Black Creek Trail near Hattiesburg, MS

[SGT Rock]

Looking for some trail info for the Black Creek Trail in MS. A couple of searches didn't tell me enough.

[x2pray]

I can't really tell you anything about Black Creek Trail. I am from Hattiesburg and have yet to hike it. I have heard that it is a very easy hike. I have completed the loop of the Tuxachanie Trail just south of Hattiesburg though. If you want any information on it, I'd be glad to help you out. I thoroughly enjoyed the hike on the Tuxachanie and would recommend it to any hiker that has at least some experience since the trail isn't always the easiest thing to follow if you don't have a map.

For the Black Creek trail check out the following URL. It may help. The journal entries should be pretty valuable.

http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/hi..._desoto_ms.htm

[SGT Rock]

The Tuxachanie Trail would be fine too as long as I can get their fairly easily from Hattiesburg. I should be able to get off around early afternoon tomorrow and I would like to go somewhere I can go out a few miles and stay the night, then come back in early morning Sunday. I just need a little trail time to get away from it all.

[steve hiker]

I dayhiked part of that a couple years ago. As you can imagine, it's flat and not very impressive. However it is in the woods, which beats the pants off a Wal-Mart parking lot.

If you have an extra hour or so to drive, you could go to Homochitto NF between McComb and Natchez. The area is very unlike south Miss, with rolling hills, bluffs and creeks that seem more out of Arkansas than down here. And HUGE pines that remind me of the big trees on the West Coast. Very nice, actually. Just be careful as the Clear Creek trail (the official hiking trail) is criss-crossed 50 times with game trails which some yo-yos have blazed with the same kind of blazes, so it's easy to get turned around if you don't keep it simple.

[TakeABreak]

Rock,

I did a quick search on www.google.com for black creek trail, ms

I suggest trying this, the fourth item that came up was link to backpacker magazine with links to MS, info about the BCT.

[x2pray]

The Tuxachanie is very close to Hattiesburg. It is just about 35 minutes or so south of Camp Shelby in Saucier, Mississippi on Hwy 49. If coming from Hattiesburg, you will find the trail head on your left. It's in the DeSoto Nat'l Forest. A quick hike would be to hike the first five miles to Airey lake where there is water and restroom facilities and then hike back. I last hiked it in December 04 and a bridge was out about 1 mile from the trail head but it was easy to cross the creek using a little downed tree to the right of the trail. Someone had also strung a rope across the creek near the tree so you have something to hold onto. If you want to hike further, you can continue on another 5 or 6 miles past Airey Lake to P.O.W. Lake. Here you will find an old ammunitions battery used by the U.S. Army. They used to also house German and Japanese POW's here during WWII. Not much left except a few foundations and ordinance bunkers. Still a nice bit of military and American history.

[SGT Rock]

Well, if I can get off from work today at a reasonable time, I'll go down to Wiggins and try to get a map. I have seen that trailhead on 49 when I drove back from Gulfport once, I didn't know what sort of trail it was, I wished I would have stopped.

I figure I'll just go out a mile or two and camp, then come back in the morning. I have to work tommorrow too.

[rumbler]

Are you currently at Camp SHelby?

[viciousernest]

Is there any updated info on the state of the Black Creek trail post-Katrina? The Park service tells me it's closed except for an 8mile stretch but I'm skeptical of its real condition. I'd love any info. Thanks!

[Mountain Dog]

I tried to hike it after K. NO WAY at that time. I drove around till I found a section that looked doable, WRONG. I spent the day literally more off the ground than on it. Imagine trees down and trees laying over the trunks and then add another tree coming down at another angle. I camped based on finding cleared ground where a tent could be errected, nothing else. I camped on sand beside the river and there was precious little room there. I'd definately not plan to find the trail, much less hike it, unless I was assured the section had been cleared since K.

[SMSP]

I live in Harrison County and I have not hiked the Black Creek Trail yet, but have been gathering information on it. I have hiked and overnighted on the Tuxachanie. The ranger office in Wiggins is on the Southwest corner of Hwy. 49 and Hwy. 26 interchange. They have a basic 8.5 X 11 paper maps for free with the trails updated for Black Creek and Tuxachanie.

