Tombigbee National Forest Overview

Tombigbee National Forest is divided into three separate parts—the Houston, Coffeeville, and Ackerman units—all located in northern central Mississippi. With a total combined area of about 66,000 acres, it is settled in the rolling hills of the coastal plain and provides many of the pleasures also available in some of Mississippi's five other national forests.

If you have time, the area attractions are not limited to the forest. Just to the northeast of the Houston unit is the city of Tupelo, birthplace of Elvis Presley. Or, for those purposefully escaping the chaos of cities, take a turn through the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge abutting the Ackerman unit to its east. Whatever you do, this corner of Mississippi will definitely hold your attention.

Drive the Natchez Trace
The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 430-mile-long roadway that runs from just south of Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, following what was originally a local Indian trail across dense forest. It became a trade route shortly after the first frontiersman arrived. The 17-mile Natchez Trace scenic byway is a small piece of the parkway that runs through the northeastern Houston unit of the forest. Access to excellent outdoor resources along the byway, like the Davis Lake Recreation Area, make a weekend stay an enticing prospect.

Horseback Ride on the Witch Dance
The scenic 18-mile multi-loop Witch Dance Horse Trail located in the northeastern Houston unit of the forest is one of Mississippi's most popular equestrian destinations. Open only to hikers and horseback riders, its fully equipped trailhead is just off the Natchez Trace Parkway. Riders of all levels will enjoy cantering along winding trails through pine and hardwood groves and alongside gurgling streams.

Tour Mysterious Indian Mounds
Not far from the Davis Lake Recreation Area are the Owl Creek Indian Mounds. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the site includes a complex of mounds believed to be 700 to 1,000 years old and to have been used for religious ceremonies by the native Americans who predated the local Chickasaws.

Hike the Choctaw Trail
For hikers, flower and tree lovers, birders, and wildlife watchers, the three-mile Choctaw Trail is an ideal path. Located inside the Choctaw Lake Recreation Area, it crosses through a variety of habitats and treats hikers to bottomland hardwood stands, groves of large pines, new-growth areas littered with young pine, and clusters of old hardwoods.

Camp for the Weekend
Car campers should steer straight for the 200-acre Davis Lake, the 100-acre Choctaw Lake, and the Tillatoba recreation areas where they'll find great campsites, picnicking, swimming, boating, limited water skiing, fishing, hiking, and biking. The Tillatoba area is the smallest and most peaceful of the three.

Move on to U.S. National Forest Campground Guide