Mile 97.0 - Miles 97-95: LBD Jones Towhead

John Ruskey

20 Apr 2026 � 2 min read

97 - 95 LBD Jones Towhead

Braxton Barden and Mark River camped on Jones Towhead in low water, Nov 2014, and made this report: Following the Liberty Bar archipelago is Jones Towhead. The tip of the towhead is separated from the main island even during low water conditions. This isolated top portion of the island is an ideal camping spot during deer hunting season. This small piece of the island contains willow trees and little to no cover for deer which does not appeal to hunters. If the tip of the island is too far from the main channel, check the channel between the tip and the main portion. This channel will remain open even during the lowest of water conditions. Once you work your way around the island there are old pylons to navigate through prior to coming back around to the top portion of the island. Keep in mind during a falling river that if you barely make it through on the way, you will probably not make it out the next day without a portage. After breaking camp, you can paddle back out to the main channel or explore the backchannel of Jones Towhead. The backchannel is deep and remains open in all but extreme low water conditions. As with any foray into a backchannel, be prepared to portage. The backchannel of Jones Towhead provides a nice break from main channel paddling. With the exception of the rocks placed by the Corps of Engineers, you will experience a beautiful backchannel full of wildlife and steep muddy banks. (Braxton Barden)

The temperature is dropping so paddling is the best way to beat the cold and wet. We paddle past Rockwood Island headed for Liberty Bar and Jones Towhead. Even though it rained all day, the trees and bluffs were full of bald eagles. They produced thirteen sightings and made me deal with the elements better watching how nonchalantly the eagles handled the weather. During low water the top of the island is a big sandbar with a substantial distant to the trees. If you continue to the bottom, there is a back channel that allows entry to the same sandbars. There's a old revetment dike, made of wood, that you can float over and enter. A small island, but lots of wildlife.A good place to camp to get away from the north wind. A large beaver the size of a small bear cub greeted us. A lone buck scampered up the cut bank. He was bedded down waiting out the hunting season. The back channel also has some type of wreck expose in the cut bank left bank descending along the back channel. Some very old woodworking structures. (Mark River)

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