Wolf River & Lost swamp trail

by Brian Johanan on

I have not had an opportunity to kayak on the Wolf River previously. The portion of Wolf River that I was kayaking on is known as The Lost Swamp Trail. I started at the drop off point at Bateman Bridge and went to Moscow, TN. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the water level on 1/1/21 was 11 feet. Today’s trip was 7.1 miles from putting in, to our pick up location.

It took about 40 minutes to reach Bateman Bridge from my residence in Memphis, TN. Wolf River is approximately 105 miles long and runs through western Tennessee and northern Mississippi.

I do not have many experiences with kayaking on rivers. Today’s trip was my third time kayaking on moving water. Paddling on still lakes provides an opportunity to build muscles used for kayaking. In my limited experience, lakes do not give you the ability to position yourself in moving water to cut a path. Your first couple of trips will be learning experiences while bouncing off obstacles in the water. Heading into moving water as a group and wearing a PDF is a priority. I would not feel comfortable without either of these as I am a beginner.

If you are interested in kayaking, Memphis does have a canoe club. You can find more information at Bluff City Canoe Club. I am a member of this group. I was a newbie and have had multiple people assist me while paddling. They are low ego, big on fun, and great people to be around.

For more information on Wolf River please visit Wolf River Conservancy.

You can view some of the photos taken during our 7 mile trek.