Homochitto National Forest covers 191,839 acres across seven counties of southwest Mississippi: Franklin, Amite, Wilkinson, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln and Copiah. The Forest Service says Homochitto, meaning "big red," is the local Indian name for the river that gives the forest its name. The Civilian Conservation Corps began reforesting the area in the mid-1930s and building its first roads and recreation areas.
It is a working forest and a quiet one. The Forest Service lists deer, turkey and small-game hunting, including the Caston Creek and Sandy Creek wildlife management areas, along with fishing, camping, hiking and mountain biking. A study of the forest's plants counted about 850 species, and its streams hold at least eight kinds of freshwater mussel.
Two places make good stops. Clear Springs Recreation Area sits among pines and hardwoods around a 12-acre spring-fed lake, with a campground, picnic pavilions and hiking and mountain-bike trails; its day-use hours run from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Okhissa Lake, three miles south of Bude off Highway 98, is a 1,075-acre day-use lake with 39 miles of shoreline for boating, fishing and a seasonal swimming area; camping is not allowed there. Brushy Creek has 5.5 miles of designated horse trail on steeper ground than you expect in Mississippi. Fees apply at the developed areas, so check before you go.
The closest stops worth working into your route
Roadside plaques and monuments within a short detour