2023 Issue 5 Sept/Oct Focus - Mid-South Magazine

life
Paddling Around
Memphis
by Tricia Dewey
photo courtesy of Blues City Kayaks
Kayaks, first built by the
Inuit from sealskin and
used for hunting, have been
around for approximately
4,000 years. Most kayaks
are now made from plastic,
but the basic shape and
simplicity of design have
continued. Interest in
recreational kayaking,
which was growing in
popularity even before the
pandemic, has increased
exponentially by 87.3
percent between 2010
and 2021. It is low impact,
great aerobic exercise,
and such a calming way to
get outside. But kayaks
require a body of water. As
it happens Memphis, not
generally thought of as a
kayaking mecca, has several
surprisingly beautiful places
to put a kayak in the water
not far from downtown
and one relatively new
option for getting out on
the Mississippi.
One does not have
to go far from central
Memphis to put a kayak in
the water. Shelby Farms
Boat House at Hyde Lake
rents canoes, kayaks, and
stand-up paddle boards
for reasonable fees in
the spring and summer,
but you can paddle your
personal float in Hyde Lake
anytime the park is open.
Conditions around the lake
can sometimes be tricky
and windy but usually Hyde
Lake is a spacious and easy
location for Memphians
to try out some paddling
with easy access and an
accessible boat ramp. The
lake is a particularly lovely
place to view the local
sunset. Don't forget another
local favorite, Poplar Tree
Lake at Meeman-Shelby
Forest State Park, in
Millington, approximately
a 30-minute drive from
Memphis. The put-in for
this paddle is a ramp at
the end of the parking
lot on Grassy Lake Road.
Kayaking around the rim of
the pond is a 1.5 to 2-hour
trip, where it’s possible to
see bald eagles, herons,
and owls. There are rangerled
paddles in the summer.
Becky France, a Memphian
who is one of those newer
kayakers, enjoys paddling
here and stopping at the
Shelby Forest General
Store for lunch or a snack
afterward—a great day trip.
Several other easypaddle
ponds to check out
within an hour of Memphis
are lakes at Wapanocca
National Wildlife Refuge
(just over the bridge in
Arkansas), Sardis Lake (due
south on I-55), and Big Hill
Pond State Park (southwest
of Memphis).
Any survey of paddling in
and around Memphis must
include the Wolf River and
the Wolf River Conservancy
(WRC). Founded in 1985,
the WRC has protected
almost 19,000 acres along
the Wolf River as it runs
from its source—springfed
Bakers Pond in Holly
Springs National Forest—
northwest for about 100
miles. Without the WRC the
Wolf would not provide the
great habitat for 430-plus
plants and the recreational
space both on the
Greenway and on the Wolf
itself. The Wolf empties into
the Mississippi slightly north
of Mud Island and along the
way provides plant, bird,
and animal habitat, flood
and pollution control, and
recharge of the Memphis
Sand Aquifer.
There are three sections
of the Wolf River that
offer good opportunities
for kayaking. The Ghost
River section, preserved
in 1995 by the WRC as
the Ghost River Natural
Area, meanders from La
Grange to the Bateman
Road Bridge, and offers
16 Go! | Sept+Oct 2023 | focuslgbt.com