Black Creek runs dark with tannin through the longleaf country of De Soto National Forest, past moss-covered banks, vertical bluffs and white sandbars. Congress designated the reach from Fairley Bridge Landing upstream to Moody's Landing as a national wild and scenic river on October 26, 1986. Wood ducks and otters are often seen, and the creek shelters the federally threatened pearl darter; 130 other fish species have been recorded in its watershed. Other rivers in the area tend to be swampy or brackish, and many visitors come from Louisiana for the peaceful water.
People have used the creek for a long time. Groups lived on its side tributaries as early as 11,000 years ago, away from the banks and close to spring-fed headwaters, a pattern that held through the arrival of Europeans. The Federal Road crossed the creek as a mail and military route, and troops crossed on the way to New Orleans for the battle that ended the War of 1812. After the Civil War, loggers floated pine logs down the creek to mills on the coast.
The 21-mile segment has four main landings with boat ramps, campsites and toilets, and six launch points in all. Primitive camping is allowed along the stream within the forest. Trails near the river include the Black Creek Wilderness Trail. Summer weekends are busiest, and most visitors make day trips then.
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