Description
The Tuxachanie Trail, near Mississippi's Gulf Coast, is a National Recreation Trail offering a 22-mile hike through southern Mississippi's Desoto National Forest. The first 5 miles follow an old abandoned railroad that once served the sawmill of the Dantzler Lumber Company at Howison. Hikers will encounter a variety of forest vegetation; savannahs and swamps lie between the ridges. Here, pitcher plants and palmettos grow in abundance, as well as the occasional wild orchid. Timbered ridges of longleaf and slash pine add to the scenery.
Overnight primitive camping is permitted, but campsites must be 100 feet away from the trail to preserve its natural character. Drinking water and restrooms are not provided along the trail but can be found at Airey Lake Recreation Area.
While this trail is designated for foot travel only, there is a short section that is used in conjunction with the Big Foot Horse Trail. No motorized vehicles are allowed.
The first 1/4 mile of trail from US 49 has a hard-packed surface, allowing for wheelchair accessibility; however, there are some some roots.
Parking and Trail Access
The trail can be accessed from three different trailheads, where parking is available: US 49 north of Saucier (look for the rows of live oaks), Airey Lake Recreation Area and P.O.W. Lake Recreation Area.
From Wiggins: Travel south on US 49. The primary trailhead is located 2.5 miles north of Saucier, Mississippi, on the east side of US 49.
The hike from HWY 49 to POW Lake
By
skaterdude1045
in
May, 2008
Hike: 25 May 2008, Review: 29 May 2008
First and formost, if you plan to start this hike and plan on going all the way to POW lake, make sure you have the time and resources for the hike. It will take you a day to do this. I started my hike with my ...
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my two legs
By
skaterdude1045
in
May, 2008
My friend and I have recently found and started to hike the Tuxachanie trail. We started at the trail head on 49 and went to Airey lake, had a hot lunch and hiked back, which was 10 miles round trip. It was easy going with lots to look at, something great ...
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GPS Waypoints along Tuxachanie Trail - Hwy 49 to Airey Camp
By
redmetoc
in
March, 2008
Hike: 25 March 2008 Posted: 28 March 2008
Here are several GPS waypoints obtained during my 25 March 2008 hike on the western section of the Tuxachanie Trail from the Hwy 49 trailhead to Airey Camp (aka Airey Lake Campground). I had not learned of ...
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