helena-to-greenville

Mile 591.0 LBD — 587 Great River Road State Park

John Ruskey

26 Apr 2026 � 1 min read

(Note: closed since the 2011 Flood, but supposed to reopen in 2012). There are hot showers and other camper conveniences at Great River State Park, but be aware that the park is built for vehicle access, not river access. This is not a good place to put-in or take-out unless the river level is just right, around 30-35 AG. Even at high water levels, when the river is running close to the edge of the park, you will have to portage your canoe (or hide it and lug your gear) to reach the campsites. At high water this portage might be several hundred yards, but at low water you would have to cross one mile of loose sand to reach the park. Not a good idea unless you like self-torture. If you need some cleanup and personal hygiene you might as well make camp close to the river's edge somewhere along the bottom end of the sandbar and then walk in for showers. A five-story tower was built at the park with good views of the river upstream and down, but in recent years it has been closed due to disrepair. The 2011 flood was not kind to the park, but recent news reports say that it will be rebuilt and remain open. Call State Park for the latest information at (662)759-6762.

For the paddler seeking a good campsite, the river side of Great River Road State Park never closes, because primitive camping is found along a series of bluffs at the bottom end of the Terrene Sandbar in between mile 592 and 593. There you will find the elements of the ideal campsite: easy access, protection, and good views. At low water you might have to climb a steep bank to reach flat sites, but as the water rises access gets easier, above 13AG you will be able to pull into one of many charming inlets that form in between the sandy bluffs. These inlets become flowing channels above 23AG but good camping is still to be had until the water gets to 33AG, when you will be best advised to continue downstream to the Arkansas Bar for dry camping.

More from this section

Mile 665.5 RBD — Buck Island (Prairie Point Towhead)

Buck Island was saved from auction block by the American Land Conservancy in 2008 and is now protected by a permanent wetlands easement through the NRCS, which means that it will never be forested again, and our children will one day enjoy the big woods that used to predominate in

Mile 651.0 LBD — FRIARS POINT island

[CLICK HERE: Map of Friar's Point Island] Immediately downstream of the primitive Friars Point Landing mile 652.5 is a narrow opening tight against the Mississippi shoreline that at any water levels above 20 HG offers glimpses into the wild world of the ancient Mississippi, where steep muddy

Mile 561.0 — Choctaw Bar Island

[CLICK HERE: Map of Choctaw Island] Choctaw Island, the superlative Mississippi River Island for voyageurs, consists of every floodplain landscape possible: giant beaches, large meadows, extensive woods, wetlands, and muddy banks. The shoreline is as close to the Caribbean as you'll find in the middle of America. The

Mile 569.0 — Catfish Point Bar

Another solution to the monotony of the long-distance paddler is a stop on Catfish Point Bar. If the weather's calm, and you need a good rest place to stretch you legs, pull into Catfish Point Bar. It can be a long paddle getting into this giant sandbar from

Mile 569.5 — Cypress Bend

Cypress Bend is perhaps the most perfectly formed bend on the Lower Mississippi. The river flows in perfectly due west out of Catfish, and then carves a perfect semi circle around Cypress, and then exits perfectly due east towards Eutaw and Choctaw below. Alas, its also one of the most

Mile 574.0 — Caulk Neck Cut-Off

During the Great Flood of 2011 the entire Mississippi River violently whisked around Caulk Neck Cut-Off and was concentrated into a mess of swiftly sliding boils and extreme river eruptions past Catfish Point and into Cypress Bend. Writer Hodding Carter and I ran the river from Memphis to Vicksburg as