I am specifically looking for information on Spring Lake. I think the WDNR or army Corp of engineers recently undertook a dredging project just north of Fountain city, around Buffalo city? I am having a horrible time finding information. It is not even listed on google maps yet. Anyhow I thought my friends on BWCA would have some info for me.

In addition I did not see a post on canoe routes along the Mississippi river so I thought I would post this generally as well. If I missed the post I apologize. So if you have taken a trip somewhere along the Mississippi I would like to hear about it here as well.

Thanks for the Help

Jerry

I've paddled it a couple times. Once in the summer and once in the fall. The upper river gets most of the praise, but I prefer the lower river, from Cairo, where the Ohio enters, to Baton Rogue. There are islands there that make the BWCA seem like a city park. There is simply no sign of people using them. Below Baton Rogue it gets very busy with a natural narrowing, ocean going vessels, chemical plants, and barges on both banks. The river above the Twin Cities is nice. Between the Twin Cities and St. Louis, avoid the weekends. There are lots of drunk people in boats bigger than yours.

I wonder if this is regular channel maintenance. I am on the mailing list for the US Army Corps of Engineers Upper Mississippi River Comprehensive Plan and haven’t seen anything in their news letter. Those publications have got far and few between the last few years though.

Here is a link to Corps. Maybe they have something in the projects and studies section.
Corps of Engineers website

(I don’t know which "pool" that is considered and there is a lot of stuff in there otherwise I would try to be more helpful)

Thanks for the Replies. I have done some more research on my own. As it turns out there are several lakes named "spring lakes" along the Mississippi River. There is one on the Minnesota side in Dakota county just south of the cities. The Spring lake that I was looking for information on is on the WI side and is north of lacrosse and just south of Alma. Here are a couple of links to the WDNR site on Mississippi Restoration projects.

Mississippi Restoration - WDNR

Mississippi Restoration - WDNR Map

I was thinking when I first posted that the Dredging project was in 2010, but now have seen dates of 2007. I have not gotten a chance to go out to the corp of engineers site that you posted yet.

Again I am also interested in any other areas of the Mississippi river that anyone has explored.

Jerry

@ heavycanoe

I've paddled ALL of it. Twice. That's six months on the river. I've also spent other months on other parts of it, including backwaters. Backwaters are fun. They're mazes. The locks are fun. Crossing Lake Winnibigoshish was scary for me. I crossed it in the fall and the wind was blowing hard. Wing dams when the water is high can also be dangerous. What part interests you most? Again, I love the lower river most. You'll be so isolated that the BWCA will feel like Central Park.

I’ve only canoed a small portion of the Mississippi from the Crow Wing River to Camp Ripley and the backwaters by Grey Cloud Island, but have explored much of the river through the Twin Cities from Coon Rapids to Prescott by a larger boat. Those tugs and barges sure can kick up a wake.

I've paddled the first 2 days of it... highly recommend, but NOT with 2 toddlers in a record high flood spring, lol. Beautiful.

Don't think we saw any other paddlers, but with the strainers and high water I guess I know why. After we pulled out on day 2 and hiked to a farm for a ride, we ended up rescuing others who didn't pull out and had been pinned by a strainer. More info is available these days and I will go back and continue on, some day.

Here are a few websites that can help plan a safe trip down the Mississippi from the headwaters to Cairo Illinois.

MN DNR Mississippi Water Trails Maps

The US Army Corps of Engineers navigation charts

Great River Water Trails.org

Here is a link to a guide for paddling the lower Mississippi from St. Louis to the Gulf of Mexico. Courtesy of River Gator.

Edit. I should say it WILL be a guide for paddling the lower Mississippi from St. Louis to the Gulf of Mexico. Currently it describes a route from Helena Arkansas to Greenville Mississippi.