Sunflower River Paddling Trail

Trail Details

Eagle’s Nest to Clarksdale

This trail is a ten-mile paddle out of the fertile fields of Coahoma County into the busy little city of Clarksdale, which is thriving with music, food, and arts. The Sunflower follows an old channel of the Mississippi River as it winds in between farms, neighborhoods, wetlands, and abandoned sharecropper shacks. The view from the river includes everything from old bridge pilings and abandoned farm buildings to remarkable wildlife sightings such as owls and river otter.

Google Map

For best viewing go to custom Google Map: http://goo.gl/maps/leKci

Paddler’s Route #1: Round Trip from downtown Clarksdale

Length: 1-4 miles round trip
Description: Quick round trip suitable for all paddlers
Experience Level: Beginner, intermediate, or advanced
Time: 1-3 hours
Put-in and take-out: Primitive ramp next to Quapaw Canoe Company

Services: Lodging, food, outfitting and guiding, canoe/kayak rentals, coffee shop, WiFi, arts and music available in Clarksdale.

Put-in is over the muddy banks in between City Hall and Quapaw Canoe Company (3rd & Sunflower Ave.) and is accessible via the public parking area in downtown Clarksdale. The route goes upstream around Soldier’s Field, past Duck Walk, and as far as the paddler desires. The Little Sunflower enters the river two miles upstream and there are beautiful forests full of wildlife in this area. Paddlers may turn around at any time and have the flow of the river help them back downstream.

Paddler’s Route #2: Eagle’s Nest to Clarksdale

Length: 10 miles
Description: Best suited for shorter canoes, kayaks or SUPs
Experience Level: Intermediate/advanced
Time: 4-6 hours
Put-in: Eagle’s Nest Road
Take-out: Sunflower Landing

Services: Lodging, food, outfitting and guiding, canoe/kayak rentals, coffee shop, WiFi, arts and music available in Clarksdale.

Some portages over fallen trees may be necessary on the upper stretch. This trail provides an intimate look into the neighborhoods of Coahoma County and some of the highlights (and scars) of Clarksdale.

1. Eagle’s Nest Road
N34.268025, W90.565313

A primitive put-in is located on the southeast side of the Farrell-Eagle’s Nest Road Bridge. Vehicles may be parked on the side of the road or paddlers may be shuttled to the site. The parking lot and landing are private. Okay for daytrip.

2. Mouth of Swan Lake Bayou – Mile 2.3
N34.2481, W90.547128

This channelized bayou drains Swan Lake, Jonestown, and areas along Highway 61. It normally has low flow; however, after a rainfall, a large volume of muddy water may be added to the river. The Sunflower gets noticeably bigger and deeper here so there are more cypress trees and less grasses and weeds. Good place for a picnic. The small bluff at the confluence provides a good view of the river channel and surrounding land.

3. Mackie Lake Bayou – Mile 3.1, RBD
N34.239515, W90.550947

There is little flow here. Paddlers may have an opportunity to view beavers or river otter.

4. Big Woody Bend – Mile 3.6
N34.235364, W90.551655

These floodplain hardwood forests are full of wild turkey and squirrels. Paddlers can stretch their legs and make a picnic. Respect private property. Caution should be used when walking in woods during hunting season. The best protection is to wear orange cap or vest over a life jacket.

5. Water Treatment Town of Lyon – Mile 4.3
N34.227984, W90.546098

A small pipe and ditch announces the nearby Lyon Water Treatment Plant outfall. This area is known locally as Shuffordsville.

6. Friars Point Road – Mile 6.7
N34.218864, W90.573328

Paddlers should beware of snags, strainers and blocked passages. Portage may be required. The Sunflower River runs underneath the Friars Point Road Bridge, which is sometimes blocked by driftwood. Pier Bridge catches piles of wood as well. The next bridge down (single span — Lee Drive) is always open.

7. Little Sunflower River – Mile 8.2
N34.211234, W90.5897

Following an old channel of the Mississippi, theLittle Sunflowerreachesnorth and west towards Stovall (past Muddy Waters’ boyhood cabin) and eventually reaches the fields south of Friars Point near Old River. Prior to the construction of the levees this was an old distributary of the Mississippi. A house is located on the west bank at the confluence, but paddlers can follow the Little Sunflower upstream when the water allows. Muddy Waters‘ boyhood cabin is located several miles up the Little Sunflower.

