Mile 210.2 LBD — Plaquemine Island

John Ruskey

26 Apr 2026 � 2 min read

Beautiful camping and picnicking at all water levels and in all types of weather conditions and wind directions. Plaquemine Island is one of the last three islands on the Lower Miss below Baton Rouge.

Plaquemine Island is one of the last three islands on the Lower Mississippi, Bayou (Goula and Bonnet Carre further downstream being the last two). If its that time of day you should stop here for excellent picnicking or camping. Bayou Goula Island is another 15 miles downstream, so if you want to go further you have that one awaiting you (and its bigger and wilder, less surrounding commotion). 10 miles downstream, Point Pleasant is a low or medium water option also. Highest point is in the woods at top end, and stays dry up to flood stage 35 BR, but possible campsites surround island, choose your place according to wind and weather conditions. Noise and light pollution from Dow Chemical on main channel. Shallow wetlands in depression top center of island. Navigable inlets form in low water levels between big sandbar and main island.

Similar in proportion to both Shreve’s Bar and Bayou Goula Island, Plaquemine Island features an extensive shallow sandbar which extends upriver above its forested towhead in lower water levels. This sandbar is the best camping in calm conditions in low/medium water. Best approach is paddling into the protected inlets which form between sandbar and forest ridge on either side of island. Deepest inlet on main channel side. If you paddle directly into the sandy flats you might find yourself bottoming out in shallow waters. This shallow sandy expanse highly sensitive to river rises and falls, so be careful where you set up camp! On windy days, or fast rising river, it would be best to seek the shelter of the forested mainland of the island, a narrow ridge which runs 1750 feet from top to bottom

In higher water levels, find suitable location along forested bulk of the island. There is good camping all around, but because pof the sprawling Dow Chemical opposite island on main channel, it is considerably quieter making camp somewhere along the back channel. The very bottom of the island is preferable in east winds, and feels especially good on cold winter days. There are several layers of sandy flats tucked into the willow woods at bottom end, where you can always find good shelter from winds and storms (up to bank full 30BR). Barges are sometimes anchored along the inside channel of the bottom end, in fact you can see one on Google Earth. Top end is best in strong west winds and stay dry up to flood stage 35BR. Stay main channel in high winds out of the south, and back channel in strong northerly winds.

Plaquemine Island is dominated by willows, but top end features some big cottonwoods and sycamores which bald eagles like to perch on for best fishing view. The island is favored by beavers, river otters, and many species of turtles and snakes.

If you intend to make a landing at the city of Plaquemine go West bank below Plaquemine Island and make landing at 209 RBD on Plaquemine Beach (low water) or the grassy levee incline above (med or high water). This will easy to do if you stay main channel around the island. But if you take the back channel behind Plaquemine Island you will have to look and listen carefully for any apporaching traffic and then make an expedient crossing below the bottom of the island. See Rivergator entry below for more description about the city of Plaquemine.

More from this section

Mile 19.0 RBD — Fort Jackson Beach

Best camping along this stretch of river in low/med water, up to 10NO. The levee falls back and the batture becomes wider around Jackson Point, allowing for the return of natural shorelines and good camping for one mile from 19.5 to 18.5 RBD. It is so rare

Mile 22.0 LBD — Bolivar Point

Low/medium water camping, up to 12NO, underwater above that. Best camping is found on the first sandbars located close to main channel on East Bank as you pass mile marker sign 22LBD. This is a beautiful location, with the river making a right angle turn, freighters proudly plowing by,

Mile 23.5 LBD — Neptune Pass

Three openings in rip-rap allow quick exit from storms, waves and wind, and high banks behind might make for good camping. There are three openings around the Neptune Light on the East Bank between 24 and 23 LBD. Paddlers could quickly exit the main channel through any of these small

Mile 29.5 LBD — Point Pleasant

Good low/med water camping on grassy shelves. Paddlers will find several miles of natural wild shoreline below Point Pleasant on the East Bank, from 28 - 31 LBD. If you seek a campsite, stop at the first good-looking place you find. Further down the campsites are corrupted by noise

Mile 33.0 RBD — Sixty-Mile Point

Low water only. Natural wild shoreline with possible low-water camping and picnicking, but shallow approach. Watch for tides and waves from passing ships. Partially due to the bend of the river here, and partially due to the Nairn 1973 Flood Crisis, a widening of the batture is found on the

Mile 60.0 LBD — Poverty Point

Possible low bar in low water, but not reliable campsite, goes under above 5NO. Poverty Point makes for a good picnic site in low/med waters, fine for light weight canoes, kayaks or paddleboards, but could prove to be a difficult shallow bank for any larger vessels. Just below the