Mile 84.0 - Miles 84-83: LBD Fountain Bluff

84 - 83 LBD Fountain Bluff

Fountain Bluff is a remarkable bluff, a jumble of jagged boulders tumbling down the steep angle plateau into the river. This free-standing plateau is a leftover from glacier meltdown, the river used to plow over the land behind and to the east of Fountain Bluff. But then at some point it carved a new hole to the west of the bluff, creating a steep rocky parapet that borders the water with an incredible jumble of building-sized boulders falling into the river. Take your time and get as close as you can to the boulders. Some are as big as houses. Lots of places to eddy in and enjoy a unique picnic site that feels more like the New River, or the Ocoee, or some other Appalachian stream than it does like the muddy Mississippi. The illusion is shattered by passing towboats and the width of the river beyond. At 83 LBD you can paddle up to and sometimes around and behind house-sized boulders that have toppled into the river from unseen heights.