Chickasaw Bluffs Adventure

Osceola, AR, to Memphis, TN

Hydration reminder with icons: 8 cups of water for 8 days, difficult to stay hydrated, moderate water intake, 4 miles of exercise, and for teens and adults.

Five Days paddling downstream along the length of the Chickasaw Bluffs, the most spectacular geologic phenomena found on the Lower Mississippi River, Osceola, AR, to Memphis,TN. All paddle together in 29-foot hand crafted cypress strip voyageur style canoe, very safe & stable.  Canoes are carved in the voyageur tradition of the Great Lakes.

Two canoes with gear on a calm riverbank at sunset, one brown with blue lettering and symbols, the other light blue, both filled with equipment.

Incredible memories are waiting for you…

A group of people sitting around a campfire on the beach at night. There are two canoes on the sand near the water. The background shows a city skyline with illuminated buildings under a cloudy sky.

Fabulous views of the Chickasaw Bluffs along the western edge of the state of Tennessee and adjacent bottomland hardwood forests, including the bluffs at Fort Pillow (1st Chickasaw Bluff), Richardson’s Landing (2nd Chickasaw Bluff), Meeman-Shelby State Forest (3rd Chickasaw Bluff) and finally the sweeping view of the Memphis skyline, including the Memphis Bridge and the Pyramid, and downtown Memphis (which straddles the 4th Chickasaw Bluff).

The vista from the river is unparalleled! Points of interest include Anderson-Tully Wildlife Management Area, The mouth of the Hatchie River, Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park and the mouth of the Loosahatchie River. You’ve never seen downtown Memphis if you haven’t viewed it from the river!

Pricing

From $500/person

Downstream trips require a shuttle for an additional fee/person.

  • Meet: 9am
    Top of ramp @ Mud Island Marina

    Meet Place/Parking Address:

    Mud Island Marina, 901-525-3808

    57 North Mud Island Road, Memphis, TN 38103

    GPS: 

    35°08'59.0"N 90°03'26.7"W

  • Day 1

    Meet at Mud Island Marina, Memphis.  Park personal vehicles, pack bags, board shuttle to Osceola with visit to Hampson Archeological Museum.  Board canoes at Sans Souci Landing (Mile 783), explore 1st Chickasaw Bluff, with camp on Sunrise Towhead (777).  Highlights: Sans Souci Driver Island, Old Mouth of the Forked Deer, 1st Chickasaw Bluff, Sunrise Towhead - Island 34.  River Distance: 6 miles.

    Day 2

    Paddle downstream to explore 2nd Chickasaw Bluff, and then make 2-night camp on Dean’s Island. Highlights: Hatchie River, Randolph Landing, Island 35, The Second Chickasaw Bluff (Richardson Bluff), Dean Island (759).  River Distance: 18 miles.

    Day 3

    Zero Day.  Stay at camp and explore extensive gravel bar and other highlights of Dean’s Island.  River Distance: -0- miles.

    Day 4

    Continue downstream to explore 3rd Chickasaw Bluff via Hen & Chicks, Brandywine, and Hickman.  Camp on Middle Hickman Bar (745).  Highlights: Densford Bar and Dikes/Hen and Chicks, Meeman Shelby Forest State (3rd Chickasaw Bluff), Brandywine Island, Hickman Bar. River Distance: 14 miles.

    Day 5

    explore Redman Bar and Loosahatchie Bar, and arrive early to mid-afternoon 4th Chick Bluff (Memphis) to take out at the foot of Beale Street at Memphis Yacht Club in the Memphis Harbor (Mile 736). Highlights: Loosahatchie River, Redman Point Bar, Memphis

    Upper Wastewater Treatment Plant, Wolf River, Mud Island, Memphis "M" Bridge (Hernando De Soto Bridge), 4th Chickasaw Bluff, downtown Memphis.  River Distance: 9 miles.

    • waterbottles

    • snacks

    • lunch (if you want)

    • sun protection

    • bug protection

    • shoes that can get muddy and wet (or go barefoot)

    Quapaw Canoe Company will provide canoes and all safety gear, as well as dry bags for each participant.

    • cell phone

    • camera

    • bird book

    • binoculars

    • swim gear

    • towel

    Pack any electronics or valuables in dry bag, dry box, or zip lock bags

  • We’ll pack a 5-gal jug of water to refill your personal water bottles.

  • Dress appropriately for weather. Wear shoes that can get muddy and wet (or go barefoot).

  • Quapaw Canoe Company can provide lunches, dinners, and breakfasts upon request for an additional fee/day. Meals are cooked fresh on an open fire.

    • Breakfast options include eggs and bacon, our famous “Tower Rock Crunch” oatmeal, plenty of fresh fruit, and Cowboy Coffee

    • Lunch is Sandbar Smorgasbord

    • Dinners vary by preference - Blackened Salmon, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Spanish Garlic Chicken, and Raft Potatoes just to name a few!

A watercolor painting of a pelican with a fish in its beak.
Five gold stars

Quote starting with a bold sentence. Then continuing with other lovely stuff. Centered

Dave C from England
after a Magix trip in Oct 2022

Nighttime scene on a beach with a group of people gathered around a campfire, canoes on the sand, and a distant city skyline with bright lights under a cloudy sky.
Group of people on a beach, holding paddles, ready for a kayaking trip, with a river and green trees in the background.
A river with rocky shoreline and green trees on a bright, sunny day.
People in a red canoe floating on a river near a sandy bank with green trees and a partly cloudy sky.
A kettle placed on a campfire made of logs on a sandy beach, with a river and trees in the background, and people preparing food at a table in the distance.
People kayaking on a river near an urban cityscape with tall buildings, boats, and a clear blue sky.
Aerial view of a river with a forest on the left and a dry, exposed riverbed on the right, under a sky at sunset.
A river with gentle waves in the foreground, a tall, reddish-brown eroded cliff with some greenery at the base, and a line of trees on top of the cliff under a partly cloudy sky.
Two young girls with faces and arms covered in mud, standing in water at a riverbank, smiling at the camera, with a treeline in the background on a sunny day.
Two canoes are beached on a calm riverbank at sunset, with gear and life jackets inside.
A beach scene with multiple colorful tents set up on the sand, kayaks near the shoreline, and people gathered around in the distance. Overcast sky with sparse trees along the back edge of the beach.
Two canoes on a sandy riverbank with gear inside, facing a calm river at sunset under a cloudy sky.
Person kayaking on a river with cliffs and trees in the background during daytime.

Let’s go!

Interested in this trip or would like some more information? Fill out this short form and we’ll be in touch shortly…