My daughter and I decided on a Kayak fishing/camping trip for Labor Day weekend. We live in the Southern tip of Illinois and the Missouri River of Eleven Point was a little over 3 hours away. We researched and downloaded the river guide and studied maps. Our plan was to complete a journey of a little over 27 miles with two nights camping and fishing as we went.
I contacted one of the two or three outfitters for a car shuttle service and made a reservation for the late morning of 08/30/2019. I was provided a location to go and quoted $50.00. If you are heading to this area you need to bring a paper map or have a GPS unit. There is no cellular service in the entire Ozarks it seems.
Upon arrival at the outfitters we were greeted with a complete lack or organization and definitely no reservation. When we finally communicated our needs we were charged $60.00 and had doubts about whether our vehicle would be there. Our plan was to put in at the Greer Access and take out at the Hwy 142 access, a total of 27.7 miles.
We loaded down our sit in 10ft kayaks and headed down river. The water was a little high for the river as they had received a decent amount of rain the week before. There are a lot of downed trees and obstructions in the river but can be easily negotiated. The river is clean and cold and was wonderful to paddle. There are ample pull offs to play, fish, swim, or sit and eat lunch. There was not a high amount of traffic on the river even for the holiday weekend. In all we loved the trip.
Now here comes the complaint. There was little or no signage for most of the river. We had no clue with our available references where we were on the river and how far we had to go. We had planned on taking our time and fishing the first day but without any knowledge of where we were there was too much of a chance of not making camp before dark. What few signs we did see were high in a tree and colored brown. Wouldn’t blaze orange or white be a better idea. I saw one barely visible through the branches. The campsites we did stay at had fire rings, pit toilets, and sometimes picnic tables.
What little fishing we did was excellent. I would definitely recommend the trip. I would strongly suggest a GPS unit.
