Mile 754.0 - LBD 754-745 Meeman Shelby Forest State Park
LBD 754-745 Meeman Shelby Forest State Park
Meeman Shelby Forest State Park straddles the Third Chickasaw Bluff thirteen miles north of Memphis, with nine miles of big river frontage and some of the best examples of the dense temperate jungles that once crowded the Lower Mississippi Valley. The downstream paddler enters the park at the bottom end of the Hen (Densford Bar) and doesn’t exit until the top of Hickman Bar (LBD 745).
Two-thirds of the 13,467-acre Meeman Shelby Forest State Park are bottomland hardwood forests of large oak, cypress, tupelo, sweetgum, sycamore and cottonwood. There are two lakes and many miles of hiking trails as well as one of the largest disc-golf courses in the Southeast. Campgrounds and rustic cabins are found on top of the bluff but are miles away from the river, and as such probably not of interest to long distance paddlers.
Deer, turkey, beaver, fox, otter and bobcat are plentiful. Over 200 species of songbirds, waterfowl, shorebirds, and birds of prey, including the American Bald Eagle can be seen. The area is a favorite for bird watchers, bicyclers and hikers. The Meeman Museum and Nature Center is named for Edward J. Meeman, courageous conservation editor of Scripps-Howard newspapers who helped establish this park and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park maintains the Shelby Forest Boat Ramp LBD 752.7.
Big Trees: Take a short walk into the dense forests for a close-up view of some of the biggest cottonwoods and sycamores you’ll see in the entire Lower Mississippi Valley. From the Shelby Forest Boat Ramp paddle your canoe or kayak several hundred yards downstream and make landing at one of the eddy-alcoves river left (You can also walk from the boat ramp parking lot, but it’s more exciting to paddle!) Just over the riverbank and due east into the park you will cross a low place, and then find the land rising in elevation. The big trees like the slight rise off the river floodplain. soon Bring your camera and watch for poison ivy, which abounds alongside other vines crowding the undergrowth.
Bygone Swim Race: In the 1930s a Memphis businessman hosted a series of swim races for Memphis youth from Shelby Forest down to Memphis! What a swim race... 17 miles on the main channel of the Mississippi River. This would be unthinkable in our modern age of self-preservation and irrational fears of the outdoors.
Shuttling Considerations: By the way, if you’re planning a day trip from Shelby Forest, and shuttling vehicles, leave your pickup vehicle at either 1) the public boat launch at the top end of Mud Island, 2) the Memphis Yacht Club at the Mud Island Riverpark (get permission and pay their fee), or 3) at the public use Coast Guard Boat Launch in the Mud Island Harbor.
Park Headquarters:
Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park
910 Riddick Road
Millington , TN 38053
901-876-5215
800-471-5293