Mile 68.0 LBD — Will’s Point

John Ruskey

26 Apr 2026 � 2 min read

Good camping on wooded ridge in low/med water, best between 0 and 8 NO Gage.

Will’s Point is one of the few natural places in this long stretch of river where you can stop (at low/med water) and stretch your legs, or make camp. (underwater in high water above 12NO). There is a long narrow stretch of dry bank composed of alternating layers of mud and sand with a willow forest behind. This is one of the beauties of the river here: you don’t have to go far to find the shade of the trees at any of the beaches. On the other hand, you can’t get away from the voracious mosquitoes which sometimes swarm in thick clouds here! Sun shade/mosquitoes: just another example of your yin-yang existence as a paddler on the Lower Mississippi River. Stay bank left as you enter the bend. Just past the Will’s Point mile marker tower (a big red diamond 68) you will start seeing dry bank emerging at a steep angle from the trees, with enticing landings beckoning. Pick your spot and pull in. A long hallway of open spots is found beneath the willows, with higher ground behind replete with sycamores and hackberry. A wetlands is found behind camp, over a narrow ridge running parallel to the river. This wetlands is connected to the river and ringed by more willows and punctuated with wild hibiscus, horse tail, elephant ears, and many varieties of fungi. This might be the first tidal inlet on the Lower Miss. You will experience up to a 6 inch tide here, and higher in storm surges. As the tide breathes in and out the water cycles in response through a narrow meandering channel at the downstream end of the Will’s Point. As result of this dynamic layout, Will’s Point wetlands is rich in amphibians and birds. I turned on my headlamp one night while walking along the edge and was amazed by the dozens of red alligator eyes looking back at me. The next morning I found roseate spoonbills in this same wetlands grazing the muddy water for plankton alongside egrets and herons. This area is ATV accessible, but probably only used during hunting season.

There is a high dry bank in low water (below 8NO) along the length of Will’s Point, with wild primitive landings on either mud or sand. There are no completely sandy places here, everything seems to be composed of layers of mud and sand, so in rainy seasons it will be gooey, and you will most likely have a muddy landing. But once you pull your vessels up in this beautiful place, and establish a dry camp above the high tide line, who cares? This area is tidal influenced, so check tide charts before choosing camp, and make sure you are 3 feet above high tide. Passing ships can make big waves. The shoreline is lacerated with a series of inlets reaching into some rich wetlands behind. As mentioned above, Will’s Point is a haven for shorebirds, waders, and amphibians like turtles and alligators.

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