Rivergator

The Middle and Lower Mississippi form the longest free-flowing water trail in the continental United States — 1,154 miles from St. Louis, through Memphis, Vicksburg, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans, down to the Birdsfoot Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. Rivergator is the guide that opens it to paddlers.

Written by paddlers for paddlers, it covers nearly every mile with the details that matter on a big, wild river: where the best campsites are, where the hazards lie, and the deep history and culture of the Delta all along the way. Since 2015, it has helped countless canoers and kayakers navigate the Lower Miss safely.

The wilderness within

There are 24 million paddlers in North America, and very few know the Lower Mississippi — a mystery even to its closest neighbors. The Lower Miss should be as celebrated as the Boundary Waters of Minnesota or the Allagash of Maine. Instead it has remained as little-known as the most remote rivers on the continent — because until now, there was no guide.

Built for the river

Safety. The Mississippi challenges every paddler, but approached with experience and the right equipment it offers some of the most rewarding paddling in North America. Rivergator carries extensive canoe and kayak safety guidance written for this river specifically.

Camping. The best camping on the water trail sits within a mile of the spots on the Campsite Map — though sandbars shift greatly with the water level. Detailed river logs help you plan every night out.

Culture. For the long-distance traveler, Rivergator links to a fully integrated visit to the mid-south — food, lodging, and landmarks like the Delta Cultural Center and the Delta Blues Museum, in towns all along the route.

Who wrote it

Primary author John Ruskey has been paddling, photographing, and documenting the islands, landings, and channels of the Lower Mississippi since 1982. A host of big-river experts reviewed and deepened the guide, including river guide Michael Clark (Big Muddy Adventures), author Ernest Herndon, and biologist Paul Hartfield of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The Rivergator is coordinated by the Lower Mississippi River Foundation, and made possible by many partners — including the Walton Family Foundation and its belief in “conservationomics”: lasting solutions that serve both the economy and the environment.