2017-01-14 06:03:55
PART OF THE NATION’S WILD AND SCENIC RIVER SYSTEM The Missouri National Recreational River preserves two stretches of the Missouri River. It is a meandering, living river — no dams or channelization. Forming much of the border between South Dakota and Nebraska, it is also part of the nation’s Wild and Scenic River system. Congress added the 59-mile reach between Gavins Point Dam and Ponca State Park in 1978 and the 39-mile reach, which includes the lower 20 miles of the Niobrara River and the lower eight miles of Verdigre Creek, between Ft. Randall Dam and Running Water in 1991. In the eastern reach the "Big Muddy" is vast, spectacular and unique, flowing fast past chalk bluffs, some as high as 100 feet. The river valley is as wide as two miles in some places, a testament to the twists and turns the river has taken over the last several thousand years. Islands, bars, and chutes still attest to the river’s dynamic character. The river in the western reach is more than 20 feet deep, with thick groves of willow and cottonwood trees growing on numerous islands and sandbars. Limestone bluffs rise 250 feet over the untamed river. The main channel twists and turns in gnarled braids from one shore to the other, and the river flows slower, sometimes as slow as a lazy two miles per hour. Native floodplain forests, tall and mixed grass prairie remnants, and the rivers and tributaries themselves provide habitat for several endangered and threatened bird and fish species. Gavins Point Dam and Lewis & Clark Visitor Center, Yankton FISHING AND HUNTING Walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, and catfish are popular catches. In season hunters take geese, ducks, quail, turkeys, pheasants and deer. Licenses are required. THINGS TO SEE AND DO Most visitors come to the Missouri National Recreational River for its refreshing water and premier boating, fishing, canoeing, and kayaking. Exploring the "Big Muddy" by canoe or kayak is something you'll never forget. This recreational activity, however, is not for the novice paddler, and requires appropriate watercraft. You can also camp, tour powerhouses and historic sites, birdwatch, visit a fish hatchery and aquarium, and explore quiet trails. HISTORICAL POINTS OF INTEREST The MNRR region can serve as a microcosm of the Lewis & Clark expedition. It is in this region they recorded their first impressions and descriptions of Plains Indians tribes. Their council with the Yankton Sioux demonstrated their diplomatic efforts. Clark drew maps of this part of the river. Joseph Fields killed the party's first bison near today's Burbank, SD. And the only death on the expedition occurred near the park. One place to explore the Lewis and Clark saga is at the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center at Gavins Point Dam. It provides a particularly useful introduction to the story. The visitor center offers views of the river, Lewis and Clark Lake and Gavins Point Dam as well as exhibits, a theater, and a bookstore. Visit online: www.nps.gov/mnrr.
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