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Meanwhile, on the other side of the Shreve’s Island, the main channel is constricted, often crowded with towboats, and doesn’t seem to flow any faster. If you do take the main channel, watch carefully for tows unexpectedly appearing out of the Lock Channel. Downstream pilots get very cranky,
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The Back Channel of Shreve’s Bar is always flowing strong, and is the route of preference for paddlers, even at low water. And as much for aesthetics as for practicality. Aesthetically it is always more pleasing to paddle the back channel -- where the natural banks, big trees and
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The river circumscribes Angola State Penitentiary in an almost perfect semi-circle, with a radius of four miles, the center being the headquarters of the prison complex. Using simple geometry, C=2piR this would give a circumference of approximately 25 miles, divided by 2 for a half circle = 12.5 miles,
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Once safely below the Auxiliary Intake channel of the Old River Control Structure, you can find a very tall bluff of sand, the tallest in the area, which makes the best highwater camping available all the way up to flood stage (and beyond). At low water, this giant sand dune
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There are three sand dune alcoves along this stretch of river left bank around Palmetto, which would offer good protection in easterly or southeasterly winds or weather, but are frequented by 4-wheelers, and might be private (the last one especially, since it has a permanent primitive camp set up on
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Short willow island with a single ridge along its length that starts out high at the top end and gradually descends to the bottom end. Good protected camping in dense willows in high water, sandbars extend around its edges in medium water and become miles long in low water. An
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From the top of Palmetto island down to Shreve’s Bar the sprawling Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and Red River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) create sprawling swaths of deep bottomland hardwood forests, tupelo gum wetlands, and countless lakes, bayous and other waterways, bounded between the Mississippi and the
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Jackson Point makes for beautiful high water camping, but not so good at medium water. At low water extensive sandbars extend outwards and provide many choices for landings, but none are protected. Calm weather camping only. Hunting camps all around. Respect private property and stay out of the woods. Fifteen
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A long string of secret camps are strung out along the perimeter of Dead Man’s Bend, the first and biggest at Cerro Gordo Landing (LBD 337.3) and another half dozen smaller ones further down, all the way to Jackson Point. Dive in and take protection if you have
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The Mississippi Loess Bluff #5 does not come close enough to the river to touch from the water, unless the river is at extreme flood stage. At normal water levels you would have to walk through deep woods and swamps several hundred yards to reach their base. But from the
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Carthage Point Towhead hugs the left bank opposite the Natchez Islands and would make for ideal picnicking and camping except that it’s an active hunting camp, and should be avoided during the fall hunting season. That said, giant sandbars emerge around its outer edge below 25NG, and if the