Mississippi River (lower)

The Mississippi River is the largest river in North America and the sixth largest in the world. The lower Mississippi is a wide, fast moving river that is heavily used by large commercial barges. This river is not to be attempted by novices or casual cruisers. This is almost certainly the most hazardous inland trip described on our web site! We recommend the lower Mississippi only to those who have good skills in fast moving water, which adds a dimension of difficulty seen on few waterways.

The lower Mississippi averages about one half mile wide (up to a mile in places) with current of about 4-5 miles per hour (much faster in spots). Boils and turbulence can be hazardous for small craft, especially at high speeds.

This river, while it is a busy commercial shipping channel, is very remote except in the vicinity of the few cities on the river. Except on the rare high ground, towns and roads are set well back from the river behind the levees. There are large tracts of bottomland woods and big sandbars along the river. Access is very infrequent.

Location and Navigable Mileage: Most sources consider the dividing point of the upper and lower Mississippi to be the confluence with the Ohio River, and from a purely geographic point of view that is a very valid observation. For cruising purposes; however, we will define the dividing point differently. Above St. Louis, the Mississippi is a controlled, usually slack water series of 26 pools. Below this point, the Missouri River adds considerable flow from the west, and the river runs much faster, unimpounded to the Gulf of Mexico. It is a quite different river, and after being joined by the Ohio, it is really huge. Thus, we will define the lower Mississippi as that section below St. Louis, Missouri. This includes about 180 miles to the confluence with the Ohio River, and from there to the Gulf of Mexico an additional 953 miles. The last road access on the lower Mississippi is at the town of Venice, where there are two commercial marinas.

Interesting Features: While there are no lock and dam structures on the lower Mississippi, the channel has been improved for navigational use. On the outside of every bend, the banks have been stabilized by rock and concrete structures known as revetments. The purpose of the revetments is to prevent bank erosion that would allow the river to change its course. On the inside of the bends, you will find wing dams or dikes. These structures are for the purpose of keeping the water from short-cutting across sand bars and low banks -- they keep the water in the main river channel. The dikes can be hazardous at certain water levels, as the water rushing over them can create a hydraulic. Steer clear of these! Their locations are shown on the navigation charts and on special reports from the Corps of Engineers.

The commercial barges are immense. They consist of some number of flat bottom barge containers connected together and pushed by one or two diesel powered tow boats. These rigs (typically with 20+ barges) can be up to one-quarter mile in length and 250 feet wide. They travel at a speed of about 8 mph in relation to the water, or about 4 mph upstream and 12 mph downstream. They are almost always in sight. The prop turbulence from these barges (particularly the upstream tows) is very dangerous, with waves up to ten feet high.

Everything is on a large scale on the lower Mississippi. The sandbars and islands can be miles long. Huge tracts of woodlands can be found along the river. During the spring and fall migration season, you will see large flocks of waterfowl such as geese, ducks, and pelicans. In the cool months, bald eagles are found on the lower Mississippi.

Mooring, Camping, Lodging, Services: It is difficult to find protected waters on the lower Mississippi -- the extremely high volume of water and channel management techniques tend to keep the water moving. There are occasional protected inlets that are suitable for anchoring or mooring. If you want to camp, there is no shortage of good sandbars for that purpose. Though there are fewer towns along the river than you will find on the upper Mississippi, most have marinas and/or public docks. Many of these are found upriver on tributaries or old river channels.

Navigation Information, Charts	US Army Corps of Engineers navigation charts
Connecting Waterways	Upper Mississippi River Missouri River Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (east and west) Arkansas and White Rivers Red River, Atchafalaya Basin Ohio River
Marinas & boat rentals	Locations of commercial facilities including marinas are shown on the COE navigation charts. Memphis Yacht Club - Located at one of the few full service marinas for pleasure boats on the lower Mississippi
Towns, parks, attractions on/near the Waterway	St. Louis Memphis Vicksburg Natchez Greenville, MS New Orleans
Books	There are many good books on the Mississippi River: Mark Twain's account of the Mississippi River and of his time as a river boat captain (Life on the Mississippi). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn -- This book is the inspiration for many who long to cruise America's great rivers -- it is also one of the great novels of American literature, also by Mark Twain. Mississippi Solo : A River Quest an African American's unique adventure. Around the Bend : A Mississippi River Adventure Old Man River & Me : One Man's Journey Down the Mighty Mississippi (home made boat adventure) Discover! : America's Great River Road : The Lower Mississippi : St. Louis, Missouri, to Memphis, Tennessee Discover! America's Great River Road - Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana Old Glory : A Voyage Down the Mississippi (a Brit tackles the big river) Shantyboat - A River Way of Life (1930's life on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers) Rising Tide : The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
More Pictures	.
Environmental Issues/Organizations	American Rivers Mississippi River alert
Acknowledgments/Contributors	.
Miscellaneous	US Army Corps of Engineers (Vicksburg District) A cruiser's log of the Missisippi (Illinois River to Ohio River)