| Preamble |
|
| Introduction |
|
| 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 |
|
| 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 |
|
| 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 |
|
