Float trips

[Float trips ]

D'Lo Water Park - open year round!

A little about Strong River...

The Strong is floatable for many miles above D'Lo Water Park however we do not recommend such floats except for those who are familiar with dealing with frequent portages. During low water levels the stream is shallow and frequently obstructed by submerged logs (that we are unable to remove) and by sandstone bedrock rapids. During normal gauge (3.0 feet to 4.5 feet) there are no obstructions. Central Ms. has been in an ongoing drought since 2004 and all of our streams in this region and neighboring states are suffering the same. There simply has not been any rain. Currently the river is between 2.1 and 2.5 feet. This means that the average canoeist would be better suited to floats from the park to points downstream.

There are currently 8 points along the Strong River Float Trail and 2 on the Pearl River that we shuttle to and from.

Highway 13 is our most upstream point of entry. The rest of the shuttle points are listed in order from the top of the trail to the bottom: May's Bridge; U.S. Highway 49; D'Lo Water Park; Merit Bridge; Chappel Bridge; Highway 28 Bridge; Bridgeport Bridge. Below Bridgeport the Strong merges with the Pearl River. There is no access point there. The canoeist will either opt to paddle upstream on the Pearl to the boatramp on Highway 28 (2 miles) or paddle downstream to Rockport Bridge (8 miles).

Once you arrive at the park office you can choose which leg of the trail you wish to float. Here are some brief descriptions:

Hwy 13 to D'Lo Water Park...narrow channel, some pullovers, excellent fishing, lots of shade, isolated. Best fishing section.

D'Lo Water Park to Merit...somewhat less narrow and winding channel, some sandbars, very good swimming, good bass fishing, lots of shade, no pullovers. Most popular float section.

Merit to Chappel and Hwy 28...channel widens and deepens, extremely beautiful - bring camera, little shade, few sandbars, fun rapids, good bass and catfishing. Most beautiful section.

Hwy 28 to Bridgeport...gradient steepens and the current increases slightly. Considerably more shallow and fewer deep sections. Very large sandbars, excellent swimming and fair fishing.

Bridgeport Bridge to Pearl River...there are many sandbars, good swimming and fishing is fair in the deeper pools. During low water periods this section is extremely shallow.

Pearl River above Strong River confluence to Hwy 28...totally navigable in any boat. 2 miles to landing. With the added float leg from Bridgeport, this is a 6-7 hour trip.

Pearl River below Strong River confluence... totally navigable in any boat. 8 miles to Rockport landing. With the added float from Bridgeport, this is a 7-9 hour trip.

This timetable is applicable for normal streamflow. The times can be doubled for floats during very low stream levels.

Highway 13 to May's Bridge: 45 minutes

May's Bridge to Highway 49: 1.5 hours

Highway 49 to D'Lo Water Park: 45 minutes

D'Lo Water Park to Merit Bridge: 3 hours

Merit Bridge to Chappel Bridge: 3 hours

Chappel Bridge to Highway 28 Bridge: 2 hours

Highway 28 Bridge to Bridgeport Bridge: 5 hours

Bridgeport Bridge to Pearl River Confluence: 2 hours

Confluence upstream to Highway 28 Pearl River Bridge: 1.5 hours

Confluence downstream to Rockport Bridge: 3.5 hours

Pearl River from Highway 28 to Rockport Bridge: 4.5 hours