Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Mississippi / De Soto National Forest

Black Creek Wilderness: Highway 29 to Fairley Bridge

De Soto National Forest, Black Creek Wilderness (north of Wiggins)

The Black Creek Wilderness covers a little over 5,000 acres of the De Soto National Forest east of MS 29. The Forest Service says it was set aside in 1984, and about 10 miles of the Black Creek Trail run through it beside the Black Creek Wild and Scenic River. Wikipedia says 21 miles of the creek were classified “scenic” in 1986.

Backpacker’s 2001 guide called this the best part of the 41-mile trail. Walked from the MS 29 trailhead to Fairley Bridge Landing, or out and back from either end, it makes a short overnight with camps above the creek’s sandbars.

The hike

The Forest Service puts the wilderness east of MS 29, about 18 miles south of New Augusta and 10 miles north of Wiggins. Backpacker gives the route from Hattiesburg: US 98 east about 20 miles to New Augusta, then MS 29 south about 19 miles to the wilderness trailhead. It suggests hiking 10 miles one way with a car shuttle, or a 20-mile out-and-back.

From the trailhead, Backpacker says, the trail crosses Beaverdam Creek on the MS 29 bridge and drops into the Black Creek floodplain, which it calls an old Native American travel corridor. Paria Outdoor Products’ 2023 trip report (Alicia Owen) describes a sharp drop to Beaverdam Creek, the narrow highway bridge with traffic, and a second Beaverdam Creek crossing that works as a rest and water stop. The terrain has no serious ups and downs, according to Backpacker, which puts elevations between about 100 and 270 feet.

Owen’s last day toward Fairley Landing passes a magnolia grove “beautiful in bloom,” a campsite with a creek view, and Mill Creek, which she calls a tricky crossing on a fallen tree with a rope someone rigged. Next come a buried pipeline area and the Red Hills, with the trail’s steepest ups and downs. A side trail leads to a sandbar where she mentions a swim, and the last mile includes a short road walk.

Sam Trapp, writing for Tulane’s outdoor program in 2023, hiked north from Fairley Bridge Landing. The first two miles crossed swampy lowland with a puddle too deep to cross in sneakers, then the trail rolled through the Red Hills for three or four miles before leveling into sand near the creek. He found white tree blazes easy to follow and met one other group.

Backpacker lists longleaf pine, magnolia, oak, and dogwood, with beavers, blue herons, red foxes, and wood ducks.

For the full 40-mile route, see the Black Creek Trail end to end.

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, and the Forest Service says the wilderness has no facilities. The Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area says camping is allowed “including on sandbars along the river,” but Backpacker (2001) advises camping at least 200 feet from the stream so you don’t foul the water.

Inside Intel: Tulane’s Sam Trapp camped about 9 miles north of Fairley Bridge in a stand of trees across from the trail, on a sandy bank of Black Creek. He called the beach his “front porch” for sunset and sunrise. A Backpacking Light poster (richardm, 2014) camped on higher ground near the river on his first night.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Pitching in the pines above a Black Creek sandbar:

The 150-foot rule moves camp off the trail and into the trees above the creek's white sand. See the backpacking tents testers rate highest.

See the picks →

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.