Duck River Paddle Trips

Duck River #9: Henry Horton State Park Milltown Road

Distance: 7.9 Miles                                                                              When to Paddle: All Year Long

County: Marshall                                                                                  Access: Public

Class: I                                                                                                Type: Easy except for portage

Current: Slow

Outfitters: No outfitters because of portage around Lillards Dam

Put In Access is at Henry Horton State Park with lots of parking and a ramp that goes directly to the river. There are actually 2 locations to access the river one being in the day use area of the park and the second located by the overnight campgrounds. This would be a great place to camp while traveling down the Duck or make this your base camp while canoeing the different sections of the Duck River. This is a full service campground with all the amenities, including a restaurant and golf course.

Take Out Access is on TWRA land. A dirt road will lead right to the river edge on gravel bank. There is lots of room to maneuver cars, trucks and boats. Parking lot is located adjacent to road leading to river.

Directions to take out: Take I-65 south from Nashville. Exit at #46 (US-412/TN-99/Columbia/Chapel Hill), turn left onto Bear Creek Pike/ TN-99. Go 4.0 miles and then turn right onto US-431. Continue for 0.8 miles to TN-99 and turn left.  Go 3.8 miles to TN-272/Verona Caney Road. Stay on TN-272 for 2.4 then turn right onto Milltown Rd. for about 1.0 miles. When Milltown road takes a sharp left go straight, this will lead down to the river.

Directions to put in: Take I-65 south from Nashville. Exit at #46 (US-412/TN-99/Columbia/Chapel Hill), turn left onto Bear Creek Pike/ TN-99. Go 4.0 miles and then turn right onto US-431. Continue for 0.8 miles to TN-99 and turn left.  Go 7.4 miles then turn onto Sam Davis Hwy US-31A. Henry Horton State Park is on the left 0.7 miles down the road.

Overview of the Paddle

This section of river has some nice scenery but nothing spectacular, with typical Duck River bluffs and tree lined banks. Not many gravel bars or islands are on the 7.9 mile run to stop and play in the river. The river is a bit slow due to the dam at Lillards Mill that backs up the water, so expect to do some paddling. Boat traffic is sparse and you might have the river to yourself. The portage around Lillards Mill Dam is difficult and can be treacherous, so be carefull!!

               

Details of the Paddle

0.4 Miles Remnants of Whilhoite Mill and Hwy 32

1.4 Miles Remnants of Hamilton/Green Mill Dam

2.8 Miles Rail Road Tracks

4.5 Miles Remnants of Powell Mill Dam

6.8 Miles Hwy 272

7.7 Miles Lillard Mill Dam portage to the right when facing downstream

7.9 Miles take to the left right

                       

Snapshot of the Paddling the Duck River

• The longest river contained in Tennessee with over 270 miles of river eventually ending in the Tennessee River.
• In general the Duck River is a slow moving gentle scenic river with tree lined banks, rock bluffs and forested hillsides.
• Foliage along the river is mainly sycamore, river birch, and cedar.
• Estimates are that approximately 55 different freshwater mussel species make the Duck their home, which many are endangered.
• The river is great for beginner paddlers, family outing, group trips and overnight canoe camping.
• Keep you eyes open for wildlife along the Duck and you might spot; blue heron, osprey, hawks, river otters, beavers, mink, deer, wild turkey and turtles.
• Any stretch of the Duck might contain the remains of these manmade sites: native American fish-traps, early road fords, ferry sites, European settlements, and watermills.
• Numerous islands on the duck tend to be underwater when river is high causing the trees on them to have limited size, stripped branches that give the river foliage a rough appearance.
• Recent rains can make the Duck muddy at times.
• Hazards while paddling are strainers, fallen logs and low level dams created by early settlers to either supply water or create a mill.

 Map of Paddle #9
 https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=201051262754148944574.0004cd6fcd0852590f9e7&msa=0&ll=35.585433,-86.736031&spn=0.054445,0.122223