Mile 646.0 - RBD 646 - 649 Dewberry Island 61
RBD 646 - 649 Dewberry Island 61
A highland of mixed willow/cottonwood/mulberry forest at mile 646, giant sandbars upstream at low water, plenty of sand at medium water, only a small spit of sand at high water 35HG, goes completely underwater at 42HG with only the trees on the tallest pieces of land poking out of the river water.
If it's getting to be that golden time of day and you are ready to pull over for the night, the sandbars of Island 61 are a good choice for campsite. When selecting campsites my rule of thumb is the first site is the best site. During low water levels, it doesn't really matter because there is an endless variety of good places to lay a tent and take shelter. However during high water the choices become limited, and passing one island might result in a very long paddle to the next possible camp.
At low water island 61 arises out of the big eddies not far below Kangaroo Point. The top end of this island begins to take shape below the #1 wing dam, as a giant sandbar the size of some ocean beach fronts - composed of smoothly undulating dunes which parallel the main channel. You can make landing anywhere and enjoy a sandy location reminiscent of the tropics, but you might watch for a place with some protection from the sun & wind, and also privacy. If it's a perfectly calm evening with no storms in the forecast and you don't need firewood for cooking, stop anywhere and you will have a spectacular sunset and enjoy endless night-time recreation in the form star-gazing in a sky as big as Montana. Also, during warmer seasons, mosquitos aren't as bad out on the open bar as they are around vegetation, particularly if there is a breeze. Be cautious though, if there is any hint of storms in the area, seek a sheltered location. Always drag your canoe up the shoreline and tie it down with a sand anchor or to mature tree or a firmly planted log. Sometimes the weathermen themselves are surprised. I was hit one evening at sunset by a wind storm that appeared out of nowhere from the north and proceeded to level our camp and sent some of our tents almost a mile across a sandbar! There was no hint of this on the NOAA radio that I had been checking before choosing camp. Nature is full of surprises. There isn't a wilder place full of more surprises than the Mississippi River!
At medium water the sandbar is reduced to hundreds of acres of rolling & tumbling dunes projecting outwards from the forested highlands center island. This is a dynamic place that changes dramatically with every flood, but always are found primo campsites up to higher water levels. Above 35 the choices get very limited and you might be sharing the much-reduced island with a cloistered coyote clan or two and some possums & armadillos who can be heard rustling around the shrubby willows after dark. Above 40 you should avoid the island entirely as a place to camp and instead opt for Island 62 (5 miles downstream) or island 64 (15 miles downstream).