Ghost River Rentals

How can you get out and paddle the Mississippi River? If you'd like to rent a kayak and a guide, read about Ghost River Rentals below.

Mark Babb and Don Hailey started Ghost River Rentals in 2007. Mark is a physical fitness and outdoor enthusiast who grew up boating and camping on the Mississippi River with his father and brothers. He worked several years on Mississippi River Towboats and was a licensed Towboat Pilot. Also a sailor, he has explored all of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Barrier Islands on a seventeen foot catamaran. As a paddler he has explored over 100 miles of Mississippi River, Wolf River from LaGrange to Memphis, Horn Island and many others. Don is also a lifelong physical fitness and outdoor enthusiast. He is a PADI certified Rescue Diver, holds a Commercial Pilots license (non-active), and is an avid Harley rider. As a paddler he has explored many miles of the Mississippi and Wolf Rivers, as well as an overnight trip to Horn Island. Mark Babb & Don Hailey are both career Firefigher Paramedics with over 30 years combined experience in Emergency Services, so safety is never a worry when touring the rivers with these two.



Most of their kayak/canoe trips are Wolf River focused due to demand, but when interviewing Mark, he mentioned that he would love to see more of a demand for Mississippi River excursions, and would offer weekly tours if the demand increased. When asked why he thought there was less demand for paddling the Mississippi River he stated that many people feel it is not safe to paddle because of the strong current and scary reputation. Education and safety are the keys to overcoming these fears, and as long as the river is respected, paddling it can be especially rewarding. While Ghost River Rentals offers guided tours of both the Wolf and Mississippi Rivers, he recommends contacting Outdoors Inc. (www.outdoorsinc.com) or Memphis Whitewater (www.memphiswhitewater.com) for courses on kayaking technique for those who wish to become kayakers on their own.



Bluff homes overlooking the river and Mud Island are creating new demand for and interest in the river, instead of just seeing it as dangerous and polluted. He also mentioned that he personally feels safer on a kayak than a power boat on the river, because if the motor goes on the power boat, you're stranded, but with a kayak, you have more control over the situation. His personal (and experienced) preference for kayaking the Mississippi is a 17’ sit-in touring kayak.



For additional information on Wolf River excursions and pricing, please visit their website at www.ghostriverrentals.com or contact them via email ghostriverrentals@yahoo.com or telephone: 901-485-1220. Their Mississippi River excursion prices are not on the website, but were quoted at prices of $45/boat and $100/guide. There is a minimum requirement of 6 boats and typically 2 guides for more inexperienced paddlers to book a Mississippi River excursion. The boats they use for the Mississippi River are sit-on-top kayaks which have no spray skirts nor require any bail-out if cap-sized and they float and can be flipped back over for ease of use. Their most requested Mississippi River excursion is the all day float from Meeman-Shelby Forest to downtown Memphis, and they also offer sunset floats where they launch from the north side of Mud Island, paddle across the river to Loosahatchie Bar and then back to Mud Island around the south bend and into the Wolf River Harbor. He stated that these trips would be much easier with better access to the river, because he believes the Auction Street boat ramp is currently closed, and he has been turned away from the Mud Island Marina in the past. So, be a part of the demand, and let's ensure we all have access to our river. For those who are interested in a more robust experience including camping, they also offer the chance to kayak the river from Golddust, TN (in Lauderdale County) to an end point of either Memphis, TN or Tunica, MS.