Big Muddy Adventures

Big Muddy Adventures has always been a great company to float with. The mix of cycling and paddling was great, and the guides are always helpful and knowledgeable, with plenty of good food and drink. I'll have to sign up for a longer trip next time!

I had an awesome trip last friday with my friend on one of Big Muddy Adventures's, full moon floats on the Mississippi. The communication from them regarding the trip and all of the details was excellent, the guides were amazing, and the meal provided by Chef Josh was *chef's kiss* delicious. 10/10 highly recommend for anyone wanting to experience the Muddy Mississippi and our Gateway Arch from a new perspective.

I had a wonderful time on this trip. I have experienced one of many firsts on this trip. It is my first canoeing trip. It is the first time I had ever seen bald eagles with its juvenile in the wild. It is also the first time I had ever seen a deer jump into the river and go for a swim to try and get away from us. Who knew that deer could swim? I know now. 😃 It was an awesome experience!! The crew did a great job of informing us for whatever questions came up. I will definitely be joining their other trips in the future. I would highly recommend this company for anyone who wants to get out and explore the wilderness just outside of the city.

I'd use a lot of words, but my photos tell the story about how amazing the adventure is on the full moon float! The only thing my photos fail to describe is how delicious the meal is that they serve on the island. The food was delicious, the staff are fantastic and the whole experience is probably the best experience you can have on the Mississippi River! I 100% recommend this float! This was my 2nd time, and both times were beyond expectations!!!

I did the French Corridor canoe trip. The guides were friendly, accommodating, and knew what they were doing. The food by Josh Galliano made this even more special. I would do this again.

Was an amazing day on the Mississippi. Made my whole team feel safe and secure on our adventure. Lunch, exploring the sand flats and s'mores on the island were such a neat extra touch that was enjoyed by all! Thanks for a real good time 😊

One of the coolest adventures we’ve had in a long time! The campfire food was FABULOUS! The crew were fun, competent & know the river very well. Felt safe, got some exercise & ate like royalty. Will definitely do again!

We had an excellent time on the “full moon float”! October was a beautiful month for it, in terms of weather and foliage. Each month has its benefits. There were several folks who were returning after having done it multiple times before. Plus the lovely staff. They were both prepared & chill. Delicious food. Definitely thinking about when we can come again & bring loved ones

Matt Fox was amazing on the Forest Park kayak tour! Very educational wildlife expert and a beautiful scenic route through the park. Highly recommend it!!!

The Lewis and Clark Trail Missouri River Paddle was my self selected Mother's Day gift. Let's start with I am recovering from a cold and when I woke up this morning, I felt like I had consumed a fifth of vodka last night with some super sweet mixer (not even on my maybe list). Once I was in the canoe, the beauty and natural wonder of the scenery soothed the effects of the my untimely head cold. The paddle is very smooth and easy. There is no requirement to actually paddle, but "when in Rome" as they say and I love to paddle. The guides and my canoe mates were engaging. Any questions that we had about the River were quickly answered by our knowledgeable and helpful guides. Highly recommend this paddle trip.

I was feeling epic - the only way to describe paddling on the Mississippi with Mike and his crew under a full moon. Big Muddy's full moon floats are a once in a lifetime (or every full moon;)) opportunity to engage with St. Louis. There were equal share fun parts and great parts and the tiniest percentage of boundary pushing parts that made the trip an amazing experience. Mike and the crew are passionate professionals who clearly take safety, the integrity of nature and fun seriously. Meeting at the river front is the perfect stage to open the adventure - Mike is a natural storyteller and started off the trip with "They came in canoes" - immediate chills. As a lifelong St. Louisan its so easy to forget voyager canoes are how this city started and with Big Muddy you get to experience a taste of what that might have felt like - including helping to carry the massive Clipper Canoe (fun fact - Big Muddy is the only approved retailor in the US), paddling on the Mississippi, getting your feet a little wet on the river banks and spending time on a river island. Big Muddy inserts St. Louis and the uniqueness of the Mississippi in a natural but educational way throughout the trip making you feel more connected to the city and the river that helped found it. I am by no means an athlete or a nature girl but felt empowered to do my best to the best of my ability while paddling, carrying etc. The meal on the river island was top notch - truly gourmet. By the end of the evening - you're a bit tired, a little sweaty and maybe a few mosquito bites - but that's part of the experience. Greeting the arch from the river as my canoe of 10 brand new acquaintances serenaded each other with 'Rolling on the River' is a memory and source of joy I'll carry with me for a long-time. 'They came in canoes.' and after a trip with Big Muddy you can say you did too.

