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Gulf Coast Blueways
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The Mississippi Coastal Counties are blessed with abundant flat water paddling opportunities for recreational canoeing and kayaking. Taken as a straight line, a person can paddle for over 136 miles without covering the same water.
Before you head out on your Kayak, check out tidal information here:
www.tidesonline.nos.noaa.gov or
www.coms.usm.edu/MStide
Here are links to local outfitters:
www.visitmississippi.org/outdoor_rec/outdoor_kayaking.asp
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EXISTING KAYAK AND/OR CANOE TRAILS
LARGE BODIED KAYAKABLE WATER
DEER ISLAND
Deer Island with launch sites at Kuhn Street and Oak Street. Deer Island can be reached by a .25 mile paddle from the public ramp on Lee Street south of Hwy 90 in Biloxi. Once the paddler has reached the island, there is a relative safety in that the water around the island is shallow should the paddler experience difficulty. The island is about five miles in length, so it is possible to circumnavigate the island in a day. The only difficult point is at the south tip where swells and chop can reach a few feet in height if there is a brisk E-SE wind. A word of warning would be to stay away from the breakwater because of rebounding waves creating a chaotic condition. About two-thirds of teh way down the island on the Biloxi side is an inlet to an internal bayou. An aerial map of teh bayou and a GPS is recommended before entering. Also, a tidal change can cause a 3 mph current near the mouth that may be difficult to paddle against. On windy days where there is a wind out of the SE, the Sound side of the island can be surfed by riding swells from open water.
TCHOUTACABOUFFA RIVER
Tchoutacabouffa River with launch sites at Parker`s Creek and Popps Ferry Causeway. The River, although humbly, can be said to begin at the junction of Hurricane Creek and Railroad Bridge Creek. Hurricane Creek is the larger of the two and can be paddled from the Bethel Road Bridge downstream. The distance from Bethel Road to the HWY 15 Bridge is slightly less than a mile and a half through Federal lands. The stretch is unique in that the creek passes over a series of clay strata that provide a rapid drop for the Mississippi Gulf Coast. During rainless periods, this creates pools that can require portaging, but during a period of abundant rainfall (not flood stage), the ride is unique. It is suspected that the upper Wolf River above Hwy 53 is similar. Like the Biloxi River, the Tchoutacabouffa River can be broken into three distinct sections for paddling. The upper river is quite channelized and lacks sandbars of consequence. This section of paddable water is from the Bethel Road bridge to the C.C. Road bridge, a distance of 6.7 miles. This would be a fairly fast paddle if no snags or logs are encountered. There are no take-out points between Hwy 15 and C.C. Road. The second section is from C.C. Road to the junction with the Tuxachanie Creek, the distance is roughly 6.25 miles. There are no public take out points until you reach Lamey Bridge Road bridge, a distance of 1.8 miles down stream of the junction. This portion of the river is still channelized but does not flow as rapidly as the upper section. It is quite like the lower portion of the Tuxachanie, only a little larger. Once the junction of teh Tuxachanie is reached, the waterway begins to flatten out and get wider. Because the current slows considerably, it would be wise for a person to switch out of a small recreational boat to a sea kayak or full sized canoe. Lamey Bridge can be used as a starting point of the tidal portion of the Tchoutacabouffa River. The river still flows at this point, but is very slow, one half mile per hour or less. During flood tides, it will flow backward. It isn't until the I-10 bridge is reached below Cedar Lake Road that the river begins to become mainly tidal in broad open meanders flanked by expansive marsh grass. The bayou and bay environment begins here, as does the saltwater intrusion. Sea kayaks and full-sized canoes fit this environment very nicely.
BACK BAY OF BILOXI
Back Bay of Biloxi with launch sites at Forrest Avenue, I-110 in D`Iberville, and Cowan-Lorraine Road.
BAYOU BERNARD
Bayou Bernard with launch sites at the Bridge, Gulfport Lake, and John Hill Park on Switzer Road.
BILOXI RIVER
Biloxi River with launch sites at Big Biloxi Park, Dedeaux Park, and the Causeway.
LITTLE BILOXI RIVER
Little Biloxi River with a launch site at Dedeaux Park takeout.
WOLF RIVER
Wolf River with launch sites at Cemetary Road, Cable Bridge Road, Tucker Road, and Menge Avenue Bridge. www.wolfrivercanoes.com.
From a put-in point on Hwy 53 to Interstate 10, the Wolf River can be said to have a reliable flow for day tripping. Except for periods of high water, from I-10 southward the flow slows considerably. Wolf River Canoe has a take out point on Tucker Road west of 28th Street. From this point south, recreational craft lose their advantage to more streamlined personal water craft such as sea kayaks and full sized canoes that are able to cover distance on flat water with less effort. The distance from Hwy 53 to Bells Ferry Road is nominally 24 miles. From Hwy 53 to Cable Bridge, a stretch of nearly constant flow, is about 12.6 miles. The standard float provided by Wolf River Canoe is from Cable Bridge Road to Tucker Road (one mile above Bells Ferry Road), and is around 10.4 miles. Wolf River Canoe offers canoes and kayaks for rental and will, for a fee, shuttle a customer to several points north of Tucker Road, as far north as Hwy 53. The area above Hwy 53 has a more seasonal flow resulting in some shallow water at certain times of the year. The nearest put-in point is Pearl River County. The Wolf River has been cleared of obstructions since the hurricane and is passable from Hwy 53 South.
BAYOU PORTAGE/JOHNSON BAYOU
Bayou Portage/Johnson Bayou with launch site at Pass Christian Industrial Park. Bayou Portage is the western outlet for the drainage of the sandbar that makes up the cities of Pass Christian and Long Beach. It is (presently) totally separate from the Wolf River basin. The intersection of Menge Avenue and Red Creek Road is an ideal beginning point to paddle the bayou. It begins as a tree lined drainage bayou and transforms itself into a salt marsh bayou before emptying into a small bay adjoining the Bay of St. Louis. The paddle from the intersection of Menge and Red Creek to the bay portion of Bayou Portage is nominally 3.25 miles. From the entry of the bayou into the bay to the Henderson Avenue bridge is slightly over one mile, and another half mile to the Bay of St. Louis. The initial origin to the small bay is a very nice paddle for either recreational craft or transitional boats. Most of the bayou is too small for motorized vessels (except jet ski's). Johnson Bayou, a dredged out drainage creek south of the original Bayou Portage, is said to be able to be paddled and shows potential in creating a blueway from one point on Menge Avenue to another. The paddle would be between 6 and 7 miles.
MALINI BAYOU/HENDERSON POINT/BAY OF ST. LOUIS
Malini Bayou/Henderson Point/Bay of St. Louis with launch site at Bayview Street. The Merlin Necaise Ramp is a jumping off point to the Bay St. Louis. The paddle to the bay is slightly greater than a mile. From there the paddler is free to wander along the north margin of the bay of head south toward Bayou Portage and Henderson Point. There is a public launching ramp at the west end of Bayview Street on Molini Bayou. A trip from the Merlin Necaise Ramp to Molini Bridge is slight greater than 4 miles direct paddling or about 6 miles following the shore.
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