Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Mississippi / De Soto National Forest

Black Creek Trail (End to End)

De Soto National Forest, De Soto Ranger District (Brooklyn to Wiggins area)

The Black Creek Trail runs about 40 miles through the De Soto National Forest along Black Creek, which the Forest Service and the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area describe as Mississippi’s only National Wild and Scenic River. It is foot travel only, and about 10 miles of it cross the Black Creek Wilderness.

Backpacker’s 2001 write-up called the 41-mile path “as wild as a feral hog,” yet less than three hours from Jackson, New Orleans, and Mobile. One 2023 trip report walked it end to end in three days, through piney uplands and creek bottoms.

The hike

The trail runs between Big Creek Landing, west of Brooklyn, and Fairley Bridge Landing downstream, with a midpoint trailhead on MS 29 (the Forest Service lists it as the Black Creek Trailhead). The Forest Service counts more than 100 bridges and boardwalks over small streams and ponds. Backpacker’s 2013 listing still warned that “you’ll still get your boots wet.”

Paria Outdoor Products’ 2023 trip report (Alicia Owen) split the hike into three days from Big Creek Landing: about 10 miles to a camp near Macklin Creek, 19 miles to a second camp beside the creek, and 9.3 miles to Fairley Landing. Day one crosses Granny Creek, then US 49, which she calls tricky with two lanes each way, followed by railroad tracks and an old structure with a sign about past Civilian Conservation Corps work. Trail Run Project says the first 13 miles cross many roads and forestry roads, and that the trail can be hard to follow. It describes a stretch around mile 16 overgrown with briars.

Day two passes Moody’s Landing, small footbridges, and a forest road walk to the MS 29 trailhead, where the trail enters the wilderness. Owen notes the narrow MS 29 bridge over Beaverdam Creek, which carries traffic. The wilderness section to Fairley Bridge is covered on its own page: Black Creek Wilderness.

The last day passes a magnolia grove, a Mill Creek crossing that Owen describes on a fallen tree, and the Red Hills, which she calls the biggest hills on the trail. Backpacker puts the elevation range at about 100 to 270 feet. A sandbar side trail offers a swim before a short road walk to the end.

The landscape is longleaf pine, magnolia, oak, and dogwood on the ridges, with oxbow lakes and swamps in the bottoms, according to Backpacker. Owen mentions wild hogs, and Backpacker lists beavers, blue herons, and wood ducks.

For another De Soto overnight, see the Tuxachanie Trail.

Tips

Camping

The Forest Service trail page says “Primitive camping is allowed 150 feet off the trail” and “Overnight camping is not currently allowed at landings.” No permit or fee is required. The Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area says camping is allowed “including on sandbars along the river,” while Backpacker (2001) advises camping at least 200 feet from the stream. Pack out all trash. Paria suggests a roomy tent or a hammock, since flat, dry ground can be hard to find.

Inside Intel: Paria’s Alicia Owen points to a spot about 4 miles in from Big Creek Landing as “a good spot if you get a late start.” She also names Moody’s Landing as flat and usable (overnight camping at the landings is now off-limits) and a second camp “right beside Black Creek.”

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Wet boots on the Black Creek Trail:

Backpacker warns you'll still get your boots wet on these 40 miles, and Paria notes that flat, dry ground can be hard to find. For the rest of you, see how three rain shells compare.

Compare the shells →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.