Most anyone from Mississippi can name 1-2 good canoeing streams, but it turns out that there are close to three dozen navigable rivers in the state, and a bunch of them offer great canoeing day treks or even overnighters. Here are 10 of Mississippi’s rivers that I want to put a canoe into soon.
- The Mighty Mississippi, Old Man River, Father of Waters – It is safely doable and I have paddled in the Mississippi before, and I am more than ready to explore the 2400-mile Wilderness Between the Levees some more!
- Pascagoula River – This 80-mile gem is the only remaining undammed river in a humid subtropical climate IN THE WORLD!
- The Pearl River – Rich with history, this river flows from Nanih Wayia to NASA.
- Buttahatchie River – Flowing out of the Sipsey Wilderness in Alabama, this perky and beautiful canoeing river meanders across the state line before spilling into the Tombigbee river
- Black Creek – known by some southern outdoorsmen as the best canoeing, camping, and fishing in the South, this creek is paralleled by the Black Creek National Hiking Trail which runs through the Black Creek Wilderness.
- The Big Black River – Neither big nor black, this river serves as a defacto divider between the flat alluvial plain of the Delta and the hardwood bottoms of central Mississippi – so you get to see some of everything.
- Sunflower River – This creek has been called, “Mississippi’s most endangered river,” by several environmental conservation groups, and it flows right through the heart of Mississippi Delta Blues, and the homeland of the Mississippi Hot Tamale.
- Hatchie River – Flowing out of the Appalachan foothills in Northeast Mississippi, this prime canoeing river wanders along the Tennessee side of the Miss-Tenn border until it joins the Mississippi at Memphis.
- Chickasawhay is a deep dive into pre-history as it cuts through some geological deposits and fossil-bearing areas that are unique in the world.
- Lakes Arkabutla, Sardis, Enid, & Grenada are actually flood control reservoirs on the Coldwater, Tallahatchie, Yocona, and Yalobusha rivers respectively. All are concentrated in the northwest corner of the State and all are ringed with parks, wildlife management areas, recreation areas, fisheries, camping areas, and hiking trails. Sound like an outdoor paradise to you? It does to me too!
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