Length: 2 - 3.3 miles, out-and-back with a loop.
Distance from Mobile: 42 miles west, in Gautier, Mississippi
On this hike, I gained a new favorite word: farkleberry. Next time I stub my toe, I may say "farkleberry." When one of my boys is acting weird, I may say, "Quit being a farkleberry."
If you want to know what a farkleberry is, drive 45 minutes west to Gautier, Mississippi, and hike this trail to see this bush for yourself. (An interpretive sign near the beginning of the trail shows you.)
Indian Point is made up of several good trails, a little overgrown but easily hikable. Sometimes, especially during a pandemic, just driving over the state line and exploring areas unfamiliar can be an adventure. Make an afternoon of it by hiking and grabbing a burger or a shrimp po-boy at an outdoor table at Huck's Cove Grill on the Bayou.
Scenery: These trails are in a bayou, so if it has been raining, you will want to wear waterproof hiking boots. The boys (and, yes, the grown-ups) had fun hopping over several big puddles and walking through some mud. The trails are grassy and go through a wooded area with live oak, longleaf pine, southern magnolia, sweetbay and saw palmetto. You will also see black needle rush, a 4-foot-tall salt-water marsh grass. There is a creek that you cross over via a wooden bridge. When you are halfway through the loop, you can get a view of the bayou, which has houses on the other side.
Wildlife: We saw a buzzard and plenty of evidence that other wild animals frequent the area. The boys (both Scouts) enjoyed finding deer tracks and coyote scat. There was a bat box. And we found a deer skull and jawbone, which were in good condition and not grose.
Highlight(s): Occasionally, we heard some traffic from the road. But we were the only people on the trails. Any day that we, as a family, can spend in the woods (and bayous) is a good day. My personal highlight was when my 12-year-old put his arm around me and we walked together.
L says: It was a nice, short trail. I had fun hopping up over and walking around the puddles.
G says: It's a nice hike. There were some sticker bushes, so beware. We also found some really cool deer bones.
Directions: From I-10, take exit 61, Gautier-Vancleave Road. Drive south two miles and take a left unto Indian Point Parkway. Look for a trail map sign and a small parking area on your right about a mile down the road. Park and take a picture of the map.
Trail markings: Look for the trailhead marked Needlerush Trail. Walk into the woods and head straight and then right, following the signs that say Loop Trail, Bayhead Trail and Burning Dirt Trail. If you are using the AllTrails app, these trails make up the one the app calls Indian Point. To lengthen our route, on our way back we took a right onto the Needlerush Trail, which adds 0.4 miles as an out-and-back spur. When we finished the trail and could see our car, we took a right and walked down a bit to the trailhead with a sign that said Wiregrass Loop. This one is on the sign but not the Alltrails App, likely because when you get about halfway through the 1.15-mile route, the trail disappears. So we walked back out the way we came, still enjoying the scenery and the fact that we were able to make it a 3.3-mile hike.
About the trails: The trails sit on 800-acres of protective land known as the Pascagoula River Preserve, according to the AllTrails App. The land is owned by the state of Mississippi. Dogs are welcome on the trails. Hunting and ATV's are not.
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