Up the Mississippi, from the Ottawa River

 

The mouth of the Mississippi River (at Morris Island)

My paddle today would be a long one from Arnprior (Ottawa River) to Galetta (Mississippi River). Arnprior is the closest and easiest launch point for getting into the Mississippi entering the Ottawa River. There used to be accessed at the end of Mohr Road in Galetta, but that’s now all private. You could launch at the Morris Island Conservation area and paddle the 4.5km to the Mississippi – but that would involve paddling under the rail bridge and encountering some dangerous waters. This route would be OK in the summer.  Another possible access is via Snye Creek/River from Loggers Way road. It’s about 2.5km and involves some short portage over barriers and dams (not a good option, although I have done it in the past). The best option would be from the boat transfer dock on Dewolfe Street, but private.

Arnprior to Galetta (16km track)

In Arnprior, the best place to launch a canoe or kayak if you are heading downriver (east) is at the public park on McLean Avenue.  From McLean Park, it’s about 4.5km to the mouth of the Mississippi River. On this beautiful calm day (June 2), I headed straight for the mouth of the Mississippi River. I didn’t spend much time exploring the bays of the Ottawa River (i.e. Goodwins & Marshall). As you start up the Mississippi, the east shore is part of Morris Island, and there are houses and cottages along the shore. Luckily, there’s no bridge over the Snye River, so that’s where the development stops (for now). For 1km after the Snye River (i.e. up to the transmission line & Galetta), the river is quite lovely with wetlands on both shores. If the water level is high enough, it’s worth exploring the two secondary channels and ponds of the Snye River.

Snye River pond

Zebra Mussel shoal (shells)

Zebra Mussel shells

After exploring the Snye River inlets, my last destination was the rapids below Galetta. Once I got there, I spotted a small shoal and landed the kayak for lunch.  It turns out that this small shoal wasn’t sand or gravel; it was made up entirely of Zebra Mussel shells!  After lunch and many turtle photos, it was time to paddle back to Arnprior.  On the way back, I did make a stop at the isolated Goodwins Bay’s beach for a break and more nature observations.

Goodwins Bay beach

I had quite a few great nature sightings on this trip, including a Longnose Gar below the Galetta rapids. For other nature observations, check my iNaturalist account. Click HERE.

Longnose Gar	Variegated Pond-Lily
Map Turtles	Map Turtler
White-tailed Deer	Water forget-me-not

Note: This area would make a good MVFN paddling trip if there were a way to shorten the paddling to 12km or so.