St. Louis to Caruthersville
166.7 RBD Cliff Cave County Park Leaving St. Louis behind the river rolls along the base of the Missouri bluffs and the limestone cliffs seem to rise higher and higher. At mile 166.7 a spectacular cave opens its mouth to the river below. Cliff Cave (also known as
St. Louis to Caruthersville
168 RBD Bussen Quarries The only downside to camping on the Carroll Island is the traffic on the bridge and your loud neighbors across the river at Bussen Quarries. Aggregate is big business on the Middle Mississippi; this quarry is the first of another dozen or so that you will
St. Louis to Caruthersville
168 -167 LBD Carroll Islands Best camping below Mosenthein Island is found left bank descending (against the Illinois shore) below the JB Bridge, at the top end of the Carroll Islands (two consecutive islands, each similarly shaped and about a mile long), where a generous bluff of creamy white sand
St. Louis to Caruthersville
St. Louis Gage (SLG) Extreme Low Water: -6 to 4 Low Water: 4-12 Med Water: 12-24 High Water: 24-30 Flood Stage: 30 Extreme High Water: 30 to 50 1993 Flood: 49.58 The Mississippi River never gets too low for paddlers. Unlike western rivers, you can always find enough water
St. Louis to Caruthersville
168.6 Jefferson Barracks (JB) Bridge Last bridge for paddlers to float under in the St. Louis area, and a fitting exit to the city with its two elegant steel arches rising gracefully in a gentle half moon curve 268 feet above the water (at medium height). The main channel
St. Louis to Caruthersville
170.4 RBD Limestone Bluff Shelfs This is the 2nd prominent outcropping of the Missouri Bluffs, the so-called St. Louis limestone, which is the predominant surface rock of the area. At low and medium water levels the river rubs against this unusual shelf of St. Louis limestone which can be
St. Louis to Caruthersville
171 - 169 LBD Prairie Du Pont Low Water Sandbars Opposite the River des Peres and downstream of mile 171 are a series of L-shaped wing dams and 2 straight line dams around which sandbars emerge during low water and create some beautiful low-water camping, while medium water camping can
St. Louis to Caruthersville
171.8 RBD River des Peres (Note: hard-to-locate entrance described below is sometimes hidden behind parked tows and barges). The River des Peres cuts a steep-banked slot canyon into the Missouri shoreline, which makes a handy secret exit point to paddle into and gain quick refuge if you are paddling
St. Louis to Caruthersville
174 RBD Bellerive Park Bellerive Park sits on top of the short bluffs right bank descending and almost directly across the river from the mouth of Cahokia Chute. Although inaccessible to paddlers, Bellerive provides a rare land-side public view of the river in South St. Louis. Bellerive’s cliffs are
St. Louis to Caruthersville
174 LBD Cahokia Chute Cahokia Chute is the remains of a Mississippi River meander. At low water, it is made inaccessible to paddlers by the sandbars that form on Arsenal Island. A wrecked barge emerges from the sandy wasteland in low water conditions, towards the bottom end of the sandbar.
St. Louis to Caruthersville
174.8 RBD Iron Worker’s Cross/Diver’s Legs Sculpture Below the Great Arch the Missouri shore is littered with refineries and non-stop industry until the deep muddy river channel rubs its belly against some short cliffs topped with a selection of beautiful homes (Mt. Pleasant area along S.
St. Louis to Caruthersville
175.5 - 173.5 LBD Arsenal Island Best possible camping below Mosenthein Island, but only during low/medium water. Highest bluff of sand is located within protected bankside elbow at 173.6 (this location would be protected from south winds). Goes completely under around 25SLG, but you might find