8. Duck Walk – Mile 8.97
N34.20962, W90.584679

Clarksdale native Mary Jo McIntosh and her husband Robert built Duck Walk on this bend of the Sunflower River across the street from their house. Ducks used to flock here for daily feedings of crumbs, but the tradition has come to an end. It is still a lovely bend of the river and is now inhabited by a small cluster of houses. Paddlers can stop near a small elegant concrete stairway built by the McIntoshes (which is no longer maintained) for a picnic and a place to stretch.

9. Soldier’s Field – Mile 9.6
N34.20962, W90.584679

The Sunflower makes a wide loop around Soldier’s Field at mile 9.6 where paddlers can get out for a picnic or to stretch their legs. Opposite the Field is the Coahoma County Jail.

10. Downtown Clarksdale – Mile 9.8
N34.203, W90.576932

Here the river goes under the First Street Bridge and City Hall into downtown Clarksdale. A water treatment facility can be seen bank left above the bridge and a USGS water gage is below.

The Second Street Bridge is the oldest surviving downtown bridge, built in 1936. It is a classic concrete I-beam bridge featuring column style guardrails and period lampposts.

A small statue in memory of Louise Moss Montgomery at the west end of the Second Street Bridge welcomes everyone to Clarksdale. She was the Poet Laureate of Mississippi from 1973-1978. A plaque bears her words, “Spirit on high, come down, come down/And rest Thy hand upon this town/And let Thy love flow full and free/Through human vessels just like me.”

11. Sunflower Landing – Mile 10
N34.201743, W90.576522

A primitive take-out in downtown Clarksdale is just past the Second Street Bridge. Public parking is available. The Sunflower Landing is found down the concrete ramp next to Quapaw Canoe Company at 3rd & Sunflower.

Water Levels

The Sunflower can be paddled from downtown Clarksdale upstream for 3 or 4 miles at any time of the year and at any water level. Water is always held in this part of the Sunflower by a lowhead dam below the city.

Paddlers should use caution when putting in at Eagle’s Nest at times of low flow. When there is little flow at the put-in at the bridge and the water is hard to see, paddlers should not use this route as they will have to make numerous portages over logs and other obstructions with this little water. During these times, paddlers should put in downtown and make the round-trip route instead.

If there is plenty of flow at Eagle’s Nest and the river is wide with plenty of depth for paddling, then paddlers should go for it! Paddlers might encounter one or two downed trees, but otherwise the channel should be good flowing throughout and free of obstructions.

Paddlers should exercise caution at higher water levels and watch for snags and strainers. Some maneuvering will be necessary among the cypress tree trunks and the man-made hazards — especially around the Friars Point Road Bridge.

Clarksdale Gage from RiverGages.com

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Below is a general guideline for paddlers (Eagle’s Nest put-in only)

Recommendations

Dress for the weather and pack everything into dry bags, plastic tubs or garbage sacks.

• Year-round: Life jacket, extra paddle, water bottle, snacks, first aid kit, emergency gear, cell phone (in zip lock bag), rubber barn boots, sponges and bailers, extra rope, extra food and water, fire starter, camera and rain gear.
• Summer: hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, lightweight long sleeve shirt, bug spray
• Winter: thermal layers, waterproof outerwear, extra clothes in dry bag

Wildlife

Birds are plentiful throughout the trail — especially raptors and wading birds. During spring migration, songbirds are common as well. Quiet paddlers may sneak up on beaver, deer, wild turkeys, and red fox. The Sunflower has become a meandering wildlife refuge. As the forests surrounding the river have been cut and farm fields enlarged, wildlife finds safety and seclusion on the muddy banks of the river.

History

Blues musician Muddy Waters’ boyhood cabin is located on the Little Sunflower River, a tributary of the Sunflower River. Waters lived here with his grandmother for 25 years before leaving for Chicago. Some people say his grandmother called him “Muddy” because he liked playing and fishing in the Little Sunflower.

The Sunflower River flows behind the Mennonite Church and the Beth Israel Jewish Cemetery. One of its tributaries runs behind St. Elizabeth Catholic Church. At one time Clarksdale boasted the largest Jewish population per capita in the State of Mississippi. The Sunflower was the site of local baptisms. The Rev. C.L. Franklin (Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and father of the legendary soul and gospel singer Aretha Franklin) was baptized in the Sunflower.