Mile 39.0 - Miles 39-35: LBD Burnham Island

John Ruskey

20 Apr 2026 � 1 min read

39 - 35 LBD Burnham Island

Four mile tall island Burnham Island is a conglomerate of three older islands, being joined by Little Island and Goose Island at its southern end. These two islands combined with the bigger Burnham Island to create one long skinny paradise for paddlers, birders and anyone seeking the wildness. Burnham Island is surrounded by great sandy campsites, good up to high water topsides and at many locations along its main channel flank, and a few sandbars around the backside. You’ll find a high sandy top end surrounded by big trees, with nice high camps along man channel, and big cottonwoods in between in a deep dark forest. Best camping is top end opposite the town of Commerce where the back channel splits into a small archipelago of sandbar islands (at low water). After dark you might be distracted by a few street lights from across the river at Commerce, but there is no industry here, and it will be mostly quiet overnight. The stars will be bright overhead, and only a vague glowing in the northwest will indicate civilization (from Cape Girardeau). An old channel known as the Jacket Pattern Chute is contained within the greenery at the bottom end of the island and is a wonderland of wildlife, but only accessible (by boat) at flood stage.

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