Black Creek
According to Ernest Herndon, Black Creek is Mississippi's premier canoeing stream. (Herndon 2001). And he has good reasons for this statement.
Maps have Black Creek headwaters rising up just south of MS Hwy 42 southeast of Bassfield in Jefferson Davis County. But it does not become navigable, in our opinion, until it crosses MS Hwy. 11 north of Purvis. Karma and I have paddled Black Creek from Hwy 11 near Purvis to Cypress Creek landing on the eastern edge of Black Creek Wilderness Area, and from the confluence with Red Creek to the confluence with the Pascagoula River. By the end of next summer, we hope to have completed the remaining section from Cypress Creek Landing to the confluence with Red Creek.
Just north of Big Creek Landing, Black Creek enters the DeSoto National Forest and cuts through it for approximately 49 miles, exiting south of MS Hwy 26 and southwest of Benndale, MS. In the middle of the DeSoto National Forest, a little over 5,000 acres of forest have been designated as the Black Creek Wilderness Area. To be designated a "Wilderness Area" by the United States Congress, the area must be in its natural state with minimal human impact. Once set aside as a Wilderness Area, human activities are restricted to scientific study and non- mechanized recreation. Motor vehicles of any sort are not permitted.
One significance of the Wilderness and National Forest lands surrounding much of Black Creek is that you can freely stop and camp anywhere along the river in those areas without relying on the permission or good graces of private land owners. It is also a rare and satisfying experience to travel through forests that are largely in their primordial state.
If that weren't enough to attract the paddling enthusiast, Black Creek is also Mississippi's only stream that has been designated as a National Wild and Scenic River. The 21 mile section of Black Creek from Moody's Landing to Fairley Bridge Landing received the designation on October 30, 1986.
Click Below for NOAA Black Creek Water Level near Brooklyn, MS. "Normal" range for recreational paddling on Black Creek are 4.5 - 5.5 feet at Brooklyn.
See National Forest Service Map below for landings in the commonly used portions of the river.
THIRTEEN LANDINGS-TEN TRIPS
Hwy. 11 Purvis to Brown's Bridge Rd.
BLACK CREEK
HIGHWAY 11 PURVIS TO BROWN’S BRIDGE ROAD
Launch – Hwy 11 Purvis, MS (Dirt drive to rip rap primitive creek bank)
Take Out - Browns Bridge Rd. (Dirt drive to primitive creek bank)
Distance - 5.5 miles
Time - Less than 3 hours
Features (in order) -
Unnamed stream - @ mile 2.08 - On Right
Black Tom Creek - @ mile 2.23 - On Left
Interstate 59 Bridges - @ mile 3.4
Bufkins Branch - @ mile 5.2 On Left
Take Out on Right
Drive from Hattiesburg Train Station to Hwy 11 Landing - 11.4 miles (20 minutes)
Drive from Hwy 11 Landing to Browns Bridge Rd. Landing - 6.2 miles (9 minutes)
Drive from Browns Bridge Rd. Landing to Hattiesburg Train Station - 12.9 miles (20 minutes)
On October 12, 2020, Karma and I paddled this section of Black Creek late in the afternoon. We saw an unusually warm October day coming, and we went for it. This was one of the most beautiful and satisfying trips we've made. Given how far upstream we were, we were surprised at the navigability of the creek. Granted, we did have to take our kayaks instead of canoe, and we did encounter quite a few log jams. But most of them were passable without porting, and gave us a fun challenge in navigating our way through. We had to port over or around 3 or 4 impassable logs.
This section of the river stretched about 5.25 miles and took us less than 3 hours.
The water was unusually clear, and we were able to observe a couple of turtles on the shallow bottoms. We also saw a few wild ducks and a Great Blue Heron.
Browns Bridge Rd. to Churchwell Rd.
Karma and I paddled this section of Black Creek on October 6, 2020. The weather had been dry for several weeks except for a few showers a day or two before, so the river was a bit low. Because of the low water, we took kayaks instead of the canoe.
The 5.5 mile run took almost 3 hours straight through in slower than usual water. We encountered a small set of rapids right after we put in and one or two more much farther downstream. We also spotted one other kayaker just ahead of us at the put in and a few people fishing from the bank. After that, we never saw another soul on the trip. The scenery was beautiful with mostly slow water and plenty of bayou worthy cypress trees. The water was extremely clear for a Mississippi stream, probably owing to the lack of recent rain. We were able to spot numerous small bass and other fish swimming around us and three turtles skimming along the shallow bottom. We startled numerous wild ducks, but we never got close enough to accurately identify them.
We encountered numerous log jams, some of which we had to climb over.
And there were a few shallows we had to get out and drag over. Despite these typical difficulties in a small Mississippi stream, it was a fantastic trip that provided us with a much needed escape from the city.
