Mile 252.2 - 252.2 - 246.5 LBD Profit Island

252.2 - 246.5 LBD Profit Island

Profit Island was created when Islands No 123 and 124 joined each other and became one bigger island. Profit (originally spelled “prophet” for one of its first settlers) is the last “really big island” still intact on the Lower Mississippi River. It divides the big river main channel flowing down one side and back channel down the other with the presence of other “really big islands” upstream like Middle Ground Island, Choctaw Island, Big Island, and Island No 8. These first order islands create their own environments, and often provide habitat for unique species not found on the shore in the batture, and not found on any other nearby smaller islands. First order islands on the Mississippi are those with 2,000 acres of forest or more.

Profit Island boasts 2,300 acres of healthy bottomland hardwood forests, fields, sandbars and floodplains, The last sandbar starts out high, dry at bank full, and descends along the bottom end with extensive cocklebur fields above.

Profit Island was once owned by a timber company and is now home to several hunting camps. Though the island feels remote, paddlers should be sensitive to not wander into private property here. We have heard a number of anecdotes about boaters who have been chased off of by angry hunter’s claiming the whole of the island is private property. We cannot recommend using Profit Island as a camping spot unless you have permission from land owners.

In an interesting anecdote, during the 1980’s experimental field trials were conducted on Profit Island of special cottonwood tree cultivars that were hoped to provide super fast growing pulpwood for paper making.