Welcome
- De Soto District
- U.S. Forest Service
- P.O. Box 248
- 654 West Frontage Road
- Wiggins, MS 39577
- (601) 528-6160
The De Soto is characterized by gently
rolling terrain covered by southern
pine ridges and hardwood bottoms with
clear, tea-colored streams meandering
throughout the forest.
At
378,538 acres, the De Soto Ranger District
is the largest district in Mississippi
and is within easy driving distance
of the coastal areas and Hattiesburg.
Year-round recreation opportunities
abound for the hiker, bicyclist, camper,
canoeist, ATV rider, horse enthusiast,
hunter and fisherman. Vast expanses
of national forest lands are perfect
settings for bird watching and rejuvenating
the spirit. There are picnic facilities,
group shelters, and scenic surroundings
for church socials, organizational events,
and family reunions.
Visitors who seek solitude will be
able to find it within one of the De
Soto’s two wilderness areas, the
Black Creek or Leaf. Black Creek, Mississippi’s
only National Scenic River, is famous
for its wide, white sandbars and relaxed
floating pace. 170 miles of trails on
the De Soto are available for hikers,
ATV riders, mountain bike riders, and
horse riders. Black Creek Trail and
the Tuxachanie Trail, two National Recreation
Trails located on the De Soto Ranger
District, offer over 60 miles for hikers
to explore the piney woods. Other trails
on the De Soto include Bethel and Rattlesnake
Bay ATV trails, Big Foot horse trail,
Leaf hiking trail, and Bethel bicycle
trail.
The nature observer may delight in
experiencing the varied ecosystems found
on the De Soto, from dry, sandy longleaf
pine/scrub oak ridges to frequently
flooded tupelo/bald cypress swamps,
and from the steep upland hardwood forest
of Ragland Hills to the vast pitcher
plant savanna at Buttercup Flats.
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