Although we did not intend to swim on this trip, owing to the stretch of cool weather we had been having, we both ended up in the water which was cold, but not unbearable. We noted several spots along the way that would make good swimming holes. Especially where the creek was lined with soapstone drop offs.
BLACK CREEK
BROWN’S BRIDGE ROAD TO CHURCHWELL ROAD
Launch – Browns Bridge Road (Dirt drive to primitive creek bank)
Take Out - Churchwell Road (Gravel drive to concrete boat ramp)
Distance - 5.5 miles
Time - 3 hours
Features (in order) -
Clear Creek - @ mile .85 - On Left
Take Out on Right
Drive from Hattiesburg Train Station to Browns Bridge Rd. Landing - 13 miles (21 minutes)
Drive from Browns Bridge Rd. Landing to Churchwell Rd. Landing - 5 miles (8 minutes)
Drive from Churchwell Rd. Landing to Hattiesburg Train Station - 19 miles (26 minutes)
Churchwell Road to Big Creek Landing
From the public boat ramp at Churchwell Road, it is approximately 6 miles to the next public boat ramp at Big Creek Recreational Area. We made the trip on April 9, 2020 in the middle of the Corona Virus scare. It took us about 3.5 hours including about 4 stops to swim and explore. We found an excellent swim hole in a sharp bend in the river where a cabin is built on a peninsula jutting out into the river. There was a soapstone ledge with a sheer drop off where the water was about 15 feet deep. Just downstream from the hole there is a mild rapid area where you can easily float down on your back. The kids loved it, and we repeated the rapids 4 or 5 times. This section of river was lined with more river cabins than any other section or river we have encountered so far. But most of the cabins are quaint and occupied with the friendliest people around.
There are two major streams that feed into this section of Black Creek - Little Black Creek and Big Creek. Both are navigable for some distance, depending on water levels and are worth the extra time to explore.
BLACK CREEK
CHURCHWELL ROAD TO BIG CREEK LANDING
Launch – Churchwell Road (Gravel drive to concrete boat ramp)
Take Out - Big Creek Landing (Long gravel drive to concrete boat ramp)
Distance - 6 miles
Time - 3.5 hours
Features (in order) -
Little Black Creek - @ mile 1.5 - On Right
Big Creek - @ mile 5.2 - On Right
Take Out on Right
Drive from Hattiesburg Train Station to Churchwell Rd. Landing - 19 miles (26 minutes)
Drive from Churchwell Rd. Landing to Big Creek Landing- 8 miles (13 minutes)
Drive from Big Creek Landing to Hattiesburg Train Station - 25.3 miles (32 minutes)
Big Creek Landing to Old Hwy. 49
BLACK CREEK
BIG CREEK LANDING TO OLD HIGHWAY 49
Launch – Big Creek Landing (Long gravel drive to concrete boat ramp - National Forest Service)
Take Out - Old Highway 49 at Brooklyn, MS (Gravel drive and parking area to primitive sandbar)
Distance - 5 miles
Time - Less than 3 hours
Features (in order) -
Granny Creek - @ mile 1.1 On Right
Unnamed Stream - @ mile 1.58 On Right
Unnamed Stream - @ mile 3.18 On Left
Macklin Creek - @ mile 3.91 On Right
Highway 49 Bridges - @ mile 4.28
Take Out on Right
Drive from Hattiesburg Train Station to Big Creek Landing - 25 miles (31 minutes)
Drive from Big Creek Landing to Old Hwy 49 Landing - 13.7 miles (15 minutes)
Drive from Old Hwy 49 Landing to Hattiesburg Train Station - 21 miles (24 minutes)
The run from Big Creek Landing to Old Hwy 49 is a rather short but scenic trip through beautiful forests. The distance is approximately 5 river miles, and the average paddling time is less than two hours, so there's plenty of time to stop and play or picnic on the sandbars or fish along the way. Enjoy these videos of our float down this section. The Big Creek landing is in the federal Big Creek Recreational Area. It has a cement public boat ramp and a small picnic area. The take out is a sandy slope under the Old Hwy. 49 bridge that slopes down to the river's edge.
This video is from our January 2023 tandem kayak float from Big Creek Landing to Old Hwy. 49 in Brooklyn, MS.
Old Hwy. 49 to Ashe Nursery Road
The landing at Ashe Nursery Road is a nice alternative landing to Hwy 49. It is only about 1.3 miles downstream from the Old Hwy. 49. There is good access from Ashe Nursery Road via a dirt drive with a good turnaround area with a short path to a sandbar landing.
OLD HWY. 49 TO MOODY'S LANDING
BLACK CREEK
OLD HWY. 49, BROOKLYN, MS TO MOODY’S LANDING, BROOKLYN-JANICE RD.
