HomeColdwater Point (Arkabuta Lake)

Coldwater Point - Arkabutla Lake, MS

Submitted by Mike Dale

Location

The main attraction of Coldwater Point is that it is easily reached from I-55 on the Memphis side of the Mississippi River.

Our paddling objective was to use a channel on a satellite image from Google Maps to go north to the Coldwater River without entering the large open expanse of Arkabutla Lake. We blundered around for about a mile before we found the channel. A georeferenced image for my GPS would have been handy. After a stretch of paddling parallel to noisy diesel trucks on Hwy 51, we reached the Coldwater River at the Hwy 51 launch area. We paddled downstream on the Coldwater River to an open area where we had some lunch in a shady stand of trees. After lunch we were able to continue across the open area to return to our vehicles without retracing our path. Our total paddle was about 6 miles.

Minimum and Maximum Levels for safe paddling

List min and max river levels here for safe/navigable paddling

Ben has been told that the area can be paddled when the Arkabutla Lake Water Level is at 220 feet, the summer pool maintained from May 15 to September 1. The level is typically lower in the late fall and winter. We paddled at 229 feet with no difficulty.

Put-Ins, Take Outs, Shuttles

Descriptions, GPS coordinates, Outfitters, etc

There is plenty of parking, a gravel ramp and a couple of concrete picnic tables. The bank is shaded by trees with a gentle slope suitable for launching. Unfortunately, the area was somewhat littered with trash including broken glass bottles.

Services Available During the Paddle

Nothing available during the paddle. However, we passed through Coldwater, MS on the way to Coldwater Point. Fuel and food is available in town.

Highlights of the Paddle

Neat things such as springs, abandoned facilities, rock formations look out for.

There was nothing special about the scenery. It is pretty much just a brushy area. We did not find any major cypress stands like those at Sunk Lake, Reelfoot, Wapanocca or the Sunken Lands of the St. Francis River. The Coldwater River channel section was pleasant, easy paddling with lots of turns and switch backs to keep the line of sight short and provide a sense of intimacy with nature. There was no appreciable current in the river.

Potential Danger Spots

We did not experience anything dangerous. There is potenntial for getting lost in the brush so a compass and map or GPS is useful. The route we took was close enough to Hwy 51 to see and hear traffic.

There were fishermen with outboard mototrs at the launch. We did not encounter them on the water. It's unlikely they would travel at high speed in the brushy areas, but perhaps an issue in the Coldwater River channel.

Places to Camp In the Area

There are several campgrounds along the main lake, but not at Coldwater Point.

Places to eat

Athough there are restaurants in Coldwater, we did not try them. Hernando is nearby and I've eaten many times at the Windy City Grill, El Paraiso and Buon Cibo.

Other things to do

We when there to paddle. However, there is a drive through Safari Wild Animal Park near Como, MS about 20 miles south of Coldwater.