	Dorena Boat Ramp
924 RBD	Dorena Crevasse
922.6 RBD	Hickman Ferry Landing
921.5 LBD	Hickman Harbor
921.5 LBD	4th Kentucky Bluff: Hickman, Kentucky
The Wiggles
922 – 921 RBD	Dorena Towhead
918 – 915 RBD	Seven Island Conservation Area
917 – 916 RBD	Island No. 7
Bald Eagles
916 – 911 RBD	Island No. 8
917 – 916 RBD	Big Oak Tree State Park
926 – 924 LBD	Beckwith Bend Bar
915 RBD	(Back Channel) Bend of Island No. 8 Boat Ramp
914 – 913 LBD	French Point Gravel Bar
911.5 LBD	Island No. 8 Chute Boat Ramp
910 907 LBD	Milton Bell Bar
907 – 900 RBD	Donaldson Point Dikes
905 – 887	Weclcome to Tennessee?
908 – 905 LBD	Donaldson Point Conservation Area (And Also RBD 896 – 893)
Reelfoot Lake State Park
The New Madrid Earthquake
Amazing Natural Phenomena Result of the Earthquake
902 – 898 RBD	Winchester Towhead/Island No. 10
902.5 – 897 RBD	Winchester Chute
902 – 899 LBD	Below Island No. 9 Dikes
899.1 LBD	Slough Neck LAnding Boat Ramp
Slough Landing Neck (Bessie’s Neck)
Bessie’s Bend/Kentucky Bend
896.5 – 894.5 RBD	Hotchkiss Bend Dikes and Bar
890.5 – 889.5 RBD	Morrison Towhead
890.5 RBD	Sleeping Giant Eddy
890 – 883 LBD	Kentucky Point Bar
889.5 RBD	St. John’s Bayou
The St. John’s Bayou/New Madrid Floodway Project
New Madrid
889 RBD	New Madrid Boat Ramp
888.5 – 886.3 RBD	New Madrid Bar
Losing Our Tents on the Bottom End of the Kentucky Point Bar
885 – 883.8 RBD	New Madrid Industrial Reach
883 – 879 RBD	Island No. 11
882.3 RBD	Welcome to Tennessee
880.2 LBD	Kentucky Bend Crossover Portage
879 LBD	Tiptonville Chute
878 LBD	Marr Towhead Secret Sandbar
878 – 875.5 LBD	Matt Towhead
877.2 RBD	Williams Point
876.5 RBD	Linda Boat Ramp
874 – 867 RBD	Stewart Towhead
873.7 LBD	Bixby Towhead Light
872.2 LBD	Tiptonville Boat Ramp
869 LBD	Sheep’s Ridge Break
868.9 LBD	Sheep Ridge Secret Camp
867 -861	Little Cypress Bend
867 -861 RBD	Bar of Island No. 13
Caruthersville Gage (CUG) Water Levels Caruthersville to Memphis
Dikes and Water Levels Caruthersville to Memphis
860 RBD	Secret Bar Kennedy Point
860 – 855 RBD	Kennedy Bar
859.3 – 867.5 LBD	Lee Towhead Back Channel
856.2 LBD	Fritz Landing Boat Ramp
855 – 852 RBD	Robinson Bayou Bar
855 – 850 LBD	Island No. 14
855 – 850 LBD	Island No. 15/Little Prairie Bend
Options for Paddlers in the Caruthersville Stretch
Above Caruthersville
Below Caruthersville
850 RBD	Caruthersville Harbor Boat Ramp (1/2 Mile Up Harbor)
849 RBD	Mouth of the Caruthersville Harbor
848 RBD	Trinity Barge Fabrication Plant
847 LBD	Blaker Towhead
846.5 RBD	Caruthersville
846 RBD	Isle of Capri/Lady Luck Casino (Casino Inn & Suites)
	Isle of Capri/Lady Luck Casino (Casino Inn & Suites)
Appendix

Chickasaw Bluffs	850 – 737	CARUTHERSVILLE TO MEMPHIS
Upper Delta	737 – 663	MEMPHIS TO HELENA
Middle Delta	663 – 537	HELENA TO GREENVILLE
Lower Delta	537 – 437	GREENVILLE TO VICKSBURG
Loess Bluffs	437 – 225	VICKSBURG TO BATON ROUGE
Atchafalaya River	159 – 0	SIMMESPORT TO MORGAN CITY
Louisiana Delta	229 – 10	BATON ROUGE TO VENICE
Birdsfoot Delta	10 – 0	VENICE TO GULF OF MEXICO