Launch – Old Hwy. 49, Brooklyn, MS (Gravel drive to primitive sandbar)
Take Out - Moody’s Landing, Brooklyn-Janice Rd. (Gravel drive to primitive sandbar)
Distance - 7.2 miles
Time - 3.5-4 hours
Features (in order) -
Ashe Nursery Rd. bridge - @ mile 1.2
Big Creek/Chaney Creek - @ mile 3.9 On Left
Unnamed Stream - @mile 4.05 On Right
Clear Creek - @ mile 5.25 On Left
Unnamed Stream - @ mile 5.4 On Right
Long Branch - @ mile 6.25 On Left
Take Out on Left
Drive from Hattiesburg Train Station to Hwy. 37 Launch - 21 miles (26 minutes)
Drive from Old Hwy. 49 Launch to Moody’s Landing - 5.2 miles (7 minutes)
Drive from Moody’s Landing to Hattiesburg Train Station - 26 miles (33 minutes)
This section of Black Creek is probably the most popular. It begins in Brooklyn, MS and ends about 7+ miles downstream at Moody's Landing on Brooklyn-Janice Road. This section is entirely within the DeSoto National Forest, which means you can camp on the sandbars and in the forests along the way, following the guidelines set by the National Forest Service for dispersed camping. There is also an official campground at Moody's Landing.
We have paddled this section of Black Creek on several occasions. Possibly the best run was on October 11, 2025 when the water was extremely low and clear. We parked our truck at Moody's Landing and rode our e-bikes back to the launch at Old Hwy. 49. Black Creek looked more like Red Creek with the tannin tinted water just covering the sandy bottom. We were virtually alone on the water and encountered some turtles swimming along the bottom of the creek in the clear water. Although it was mid October, the water was still warm enough for swimming, and we took full advantage of it. We took our time and were on the creek for over 4.5 hours. We enjoyed paddling up Chaney's Creek where we noted an old cypress stump in the middle of the creek that measured 8 to 10 feet in diameter.
Moodys Landing to Janice Landing
BLACK CREEK
MOODY’S LANDING TO JANICE LANDING
Launch – Moody’s Landing (Gravel drive to primitive sandbar landing)
Take Out - Janice Landing (Long gravel drive and parking area to concrete boat ramp maintained by Forest Service)
Distance - 10.5 miles
Time - 4 -6 hours
Features (in order) -
Unnamed Stream - @ mile .64 On Right
Unnamed Stream - @ mile 1.47 On Right
Wolfpen Branch - @ mile 2.34 On Left
Pearces Creek - @ mile 5.44 On Left
Unnamed Stream - @ mile 6.37 On Left
Unnamed Stream - @ mile 7 On Right
Big Branch - @ mile 7.07 On Left
Highway 29 Bridge - @ mile 10.31
Take Out on Left
Drive from Hattiesburg Train Station to Moody’s Landing - 25.7 miles (32 minutes)
Drive from Moody’s Landing to Janice Landing - 7.8 miles (9 minutes)
Drive from Janice Landing to Hattiesburg Train Station - 38.2 miles (44 minutes)
Moody's landing is a off of a gravel turn in on Janice Road about 5 miles east of Brooklyn, MS. with a path to a sand bar landing. Moody's Landing is marked with a substantial sign placed by the folks at the DeSoto National Forest. From there it is about 10.5 river miles to Janice Landing. Janice Landing is just off of Hwy 29 south of Janice Road. It has a public concrete boat ramp and small picnic area.
JANICE LANDING TO CYPRESS CREEK LANDING
This stretch of Black Creek is a short trip through the middle of the Black Creek Wilderness Area which is public land. Janice Landing is on Hwy. 29 about 3 miles south of the intersection of Janice Road and Hwy 29. The landing has a public cement boat ramp and a picnic area. When we made this trip on November 17, 2017, we paddled a short way down the river to a small sandbar that we camped on. Along the way, we encountered two beautiful and substantial streams that emptied into Black Creek - Stillhouse Creek and Cypress Creek. We encountered several large turtles feeding in shallow clay-bottomed waters. The take out at Cypress Creek landing required a round about trip down several long out-of-the-way gravel roads but has a concrete public boat ramp at the end.
