Mississippi · Outdoors
The Mississippi Outdoors
State parks, waterfalls and lakes, with the guides to plan them.
Where should you go outdoors in Mississippi?
Start with Tishomingo State Park, Clark Creek Natural Area and Vicksburg National Military Park, then use the guides on this page to choose by what you want to do. Trails, hours and fees change, so check each park's official page before you go.
Making a drive of it? See Mississippi road trips, or browse places by region.
Parks and sights worth the trip
- Tishomingo State Park: Appalachian foothills, rock outcroppings, waterfalls and a swinging bridge over Bear Creek, at Milepost 304 of the Natchez Trace Parkway.
- Clark Creek Natural Area: More than 700 acres in southwestern Mississippi with some 50 waterfalls, from 10 to more than 30 feet high.
- Vicksburg National Military Park: Over 1,400 monuments and memorials, and the story of the USS Cairo, part of the Brown Water Navy.
- Ship Island, Gulf Islands National Seashore: A barrier island about 12 miles off the coast, reached only by boat, with a historic fort and a swimming area.
- Mississippi Petrified Forest: One of only two petrified forests in the eastern United States, and a National Natural Landmark since 1965.
- Emerald Mound: The second-largest Mississippian Period ceremonial mound in the United States, covering eight acres off the Natchez Trace Parkway.
- Black Creek: A 21-mile stream through the Desoto National Forest, and the only wild and scenic river in Mississippi.
- Natchez National Historical Park: The history of all the peoples of Natchez, from European settlement and African enslavement to the civil rights struggle on the lower Mississippi River.