Black Creek Wilderness
The Black Creek Wilderness, located in the Gulf Coastal Plains of southern Mississippi, is the state’s largest Wilderness area, spanning much of the broad valley of Black Creek. The creek flows through the valley with waters stained a deep caramel by tannic acid from decaying vegetation. Designated as Mississippi’s only Wild and Scenic River for 21 miles, Black Creek is celebrated for its scenic beauty. It bisects the Wilderness, winding through a hardwood floodplain filled with oxbow lakes and dense stands of sweet gum, sweet bay, red maple, oak, pine, and bald cypress. The creek’s banks, which range from 5 to 20 feet high, feature numerous white sandbars perfect for camping or picnicking.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Mississippi |
| Size | 5,033 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 30.98° N, 89.03° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 12) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Forest Service recreation site
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.
Trailheads and sites
The Forest Service lists 1 recreation site inside this wilderness, among them 1 picnic area. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- 2 miCypress Creek Landing ↗Picnic area
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
1 named Forest Service trail enters this wilderness, 40 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Black Creek Trail ↗ | 40.4 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 7.6 miNew York, The ↗Fruitland Park, MS
- 14.7 miLeaf River Bridge ↗McClain, MS
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Mississippi
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Black Creek Wilderness?
5,033 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Black Creek Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Black Creek Wilderness in?
Mississippi.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Black Creek Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How do I get to Black Creek Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 30.977° N, 89.028° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Black Creek Wilderness?
The National Register has 2 listings within 15 miles, including New York, The and Leaf River Bridge.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.