River Log section: Memphis to Helena
Memphis to Helena
LBD 725.5 Entrance to McKellar Lake Watch for towboat traffic coming in and out of McKellar Lake Memphis Industrial Harbor, as well as workboats, crew boats and fleeted barges. Unless you purposely intend to access the harbor the fastest water and most interesting forests and islands are found along
Memphis to Helena
Intro: Memphis to Helena: Welcome to the 2013 update to the Rivergator: Paddlers Guide to the Lower Mississippi River! This section covers the 73 miles of the big river from the pyramid city of Memphis to the paddler’s oasis Helena Arkansas. After leaving downtown Memphis you’ll swish under
Memphis to Helena
663 RBD Leaving Helena Harbor Leaving the Helena Harbor and heading downstream: As you push from the Helena Harbor and paddle downstream you will enjoy some of the industrial works of mankind that line the busy channel for several miles below the bridge. See below for writing and recommendations about
Memphis to Helena
RBD 727.3 The Wreck of the Raft The Lower Mississippi is a 1,000 mile long graveyard of wrecked vessels and broken hearts. I’ve added at least one to the pile of wreckage. In February of 1983 the river was seasonally high and cold, and flowing fast, furious
Memphis to Helena
727.3 TVA Transmission Lines After rounding President’s Island the mile wide main channel narrows in half as it flows into Arkansas and is directed southward in a powerful and sometimes turbulent tongue of water. You can find sandbars along the inside of the bend, but the industry and
Memphis to Helena
LBD 732 Hole in the Wall #2 As you’re paddling downstream look for a gaping opening in the rip-rap LBD which you can paddle through if you so desire. As you approach you will notice that the natural bankside of trees and mud retreats ever further behind an unnatural
Memphis to Helena
733 President's Island Boiling out Memphis and riding the fast water of the main channel the downstream the canoeist or kayaker will be buoyed increasingly westward and even northwestward by the hulking teardrop shape of President’s Island (which is actually a compound island joined by its sister
Memphis to Helena
734.7 The Old Bridge (Memphis & Arkansas Bridge) This bridge cost $10.5 million and as part of Interstate 55, it connects Arkansas with Tennessee. Unfortunately it was not built to withstand an earthquake and can't be retrofitted with seismic protection. When this bridge opened it meant
Memphis to Helena
734.7 The Ghost Bunker On the eastern end of Harahan Bridge is a bunker made of granite whose walls have seen some horrible scenes. This area is said to be haunted. The bunker is now known as The Ghost Bunker or The Strange Room. It sits on the exact
Memphis to Helena
734.7 Lower Bridges/Engineer’s Bar Engineer’s Bar is a giant sandbar at low water but quickly disappears as the river rises, and is completely swamped in medium water MG20 with only a few narrow bars clinging to various places along the right bank. Don’t camp here
Memphis to Helena
734.7 The Harahan Bridge This is the only railroad bridge between St. Louis and the Gulf of Mexico that is also used simultaneously by pedestrians and vehicles. It was originally named The Rock Island Bridge and was renamed after James T. Harahan, the president of Rock Island Railroad who
Memphis to Helena
734.7 The Frisco Bridge It must be a law that any type of architectural structure in Memphis should have more than one name. The Frisco Bridge is no exception. Its original name was The Great Bridge at Memphis. Later that was shortened to “The Memphis Bridge,” and commonly referred