Fantastic November paddle down the MIGHTY MISS under the pale (full) moon light! Time on the Island was amazing and so was dinner. The guides are clearly knowledgeable about STL and the river. It was an absolute treat to spend 2pm-9pm with this crew on an incredible stretch of our most important river infrastructure. Be prepared to paddle, a little. I generally like my canoeing to be mostly drinking while letting the current do the work. But this amount of paddling was good too. Nothing strenuous. I recommend some good quality binoculars for this trip. #1 must do for anyone in STL and even people not from the region

Fun excursion on the Missouri River. Paddled about 7 miles downstream. Taken by van to gourmet dinner and sunset view. Book ahead,fills up fast. Friendly crew . 12 to a canoe so easy leisurely paddling.

I enjoyed the full moon float that I attended. The food was absolutely delicious!!! We had tender, juicy, meaty ribs, a flavorful salad, a pasta with sun-dried tomatoes that was just stupendous, and a corn salad mix that I didn't try. There were also delicious macaroons for dessert. On the way down the river, Mike shared information about the businesses alongside the river and the history of the different bridges that we passed under. I found it to be very enjoyable. I don't think I would do that particular float again, but I am interested in trying the one on the Missouri.

Last night my friend and I had a great Muddy Adventure! The weather was gorgeous and the crew and owner Mike were friendly and informative. I enjoyed the experience very much. Roo, the guide explained everything in detail and what we were going to do and I felt confident and safe with him and the crew. The sand bar dinner was outstanding. Fiona, made us the best feast I have ever had on the river. The ingredients were very fresh and tasted like summer. It was an absolute delight. On the way to the sand bar two Bald Eagles and some Great Blue Herons were spotted--on the float back, I watched the trees on the banks of the Meramec sparkle. I have never seen so many fireflies, Mother Nature put on a hell of a show and it was amazing to witness. It was beautiful and an amazing experience. I can't wait to go on more adventures!

My boyfriend and I had an awesome time here for the sunset paddleboat picnic. Entire staff was very friendly and the food provided was pretty good (charcuterie board).

Think 3rd world experience right from the city Honestly, I think the memory & being able to tell the story was better than the adventure. However, I enjoyed telling the story many times. Are you ready for Big Muddy Adventures? (What I experienced on a full moon round-trip to an island) First- the house you meet at is in North St Louis by Cement Land. (The never opened play-land by the man that created City Museum) The house can not be entered so go to the restroom before arrival. 2nd- Like most natural water endeavors, you should dress appropriately. (The guy tells you not wear what he's wearing). The water is colder than air temperature (I don't own wet suit) The banks are muddy & slick. They do offer big heavy mud boots. They also offer water proof sacks for storage. 3rd- Personalities... I grew up in Crystal City & boated Mississippi and Meramec River. The guide will shock many. He's very knowledgeable of the river. He has beliefs about Mississippi mud & water is just fine. (What doesn't kill you makes you stronger philosophy) He will tell you assure you the trip is no big deal & he does this with his dog all the time. 4th- piling into the old SUV (if you never went floating...) 5th- legal launch sites are few so we launched from a not feeling too safe North City park... We carried the oversized canoe (joined by another couple that were photographing for advertisement) to the river. The launch site was about 5 foot mud bank drop into the Mississippi. The guide expertly got the canoe down and hold it in place, but I had 2nd thoughts. Oh well, I went for it. Once I was in the canoe and we are paddling across the river... thoughts -man it is quiet to be so close to the city & no engine -Lewis and Clark did this -shit this is the Mississippi & currents go everywhere... does this guy know what is doing? The island, the moon & "gourmet meal"... thoughts -it feels so remote yet I see the lights of the city -moon looks bigger -hell no I'm not going for a swim! -I get you some kindling -cool way to build a temporary fire using two logs and only Kindling -island @ night is spooky but interesting to explore -gramophone sandwiches!!!!! yeah -I recognize the rest from Aldi's (fruit & cheese plus chips) -open fire food was a seasoning miss (so I was told & not offered any) -dessert was vanilla yogurt with fruit and sliver of chocolate Canoeing down the other side of the island and back up, across the river & back to the park... thoughts -dude, I'm not sure about paddling upstream -ok dude, we are around the island & see downtown.. can we go back up now -hey, going upstream is not too bad -bird! Deer! -faster stream PADDLE -that wasn't so bad -shit we still need to survive the North City park -I just want to take a shower Overall- with an open mind, right clothing & knowledge that you could have a great story... I could honestly say "A-OK".

