SHEPARD STATE PARK

LOCATION: Southern Mississippi
HIKE STARTS: Ball Fields
HIKE ENDS: Ball Fields
TOTAL DISTANCE: 3.0 Miles
HIKE TYPE: Roundtrip, Loop Hike
HIKE DIFFICULTY: Easy
TRAILS USED: Palmetto Nature Trail
TRAIL TRAFFIC: None
TRIP TYPE: Day Hike
MANAGEMENT:
Shepard State Park
1034 Graveline Road
Gautier, MS 39553
Phone 228.497.2244
http://www.visitmississippi.org

HIGHLIGHTS: This hike at Shepard State Park starts near the ball fields (which look more like abandon soccer fields than anything). We followed the gravel road down and to the left until we found signs for the Palmetto Trail which traverses a series of small wood footbridges over a bayou then enters a coastal forest. The trail loops through this wilderness then turns back to the starting point after a few miles. Visible on the trail are some tidal creeks, open marshland, and numerous items that were washed in the forest during Hurricane Katrina. We found everything from photo albums, tackle boxes, to a large dog house. Check with the ranger station before you head out, as the trail was extremely swampy (up to shin deep in some areas) during our hike.

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MORE DETAILS

bullet click to see trail photos from this hike on the Palmetto Nature Trail: January 26, 2008
bullet click to view a detailed trip report of this trip to Shepard State Park near Biloxi, Mississippi: January 26, 2008 (password required)
bullet click to view a trail map from this hike on the Palmetto Nature Trail
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