Canoeing
the Ghost River Section
of the
 Wolf River

The Ghost River section of the Wolf River, less than an hour east of Memphis, is one of the most beautiful, varied and challenging wetland canoe trails in the country. Within a relatively short, eight and one-half mile section from LaGrange, Tennessee to the Bateman Bridge, the river traverses five delightfully different and wonderfully scenic wetland communities. 

The river section is extremely rare in that it is the only unchannelized headwaters of a river within the entire region.  Most, if not every other lowland river’s headwaters in the lower Mississippi Valley has been brutally altered by draglines and dredges – at enormous environmental and financial costs.  Only a threatened lawsuit by noted environmentalist Chester McConnell in the late 1960s stopped the draglines from moving upstream of Moscow, Tennessee and draining the large swamps of the Ghost River area of the river.

For years, most who attempted to paddle the section from LaGrange to Bateman Bridge wound up inadvertently spending a long, miserable night in their canoe.  Although the trip begins meandering through bottomland hardwood forests, three to four miles into the area the flora changes as the water table rises.  Closely spaced tupelo gum and bald cypress form dizzying rows. Silver and red leaf maples, ironwood and river birch nearly create a full canopy over the river as they compete for scarce sunlight along the banks. Approximately four miles into the eight and one-half mile trip small braids of river begin to split off to the left, disappearing into a dense, standing water tupelo gum/bald cypress swamp before the main channel abruptly dead ends.  The “Ghost River” trail section entrance is marked by a reflective brown sign saying “Ghost River Trail Entrance.”

Only one of the dozen, narrow, twisting corridors leads through the full mile of swamp.  The others dissolve into a forest of impassible knees and floating islands of itea. The river seems to be everywhere, but nowhere – like a disorienting funhouse hall of mirrors – hence the Ghost River moniker.

Once the canoe trail exits the dense standing water swamp, paddlers enter a more open flat-water passage reminiscent of Reelfoot Lake in upper northwest Tennessee. At this point, the trail follows the river’s original meanders generally west about a mile, past acres of swamp doc in warmer weather, as well as more itea and scattered tupelo gum, cypress, swamp rose and alder.  This section of river has been compared in appearance to canoe trails through marshy lakes in Minnesota and Canada.

Eventually paddlers exit the lake and head west for the final mile above the takeout.  Here the current grows faster and shallower.  You then enter a final patch of forest, gliding through swift, tricky chutes that soon snake through an open marsh of smartweed, burrweed and swamp alder. To end the trip, the boat ramp is on river right adjacent to the Bateman Bridge.

It was not until 1990 that Wolf River Conservancy members established a canoe trail through the Ghost River section and one of the most beautiful and diverse waterways in the southeast was born.  However, the canoe trail nearly died in its infancy.  In late 1994, a developer/timber company purchased 4,000 acres of property along the river encompassing several miles of riverbank. The company planned to clear-cut the land and sell the property for “ranchettes,” nearly destroying the opportunity to preserve this unique stretch of river as a State Natural Area in West Tennessee.  In early 1995 a dramatic, last minute and still ongoing fund-raising effort helped the state purchase the property for $4 million as the seed for a park.  Additional acquisitions to protect more than eighteen miles of river corridor are hoped for.  Please contact the Wolf River Conservancy at 901-452-5600 for additional information.

See the Canoeing page for river levels, equipment needed, directions, safety, etc.  See the Events section for upcoming guided trips down the Ghost River Section.

Warning to Ghost River Section paddlers, fishermen and hunters: The Ghost River State Natural Area borders private property. Private property owners are vigorously prosecuting fishermen and hunters encroaching on private property marked from the center line of the river channel to the north shore and beyond on Spirit Lake. Spirit Lake is the large, long lake upstream of Bateman Rd. and immediately downstream of the Ghost River canoe trail’s narrow, winding section. Again, the boaters caught fishing or hunting the northern half of Spirit Lake, which is posted as private property, will be ticketed/fined by Wildlife Management Officers. 

[ All contents copyright WRC, 1996-2006. Site maintained by Sherry Weakley.  Comments? Email education@wolfriver.org
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