Tuxachanie Info.: They also have fold out maps for the Tux, but the Tux is so easy to follow, the fold out map isnt necessary. The Tux fold out map will not be updated since Katrina. The changes to the Tux include a short re-route at the begining. Again, the Tux is very easy to follow. The sheet map is sufficient. I took the free sheet map and had it laminated. Also, the Tux used to have two portions between Airey Lake and the POW Camp. The longer portion will not be repaired according to the ranger office.

Black Creek Trail Info.: According to the Ranger office, the entire trail is open with the exception of the Wilderness area. Because the Wilderness area is a protected area, it has to repaired by hand, no machines. The ranger office indicated that there is a contractor working on the Wilderness area. The free sheet map has the updated reroutes for the trail that is open. During the repair after Katrina, the trail was relocated closer to Black Creek. The current fold-out map is available, but is all old info. Once the Wilderness area is done, then a new fold-out map will be made with current infomation. They related a new fold-out map could not be done until the trail within the Wilderness is complete b/c there will be some re-routing done there as well. So, what you end of with is a short section South of the Wilderness area, and then the rest North of the Wilderness area.

DeSoto Ranger Station in Wiggins #: 601-928-4422.
They will mail the maps, not sure of the fee. I got mine when passing thru awhile back.

SMSP

[bpitt]

I've hiked it. Yes, they'll tell you the wilderness section is still closed, but we hiked it anyway. It's been cleared since Katrina, FINALLY, but they haven't gotten all the white diamonds up, but you can tell where the trail goes. They've been working on this trail for a while now. It's not a difficult trail. The Tux futher south is nice as well, but no hills. The Black Creek trail has a few hills mainly towards the end, as previously mentioned. I myself live about 10 miles from the trailhead and plan on doing some hiking there this winter.

[SMSP]

I think you may be th fella I bought the Kelty external from???

I recently bought an REI Flash 65 and am looking at putting it to use soon.

Either way, I want to start doing some stuff on the Black Creek Trail in the next month or so. Did you all encounter any workers on the Wilderness area? How far did you all go? Day hike? Overnight?

Since the Wildereness section is doable, then the entire trail can be done, that sounds promising. I am guessing the mileage thru the Wilderness are is about 5-6 miles. Did you all GPS it by chance or by some other method?

Thanks for the update - SMSP

[bpitt]

It wasn't me who sold you a pack.

I hike with another guy and sometimes my oldest daughter. We've been calling the Forest service since after Katrina about getting the trail open/cleared.

The last time I talked to them, the lady on the phone told me that the wilderness section was not 'open', though, it had been 'cleared'. They still had to put up some of those white diamond trail markers and had a bridge or two to fix. However, she let it slip that if I hiked in noone would probably say anything, as it is public land, etc.

I haven't used a GPS on it, as it's fairly easy to tell where the trail is. I do have one of the older maps, but look forward to one of the new ones when they come out. I haven't overnighted on the trail yet, we've just done 'sections'. I do think, however, that one could do the whole trail in a two/three days.

I too, plan on hiking on it soon, as the weather has finally gotten better. I have to work this coming Saturday, or I'd hit it then. I'll let you know when we go, etc. Maybe you could meet us and we'll all go.

I see you've hiked in the Smokies. My hiking buddy and I just did the entire Smokies section at the end of September, was awesome. I've done most of the Georgia section, and he's done all of Georgia and most of N.C. now.

[blackwater slim]

First post on this site. I thought I would start with an update on the Black Creek Trail through the section that goes through Black Creek Wilderness. I have canoed the Creek several times fron Janice Landing down to Cypress Creek Landing and also down to Fairley Bridge Landing...an awesome experience as well.
We entered the trail on the southeastern end of the wilderness section (about 11:30 am on 12/20/10), off of Melvin Breland Road, and hiked about 3 hours total with a few leisurely stops. Fantastic trail, overly well marked, and beautiful scenery. it was amazing to my buddies and me the work the USFS folks put into clearing the dead trees etc. left from Hurricane Katrina damage (yes 5+ years later). A great job! A humorous scene as an ironic example of government work at its best, included the crossing of a flowing creek with 6 foot banks and no bridge. After a comical, but dry, barely, crossing (not including bare feet), we trudged on down the trail and within 10 minutes came to a nice wooden bridge over a perfectly dry creekbed...Well, anyway, we found a great camp sight on the banks of Black Creek, within sight of a huge sandbar, across the creek and about 40 yards upstream of a small rapids, gurgling water and all.
Watching a full moon rise over the bluff of about 25 feet above the creek was a great site. Was awake to see the lunar eclipse later also, but cloud cover prevented that. The next morning we were up and moving about 9:30 and finished the trek out at Janice landing about 1:00 pm. There were some bluffs as high as 45-50 ft above a side creek the trail meanders around. Overall, some good climbing, surprisingly for south Mississippi. I would like to go back and hike the full trail but if you are looking for a longer dayhike or a one nighter, the Black Creek Trail through the wilderness section would rival most any trail (minus mountains or seacost).
I've done the Juniper Trail in Florida, the Tuxachanie in MS and did Amicallola falls to Neels Gap on the ATback in October. Planning on going back to AT to enter at Neels Gap and make it to NC this spring.