We had a great time out on the river! Mike and the other guides are very knowledgeable on all things St Louis, both history and present day. They were very friendly, and I felt very safe on the water with them. I'm looking forward to doing another tour in the future!

I was going to review this on their site but once I took a look...only 5 stars were there and several months and years apart. I figured they heavily moderated their site with only positive reviews. To start with, go into this with the idea that it's an experience more than anything and despite the following it was somewhat fun but I would not repeat it. You are told by Mike that he has been doing this for many years. In light of that, I would have thought he would have the operation down a bit more. We were to meet at 5 pm. Everyone going on the trip was there....except for Mike and his team. They showed up 45 minutes later with no explanation of the delay. His full moon paddles usually run $65 including a home style meal prepared by Mike and his team. I paid $85 because the chef from Swires was coming to cook a gourmet meal. Unfortunately, the chef was sick and couldn't make it so the meal became the home style version but we were not offered any refund of the premium we paid for a chef. The assistant/guide he brought with him to help was just downright snarky. Initially, I felt I was making it into something but after several of her abrasive comments, I saw that others had noticed as well. It wasn't a deal breaker but you have to wonder why she's out there at all. Keep that "joyful" personality at home! One last note on the meal.....by the time I got through the food line, two of the sides were completely gone and I ended up with some pork and a few boiled potatoes. Once again, poor planning. In summary, the experience is checked of my bucket list. I won't be a repeat customer. I'll stick with my own self directed canoe trips and night boating on the rivers. Oh....and if I want a Swires chef meal, I'll just go to the restaurant.

The Fall Colors Tour was not as advertised. We did not visit any vineyards and left so late that we had dinner at 11:00 p.m. Saturday. Mike had three people, two 60-year-old women and an inexperienced paddler out on the river in a strong northern headwind in 40-degree temps after 10:00 o'clock at night. I did not feel at all safe, nor were we comfortable. He ended up calling his girlfriend to pick us up, since we couldn't find a decent place to camp in the dark. We stayed at his "canoe house" instead, a very dirty, poorly maintained house. At least we were off the river and out of the cold wind. His actions were imprudent, at best, and flat-out dangerous at worst. On a bright note, Mike is a good cook and he did bring us coffee in bed the next morning. We also really liked his girlfriend, Janet, who rescued us.

I can't say enough good things about Big Muddy Mike and his knowledgeable and experienced team. A group and I joined in on their full moon paddle last night. It was an educational, fun, calming and needed experience from the moment we arrived at the designated location. Everyone was beyond friendly and during this time with Covid in our midsts, this team was extremely dedicated to keeping all of us safe. The group had 2 29ft canoes each captained by a seasoned guide. Our guide was Joe, who impressed us immediately with his immense knowledge of the river. The second boat was captained by Big Muddy Mike himself. We were so fortunate to take in all of his stories and experiences, we all became very quite at points in our canoe, so that we could hear Mike in his. We spent a leisurely trip down the Missouri River learning all about our riverways, the history of the river, nature, fauna, navigation, and more. It was a beautiful journey. We were blessed with the most gorgeous sunset and then with the full moon. At our docking point we were treated to a feast prepared by Fiona who is not only a vastly experienced paddler, but also Big Muddy Adventures Chef. She had prepared an amazing dinner. It was fresh and truly a culinary delight. We ate around a campfire before saying our goodbyes and vowing to be back soon. I would highly recommend Big Muddy Adventures to everyone, a paddle with them should be on everyone's to do list.

Took a group of 18 girl friends on the Chain of Rocks to Arch trip. Unbelievably experienced and skilled guides all good-natured. Our group ranged from novices to highly skilled paddlers, from 49 to 81 years old, and we all had a 10 out of 10 time. Safety equipment and training good. Trip covered both regular traffic/barge areas and protected side routes. Amazing company. Five of us already returned for other trips that Big Muddy offers.