William Faulkner once said, “To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.” He could have meant a lot of things, but a good place to start with that idea is at a National Forest. DeSoto National Forest, named after the Spanish explorer, Hernando De Soto, is huge. It is 518,587 acres (810 square miles). With such a large area, there is a lot of things to do and only a few will be covered here.
A campground that has water and electric hookups (no waste) within the forest is the Big Biloxi Recreation Area. The limit of stay in the warmer months is 14 days and 30 days in the winter. Big Biloxi is a great place to stay for water activities - the ocean is not very far and it is right on the Big Biloxi River, a terrific canoeing river. All places in this article will use the campground as a reference point for mileage.
THE COAST
The gulf coast has great white sand beaches and has much more of a private feel then the beaches of Florida. Gulfport beach is about 15 miles away from the campground and Biloxi Beach is about 25 miles away. Both are known as great, quiet places to visit for the day. One reviewer on yelp writes of Gulfport, "It isn't Miami. Sure you will see the occasional supermodel in a bikini, but this is the beach of real people. This is not the beach to be seen, or see famous people. It is just a great place to soak up the sun (wear sunscreen) and watch the waves."
Another point of interest on the coast is Beauvoir. Beauvoir is inside the city of Biloxi about 30 minutes from the campground. The Beauvoir attraction is the home of Jefferson Davis, the first and only president of the Confederate States of America. Davis was a war hero and state senator before becoming the president of the confederacy. He is still honored in many states in the south and for a long time was regarded as a point of white southern pride for his effort to reconcile with the north, while refusing official pardon from the government. The home and grounds have historical relics, a presidential library dedicated to 19th century southern culture, the tomb of the unknown Confederate soldier, goats, and many other things on it's 51 acres. It is a visit for anyone interested in the history of the nation, in particular Southern history.
DE SOTO NATIONAL FOREST
The forest itself has just about everything one could want to do in a national forest. The website states there is, “Year-round recreation opportunities abound for the hiker, bicyclist, camper, canoeist, ATV rider, horse enthusiast, hunter, and fisherman.” It is home to a variety of plants and animals, such as rare orchids and rare frogs, and has miles of beautiful tall Southern Pine forests contained in it.
BigFoot Horse Trail and Camp has 23 miles of trails for horses. It is named for Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, but there are no proven sightings on the trail (though you could get lucky!) It is about 13 miles from the campground. It is lightly trafficked and a good way to see the southern pine forests of the area.
Another point of interest is Pow Camp Recreation Area. Also about 13 miles away from the campground, the camp was once used as a German Prisoner of War camp. There are still old ammunition bunkers in the area and one can see them in the area. German soldiers were sent to this remote area, as well as others in Mississippi, and worked in clearing forests, building lakes, and planting seedlings. History notes that most of the Germans in Mississippi were not fanatical Nazis, in fact, a few prisoners that were more fanatical used to intimidate the other prisoners and were eventually shipped out to Oklahoma. Some Germans still tried to escape, though they had little luck due to the swampy forests surrounding them. Oddly enough, the camps saved a lot of the Germans lives, as they would have been killed in combat or over in Europe near the end of the war. Many German soldiers came back years later to visit these POW sites.
Moving a bit farther away from the campground, we come to Ramsey Springs. Ramsey Springs has an interesting history and is about 30 miles away from the campground. A man named George Walker was in the area in the 1800s and told some Native Americans about stomach pain and they told him to drink from the springs in the area. His stomach pain was cured and he told others about the spring. Eventually Ramsey, the man who owned the land, opened up a destination and a hotel on the springs. In the first half of the 20th century, the hotel was very popular, but eventually interest waned when hotels started to open on the coast. The hotel was demolished, but one can still see the remnant of the old pool and foundations in the area.
Though there are many other things to do at the forest as noted above, only one more point of interest will be brought up. The Buttercup Flats are well worth a visit, about 30 miles away, and have international fame due to its odd fauna. There is a very high concentration of the carnivorous pitcher plants at the flats. A pitcher plant attracts bugs into its pitcher with sweet nectar. Little does the bug know, it is a deathtrap, as when the bug tries to reach for the nectar at the bottom, they fall in, drown, and the plant eats the bug. The one seen at Buttercup Flats is the “sweet yellow” variety.
Whatever your interest is, Big Biloxi Campground is a perfect launch point for seeing a lot of what the forest and southern Mississippi has to offer. Though it might not give you quite the understanding that Faulkner was talking about, it is certainly a good start.