River Log section: St. Louis to Caruthersville
St. Louis to Caruthersville
176 - 174 LBD Marquette Transportation Fleeting As it flows past the Coast Guard Station the channel crosses over to the Missouri side of the river RBD, and you will want to do the same to avoid the giant Marquette Transportation fleeting area on the Illinois side. Every Marquette tow
St. Louis to Caruthersville
176.8 LBD Cahokia Church of the Holy Family (Access from sandbar at LBD 176.8) Paddlers wanting to stretch their legs might enjoy a 2-mile round trip walk into Cahokia to visit the Holy Family Catholic Church, the oldest church between the Alleghenies and the Rocky Mountains. The route
St. Louis to Caruthersville
176.8 LBD Best Emergency Sandbar in St. Louis Harbor Best hidey-hole emergency stop in the area, but sometimes hidden behind acres of fleeted barges. Several hundred yards long. Steep bar, but wide enough to find slanted camp on up to flood stage. Medium sized sandbar at low/medium water
St. Louis to Caruthersville
178.3 LBD Cahokia Power Plant Cahokia Power Plant, Sauget, Illinois. This iconic brick & concrete power plant stands tall and dark with gothic austerity against the otherwise drab Illinois landscape, a monument to old style steam generation. Paddlers get the best view from the river, otherwise from land it’
St. Louis to Caruthersville
178.4 LBD Small Sandbar above old Cahokia Power Plant Emergency stops only. Tentative location below active industrial site (old power plant now used for drydocking/warehousing). Good protection in emergency situations from Southerly winds and/or storms.
St. Louis to Caruthersville
178.9 LBD Small Sandbar below Rocky Point Good protection from North wind, East wind or SE wind. Look for unusual rocky bluff outcropping less than 100 feet below the Illinois side of the MacArthur Bridge. Below the rocks a protected bar is tucked into the bank. This small sandbar
St. Louis to Caruthersville
178.8 RBD USS Inaugural 200 yards south of the MacArthur Bridge on the right bank descending lies the forlorn wreckage of the minesweeper ship Inaugural. You can see it on google earth, near an inlet created by a small concrete factory. This once-proud World War 2 ship was launched
St. Louis to Caruthersville
179 Douglas McArthur Bridge (Railroad) The long-contentious MacArthur Bridge opened in 1917 as the Municipal Free Bridge (as it was the only one which did not charge a toll), and was renamed in 1942 for the World War II general. For several years it carried Route 66 - the main
St. Louis to Caruthersville
179.2 Poplar Street Bridge Some paddlers put in at the Arch and start their journey paddling under the Poplar Street Bridge and continuing on downstream. If you are starting here in the Rivergator, jump back to Safe Paddling through the St. Louis Harbor for tips on how to safely
St. Louis to Caruthersville
179.7 RBD The Great Arch Paddling into the Great Arch is surely one of the great thrills of any Mississippi River adventure or expedition. This is also the best place to make a mid-day rest stop. Although you can’t camp here, it would also be a good place
St. Louis to Caruthersville
179.7 LBD Malcolm Martin Memorial Park You can get the best view of the Mighty Mississippi river and the Saint Louis skyline from across the river in East St. Louis at the Mississippi River Overlook, which is a 4 story elevated platform that allows you to overlook the levee.
St. Louis to Caruthersville
179.9 LBD East St. Louis Landing Normally paddlers stay towards the Missouri shore and miss all of Illinois. This is good practice because most commercial traffic uses the Illinois side of the river. But if you do not intend to stop right bank descending at the Arch or LaClede’