Don't let the cold stop you from your outdoor lifestyle!
Joachim Creek in Jefferson County, MO (near Herculaneum) is one of the little rivers in Missouri I have always wanted to paddle. I first discovered this creek driving down I-55 towards Cape Girardeau. Every time I would look over, I wondered how I could get on these waters. Good news is with technology and satellites, it is so much easier to find boat launches.
I-55 Bridge crossing Joachim Creek
I found a ramp right by the the Herculaneum lead smelter of Joachim Rd. in one of the city parks. I really think the site was closed (the road had some barricades) but I had driven too far to go back. I originally tried to put in at the Mermac near the Mississippi, but the ramp was so low, I would have had my kayak over 1000' just to get to the muddly launch point. So I decided to try Joachim Creek out (which, in my humble opinion, is way more like a river than a creek. The plan was to launch off and take it to the Mississippi River. However, there is a huge dam blocking the entire creek (I am thinking it was built to keep the ultra polluted water separate from the rest of the the creek) that looked impassable in regards to portage. That being said, I went ahead and started to paddle west. The creek gets cleaner and better looking the further you paddle west. By the time you go under I-55 bridge, it really starts to shape up and become a neat looking small river, with some nice limestone rock formations and huge cottonwood and sycamore trees. A really beautiful paddle! I would love to see if I could make it to DeSoto MO from Herculaneum! Looking forward to hitting this trip again in the spring or summer when we have more daylight to explore a little longer
Paddle ON!
November and December can provide some of the best opportunites for incredible kayak trips. I have kayaked this route many times (it is close to where I live), however, each time it seems to provide another type of kayaking opportunity. This is an interesting time of the year....the sun goes down so quickly (I believe as of late Nov. it is setting around 4:45 pm. or so). So in regards to kayak trips, it seems like to experience an entire day, a person needs to set off early.
Deer by river
beautiful view on the way back
I got off to a late start on this trip, but still wanted to get a paddle in. There were a couple of people in boats messing around (I think they were just going out for an hour or two). I was really surprised to see anyone out on the river in a boat. The paddle was excellent! It could not have been a nicer day. I stopped at the confluence point to head back, being mindful of the quick sunset. It is interesting how the river has been changing over the last year at this point. This is an area that used to have a large sandbar and a quick run next to (Meremac side). Most of the sandbar is gone, and the run is not quite as "skinny"....however, it seems the river at the confluence point is quite a bit more dangerous now then it was a year ago. You call tell when you paddle over there are more undertows and side currents then there was a year ago.
The wildlife were out, as you can see in the video. Came up on a nice pack of deer, one was at water level getting some water, as well as a small flock of wild turkeys (caught some nice shots on camera in the above video). This part of the Meremac River, although in a semi-urban area, has retained quite a bit of it's natural beauty. That is probably why it is one of my favorite paddles.
The river awaits you!
Paddle ON!
Looking forward to hitting this trip again in the spring or summer when we have more daylight to explore a little longer
