To Travel With or Without a Guide

Travel with an expert on water travel as much as possible. Even Lewis and Clark had received assistance from other members of their expedition team. But if you insist on facing the challenges of the Mississippi River alone, consider taking the free online boating course offered by the Mississippi State Water Patrol. It will go a long way in improving your safety during travel.

Check Weather Conditions

Don’t just choose dates for your Lewis and Clark adventure based on your free time. You should also consider weather conditions since wind speeds can be quite strong at certain times of the year. Strong winds are also a greater danger when you’re paddling a canoe, which could be carried upstream in spite of the current heading for the opposite direction.

One more weather factor you should consider is the amount of fog that will greet you on your journey. Although the Mississippi River experiences fog in all seasons, it’s more likely to be a factor when you’re traveling during fall, especially mornings and evenings.

When you encounter thick fog during your journey, enough to impair your vision of the path ahead, it’s best to stay put until it passes.

Choosing the Right Boat

A paddler’s knowledge of the area, skills, and experience are not the only determinants for success. The fate of your journey also lies on choosing the right boat.

Touring kayaks are good when taking the Lewis and Clark trail by water. Because of their size and design, they’ll enable you to complete your journey in record time. They’re also less vulnerable to the winds and quite easy to maneuver as long as they’re more than 10 feet long. Anything shorter is inclined to one-sided tracking.

Another popular choice among Mississippi River paddlers is the canoe. Compared to kayaks, they offer greater mobility and storage space.

Whichever type of boat you’ll use, the ideal choice will always be the one you’re most skilled and comfortable in handling.