A quick way to get to know the river in Clarksdale:

Walk through downtown Clarksdale along the Riverwalk (which is a posted "Bird Sanctuary") located opposite downtown, on Clarksdale's "West bank."

From the South entrance on Riverside (at the foot of Cherry Street), the Riverwalk takes you under the two bridges, 1st Street, then 2nd Street, past a small copse of Cypress, several Syacamores and giant Cottonwoods, and into Soldier's Field, around which the Sunflower flows. Walk the perimeter of the field (where Malcolm Mabry planted Oaks a decade ago). There is a gazebo in the center, a good place for a picnic. Conner Burnham conducts his yoga classes here during the warmer months. You'll see several paths leading from the field towards the river. Follow one and you'll drop down onto the river's bank. Here you'll enter another world: a striking hallway of medium Bald Cypress growing like the columns of a Greek temple. You'll notice the confluence with "Lyons Bayou" on the opposite bank, and your view upstream might look something like this photo, taken from Cypress knee level: