Mile 616.0 - RBD 616-609 Island 69
RBD 616-609 Island 69
[CLICK HERE: Map of Paddling Past Island 69]
[CLICK HERE: Map of Island 69 Circumnavigation]
Island 69 is an archipelago of Islands which inhabits the inside a long bend of the river, its pieces running seven river miles downstream of Knowlton, Cessions Towhead on one side, the bottomland fields and farms Arkansas' Snow Lake on the other. There is a large back channel behind Island 69 that has some flow around 15HG but opens full throttle around 25HG. This Back Channel further splinters into a Secret Old Back Channel (see below) and then also flows through several sandy islands below its lower dikes, and then finally ducks behind a lower splinter island (opposite Dennis Landing)which becomes the furthest extension of the whole.
Island 69 is a low-slung island which goes completely underwater around 35HG. Excellent Low Water or High Water Camping around outside edge near forested tops, but also along inside channel wherever you see a sandy dune. At low water there are endless choices for campsites along miles of beaches, make the usual precautions for any changes of weather or river level. At medium water level you can approach the top of the island and then go with the flow down either side to find the sandy tops of a large dune that extends down the middle of the whole.
As you continue around 69 into the right-angle bend below, watch for unusual towboat activity, this is another place where the river gets squeezed and the resulting current responds with turbulence and unexpected explosions of whitewater activity. During low water the tows will employ the flanking maneuver to safely negotiate. CLICK HERE: The Flanking Maneuver]
The beautiful white-sand beaches found along the lower dikes #3, #4, #5 and #6 make excellent pit stops, picnic sites, but is too open for predictable camping. A photograph from one of these beaches on a sunny day seems to suggest the Caribbean not the muddy Mississippi. You might want to set up a volleyball net and suntan alongside the sparkling waters reflecting the deep blues of the sky. Swim at your own risk. Watch for strange currents. The waters tend to pull away from the sandbar into the depths of the main navigation channel here. Strong swimmers only, and designate a lifeguard equipped with safety rope and rescue vessel. If you are a weaker swimmer or have children your best bet will be to find an off-channel place where the water is calm and quiet. With a little exploring you should be able to locate calm places around the backside of the sandbar. [CLICK HERE: Safe Swimming]
The best blue holes in the area were seasonally carved below Dike #5 but the high waters 2011 covered them all in deep sand. Maybe they'll reappear in the future?
As you pass below the forested top of Island 69 opposite the Lower end of Sessions (near Mile 614) your will be attracted to a shining cone-shaped building downstream that looks like a silver pyramid, maybe a repeat vision of the Memphis Pyramid. This is the Bunge Elevator at Dennis Landing. The river has not treated this grain elevator kindly, for years it was rendered inoperable by growing shoals, in 2011 it was completely flooded. The Boat Launch is located a mile above the Elevator. If you are planning a landing at Hurricane Point (Mile 610: Dennis Landing) You can stay main channel, or go back channel Island 69, but don't follow the Secret Old Back Channel described below or you will end up a mile below the landing and will have to make a very strenuous upstream paddle and a vigorous ferry crossing to reach the landing.
If you want to explore a back channel, you could also cross over to the Mississippi shoreline LBD and jump into the back channel behind Cession's Towhead -- and be well positioned for reaching Dennis Landing. Keep reading below.