NOTICE: this report is from June 2007. I revisited the area in July 2008. A better, more fruitful launch area is mentioned at the bottom of this page. You still might want to read about the "original" ramp all the same...
For every location I'll write about there were four others that just didn't work. Once in a while I won't even be able to find the place, other times the water body turns out to be on private property. Most of the time the destination is so monumentally uninteresting that I won't even bother to put the boat into the water and move on down the road, never to mention the site again.
I'm aware it's important to try new things places or we'll simply be stuck in a rut of only old favorites and so I keep looking for new fabulous places. Once in a while a true winner comes along: a place that's easy to get to with good parking, a nice ramp, plenty of scenery and a potential for fabulous photographs.The Mississinewa River is not one of those places (for me); but still it was well worth a look.
First, get yourself a DNR map of the area. It won't do much good but it might be helpful in some way when you want to see roads that will get you home again when you flee this place. The lower right quadrant of the map shows three boat ramps. In my experience, two of them don't exist at all. The third one (lower right corner in a place called Trails End) requires a fairly dangerous hand-carry down to the river and from that point I feel the water is way too shallow to be navigable anyway.
Consider launching your canoe or kayak into the Mississinewa from a place that exists but isn't marked as a launch site on any map. It's a nice place, real pretty.
Just ahead and near the center of the picture above there's an island surrounded by a sand bar. Killdeer hang out there as well as Canada Geese, Mallards and Herons once in a while.
To the right of the island is primitive dam which is too shallow to paddle through. No problem.
It's a quick and easy carry over the few rocks & logs.
Don't bother doing so. You'd think you were going upstream but you're not. Within a quarter mile you'll reach a dried up river bed. You might see some critters here and herons will GRONK overhead as you surprise them from below, but there's no paddleable water to be had.
If you got this far then go back to the primitive dam, carry your boat over it and turn right (upstream) instead. Within 200 yards you'll be in oncoming current much more powerful than what you can paddle against. And if you're in a powerboat, this water is certainly too shallow for you; besides, you should be over on the reservoir.
Go downstream instead. The lake/reservoir is only three or four miles ahead. There are riffles ahead and you'll have to walk your boat, but it's a nice walk. Put a leash on your boat so it doesn't get away from you. I went another half-mile downstream from the riffles today but ran out of time long before the reservoir.
When I got back to the "ramp," there was a Great Blue Heron on the other side of the river. I had a problem with rocks near my exit and had to walk my boat to shore while being very, very quiet. The bird was in a pool of sunlight with the forest very dark behind it. Should you go to Mississinewa with your canoe or kayak? If you live an hour or less away, then absolutely go there.
Do you live two or three hours away? I'd suggest the Salamonie River instead.
1.4 miles ahead is another gravel road to the right. Take it. It opens up to a parking area that's about 200 yards long. The launch site is in the middle of this stretch of land.
NOTICE: Another launch site is available nearby. Consider these directions to the more interesting place:
Take Route 9 (Marion Center Road) south of Huntington, Indiana. Continue past Route 124 for 10 miles or so.
Turn right (west) at the stop sign at Route 218 for another 10 miles. Immediately past the railroad tracks at LaFontaine is Route 5. Turn right (north). Continue past the Circle K carryout on your left a mile or so to County Road 1050 and turn left (west).
2.5 miles later is a gravel turnout on the left and it is marked with a DNR sign indicating a cartop launch site. Turn left onto that road. Just ahead is a good-sized, gravel-covered parking, fishing, and launch area.
To the left is a stick-filled dead-end lagoon worth exploring, but the real magic is directly ahead of the launch area: three directions to explore with islands all around. The shores aren't so good for disembarking, but there's plenty to look at and it's worth a see.
Links:
2006 Trip Reports
2007 Trip Reports
Kohne Camera & Photo
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