[SMSP]

First post on this site. I thought I would start with an update on the Black Creek Trail through the section that goes through Black Creek Wilderness. I have canoed the Creek several times fron Janice Landing down to Cypress Creek Landing and also down to Fairley Bridge Landing...an awesome experience as well.
We entered the trail on the southeastern end of the wilderness section (about 11:30 am on 12/20/10), off of Melvin Breland Road, and hiked about 3 hours total with a few leisurely stops. Fantastic trail, overly well marked, and beautiful scenery. it was amazing to my buddies and me the work the USFS folks put into clearing the dead trees etc. left from Hurricane Katrina damage (yes 5+ years later). A great job! A humorous scene as an ironic example of government work at its best, included the crossing of a flowing creek with 6 foot banks and no bridge. After a comical, but dry, barely, crossing (not including bare feet), we trudged on down the trail and within 10 minutes came to a nice wooden bridge over a perfectly dry creekbed...Well, anyway, we found a great camp sight on the banks of Black Creek, within sight of a huge sandbar, across the creek and about 40 yards upstream of a small rapids, gurgling water and all.
Watching a full moon rise over the bluff of about 25 feet above the creek was a great site. Was awake to see the lunar eclipse later also, but cloud cover prevented that. The next morning we were up and moving about 9:30 and finished the trek out at Janice landing about 1:00 pm. There were some bluffs as high as 45-50 ft above a side creek the trail meanders around. Overall, some good climbing, surprisingly for south Mississippi. I would like to go back and hike the full trail but if you are looking for a longer dayhike or a one nighter, the Black Creek Trail through the wilderness section would rival most any trail (minus mountains or seacost).
I've done the Juniper Trail in Florida, the Tuxachanie in MS and did Amicallola falls to Neels Gap on the ATback in October. Planning on going back to AT to enter at Neels Gap and make it to NC this spring.

Nice follow-up thanks.

How far down Melvin Breland Rd. does the trail cross it?

Did you all leave a vehicle on this road?

Wow, backpacking just the Wilderness portion for an overnighter would be sweet.

SMSP

[CajunHiker]

My son's scout troop hike the Tuxachanie two weekends ago. The younger scouts did the 5 mile trailhead to Airey Lake and the older boys started at Airey and went to POW Lake. I did the TH to Airey Lake, trail was well marked and wet areas had foot bridges. I didn't hear of any trail issues on the Airey to POW section.

[SMSP]

Yeah, the Tux is a great trail to enjoy as an adult and to introduce kids to the world hiking and such. I have a little one and look forward to her getting out there in a few more years.

SMSP

[SMSP]

I contacted the Ranger Office in Wiggins the other day. They have new maps of The Black Creek Hiking Trail. Basically, the only difference between the new one and old one is that the route in the Wilderness Section has been update and this section alone is 10.8 miles. They offerred to mail me the new map free of charge! The new map is printed in color as well. It will get laminated as soon as I receive it.

If anyone is interested is obtaining the new map, contact them at:

De Soto National Forest Ranger Office
654 West Frontage Rd.
Wiggins, MS 39577
601-528-6160

If all goes right, I am planning to hike some of it on Labor Day Weekend, thinking a basic 2 day/1 night from Fairley Bridge Landing to Janice Landing.

SMSP

[bpitt]

So they did update the map, eh. Cool. I'll get me one. My oldest is still bugging me to take her on the trail. When it cools off, like late October or November, we plan on hiking the whole thing. I figure it will take us three days.