Boating News

EASLEY, Mo. -- Bikers and hikers on the Katy Trail stop at Cooper's Landing for bottled water and trail food. Campers get a deli sandwich and Alka-Seltzer and listen to live music on weekends. Anglers can buy frog gigs and live bait, and now boaters can buy gasoline and pump out their septic tanks without leaving the water.

Cooper's Landing, located about a mile north of Easley, at the site of the historic river port of Nashville, combines all these services and more at one of Missouri's fastest-growing recreational crossroads. Katy Trail State Park draws between 300,000 and 400,000 visitors per year, and the Missouri River is increasingly popular with hunters, anglers, campers and pleasure boaters. Yet, Cooper's landing is the only place in Missouri where river recreationists can fuel their boats or pump out septic tanks.

"This place is a luxury for fishermen and pleasure boaters on day trips," said Mike Cooper, whose dream of a river landing goes back 15 years. "For people on long river trips and folks who keep big boats on the river, it's more than just a convenience. Trailering a house boat to gas stations and campgrounds with pump-out facilities isn't an option when you're miles from where you launched. If you couldn't fill up here, you would have to carry gasoline to your boat and carry extra tanks. That can be a safety problem."Cooper's Landing is equipped to serve transient boaters and those whose craft are too big for easy transportation by trailer. You can pull up to the dock, gas up, load drinkable water, buy supplies and go on your way.

One of the landing's most surprising amenities is Thai cuisine. Chim's Thai Kitchen offers a wide variety of authentic dishes cooked to diners' specifications. More predictable services include a public rest room with shower and laundry, a three-bedroom lodge, 2 campgrounds, a recreational vehicle dump, a convenience store and an indoor recreation room. Live music is available most Friday and Saturday nights.

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