BLACK CREEK
JANICE LANDING TO CYPRESS CREEK LANDING
Launch – Janice Landing (Long gravel drive to concrete boat ramp maintained by Forest Service)
Take Out - Cypress Creek Landing (Long gravel drive to concrete boat ramp maintained by Forest Service)
Distance - 6 miles
Time - 2 -3 hours
Features (in order) -
Beaverdam Creek - @ mile 1.18 On Right
Millhouse Branch - @ mile 2 On Left
Black Branch - @ mile 4 On Right
Mill Creek - @ mile 4.78 On Right
Cypress Creek - @ mile 5.45 On Left
Drive from Hattiesburg Train Station to Janice Landing - 38.2 miles (44 minutes)
Drive from Janice Landing to Cypress Creek Landing - 8.2 miles (15 minutes)
Drive from Cypress Creek Landing to Hattiesburg Train Station - 36.1 miles (49 minutes)
CYPRESS CREEK LANDING TO FAIRLEY BRIDGE LANDING
BLACK CREEK
CYPRESS CREEK LANDING TO FAIRLEY BRIDGE LANDING RECREATION AREA
Launch – Cypress Creek Landing (Long gravel drive to concrete boat ramp maintained by Forest Service)
Take Out - Fairley Bridge Landing Recreational Area (Gravel road to concrete boat ramp)
Distance - 5.7 miles
Time - 2 -3 hours
Features (in order) -
Hickory Creek - @ mile 2.17 On Left
Calf Branch - @ mile 4.94 On Left
Drive from Hattiesburg Train Station to Cypress Creek Landing - 36.1 miles (49 minutes)
Drive from Cypress Creek Landing to Fairley Bridge Landing - 9.1 miles (16 minutes)
Drive from Fairley Bridge Landing to Hattiesburg Train Station - 40.4 miles (49 minutes)
It is an approximately 5.7 mile paddle from Cypress Creek Landing to the Fairley Bridge Landing. I paddled this part of the river on April 12, 2021 with my daughter, Lena. The river was very high, and the trip took us only 1.5 hours. Karma and I did it again on August 31, 2024 under the opposite conditions with very low water. It took us 2.5-3 hours. When the creek was high, there were no sand bars, but in low water there were lots of them, and they were good ones. The river here winds entirely through heavy forests and beautiful landscape. A point of interest is the confluence of Hickory Creek that joins Black Creek about 2.5 miles from the boat ramp at Cypress Creek Landing. In high water, we paddled up this creek a good piece, and the creek appeared navigable even further in the high water conditions. On my second trip, Hickory Creek was not navigable, but made for a good stroll along the clear water and sandy bottom.
On our first trip down this section, we actually took out at Fairley Bridge. There is no boat ramp there, but the sandy bank was not too difficult to carry the canoe over. On the second trip we were smart enough to find the concrete public boat ramp at "Fairley Bridge Landing" which is actually a little piece downstream from the bridge, but a much easier take out.
On our low water trip, the water was clear, and we could see a good many minnows and small fish. I cast a line out a few times and caught a small largemouth bass. We saw a Great Blue Heron that let us come up very close before launching into flight.
In High Water
In Low Water
FAIRLEY BRIDGE RECREATION AREA TO HWY. 26
BLACK CREEK
FAIRLEY BRIDGE RD. TO HWY. 26
Launch – Fairley Bridge Landing Recreation Area (Gravel drive to concrete boat ramp)
Alternative Landing - Fairly Bridge Rd. (Upstream at the bridge) (Dirt drive to steep primitive river bank)
Landing - Hwy. 26 (Gravel drive to concrete boat ramp)
Distance - 10.8 miles
Time - 3.5 - 4.5 hours
Features (in order)-
Bug Branch - @ mile - at the main landing
Deep Creek - @ mile 1.25
Barney Branch - @ mile 1.78 On Right
Sandy Creek - @ mile 8.2 On Left
Take Out on Right
Drive from Hattiesburg Train Station to Fairley Bridge Recreation Area Launch - 42 miles (50 minutes)
Drive from Fairley Bridge Recreation Area Launch to Hwy. 26 Landing - 11.5 miles (17 minutes)
Drive from Hwy. 26 Landing to Hattiesburg Train Station - 49 miles (50 minutes)
We paddled this section in Mid-October, 2025 when the water was exceptionally low due to a month or so with very little rain. The water was very clear for Black Creek and numerous sandy and soapstone contours were visible that are normally deep under water. The weather was cloudy with an almost constant head wind and occasional sprinkling rain. The 4.6 our paddle was very pleasant. We took our time, but only stopped on a couple of sandbars to collect trash along the way. The water was a little cold, and there was no sun, so we didn't stop to swim. However, we noted a several spots that would have been perfect for shallow water recreating with kids and deep hole swimming for the older ones.
We saw quite a bit of wild life along the way. The Kingfishers were numerous. We spotted a Great Blue Heron and a few turtles. We resecued an unfortunate water turtle with it's face bitten off, probably by a snapping turtle. Although badly marred, it was surprisingly lively.
An unusual sight met us as we rounded a bend and heard extreemly loud growling and squeeling. As we got closer, we saw a drove of hogs spread out along the creek bank. A large sow seemed to be making all the noise, probably warning the piglets we saw scurrying up the bank to the safety of the undebrush. We noted that the sow did not run far but hid herself in the treeline watching us intently as we floated by.
