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About a year ago I traveled the Natchez Trace from Natchez, Ms to near Nashville, Tn. Prior to the start of this trip I visited the Clark Creek Natural Area in the southwestern corner of Mississippi. Recently, I revisited this area.
The Clark Creek Natural Area is quite remote; it's located about 15 miles west of Woodville, Ms. Woodville is about midway between Baton Rouge, La. and Natchez, Ms on U.S. Highway 61. This area is hills of loess covered with a forest of hardwood and pine trees. Clark creek and its branches have carved routes through the area forming numerous waterfalls along the way. Some of these waterfalls are 30 feet or more in height.
The Mississippi Department of Parks and Fisheries has established a parking area and hiking trails: one primitive, one graveled. At the start of the hiking trail a bench swing was built on top of a hill for a scenic view. The graveled hiking trail directs visitors to six waterfalls. The trail ends with a stairs taking you to the bed of the creek. From there one must hike up the creek to view waterfalls 4 and 5. Waterfall 6 has no direct path to it that I know of. It was reached by climbing the walls of the creek below waterfall 5 and taking a primitive trail along the banks to waterfall 6. Graveled trails branch off the main trail to waterfalls 1 and 2. Waterfall 3 was reached by following the creek downstream from waterfall 2 for a few hundred yards and then left up a side branch for a couple hundred yards or so. Waterfalls 1 and 2 have stairs to take you from the top of the falls to the creek bed. The walks up the creek bed to waterfalls 3, 4, 5 and 6 are probably part of the primitive trail and certainly will not be used by all.
Bench swing at start of hiking trail
Waterfall 1
Waterfall 1, again
Waterfall 2
Waterfall 2, too
Waterfall 3
Waterfall 3, again
Butterfly along the way
Erosion problems near stairs at end of trail
Lizard using stairs
Waterfall 4
More Waterfall 4
Waterfall 5
Top of Waterfall 5, water comes in from side before the larger fall
Waterfall 6
On my walk to waterfalls 4 through 6 I made a wrong turn initially and followed the creek downstream. At one point a sign was encountered that instructed visitors not to enter. I've heard of the Boogey Hollow Monster
of Southwest Arkansas, possibly, He has wandered a bit farther south. This
"do not enter" sign was there to protect and provide privacy to such a Sasquatch creature. The thought of the creature did not enter my mind at the time of the visit; if it would have maybe, I'd have looked on the back of the sign for a "do not enter" message written in Sasquatchese. If he is around,
he has a nice creek view.
Off limits area; taken looking over the "do not enter" sign
The Clark Creek Area entrance is in Pond, Ms. This settlement consists of a convenience store, barn, shed, pond and a few homes. The picture of the family of geese and the donkey were taken here. The picture of historic Mt. Vernon Baptist Church (est. 1847) was taken on the way to Clark Creek. A short cut, that did not work out well, took me to and past this church. This short cut turned into a narrow semi-paved lane that turned into a narrow dirt road before returning to a narrow semi-paved lane that led to a paved county road.
Family of geese
Donkey
Mt. Vernon Baptist Church
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