River Log section: Caruthersville to Memphis
Caruthersville to Memphis
rbd 793-785 Island 30 WARNING: There are two significant falls at low/medium waters, one at top end and one at bottom end of Island 30. See below for more description. Island 30 creates an intriguing back door entrance to Osceola. If the water is high enough (above 25 on
Caruthersville to Memphis
LBD 797 Lower Forked Deer River For an close-up view of the woods, wildlife, and agricultural fields of Western Tennessee paddle 4.5 miles up the Lower Forked Deer into Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge. Only possible above 10 CuG. Be ready for blockages, fallen trees, beaver dams, and other obstacles.
Caruthersville to Memphis
LBD 797 Shoaf Landing Primitive Gravel/Sand/Mud Landing at the mouth of the Lower Forked Deer. Good for paddlers who can easily lift canoes, kayaks or paddleboards up and over any muddy patches or other obstacles. Limited Parking.
Caruthersville to Memphis
rbd 796-791 Ashport Gold Dust Dikes Extensive sandbars at medium and low water levels extending from a long chain of willow-topped island. At high water you can cut behind these islands through any number of openings, the first found at the base of Island 27. Follow your paddler’s bliss
Caruthersville to Memphis
LBD 796 Ashport-Keyes Boat Ramp Well built concrete ramp good at all water levels and year-round access from paved road (Tennessee 19) in between Ashport and Gold Dust. 16 miles east on TN 19 to reach Ripley, home of the famous Ripley tomato.
Caruthersville to Memphis
803-787 Ashport-Keyes Gold Dust Now comes the payback for all the fun river loops! After exiting the wonderful looping river bends of Tamm’s, Barfield, and Island 25, the river makes a dreadfully long run with no bends, all the way down to Plum Point/Osceola, and the downstream paddler
Caruthersville to Memphis
rbd 800-796.5 Island 26 and Forked Deer Island 27 When the river is above 20 CuG the water begins to slowly move into the back channel of Island 26, and by 25 with some flow, and by 30 with good flow. Stay bank right RBD as you come around
Caruthersville to Memphis
rbd 805-801 Island 25 Island 25 has been absorbed into the mainland around Tomato Arkansas. Low water camping only on shifting sandbars that accumulate around the Is 25 Dikes. Once you come around the Bend of Island 25 the downstream paddler is confronted with a numbing sixteen-mile long straight shot
Caruthersville to Memphis
rbd 806 Tomato Arkansas Flood Prone landscape, as evidenced by several giant blue holes vestiges of the 1937 flood, all three right bank descending, one near 808 (35.860638,-89.772718), one near the light at 807.7 (35.854587,-89.760039), and the last a mile further near 807
Caruthersville to Memphis
rbd 809.3 Barfield Boat Ramp Rough ramp pocked by holes and cracks and placed on the riverbank in a high industry traffic location amidst the docks and cranes of Nucor Yamamato. Concrete disappears into muddy/sandy eddy bar at low water. No nearby services of any sort. Our recommendation:
Caruthersville to Memphis
815-805 Barfield Bend You might spend several hours completely circumnavigating Barfield Bend during low water. The main channel here measures ten miles long and wraps completely around Nebraska Point. If you are struggling through a head wind, don’t worry too much, it will soon become a tail wind! After
Caruthersville to Memphis
LBD 814 Nebraska Landing During the 2011 flood the waters surging around Wrights Point tried to bust a new channel open for the Mississippi River behind the club-shaped Nebraska Point which would have turned this area into a large island. Fortunately for the small community and country church at Nebraska