Clark Creek Natural Area
Encyclopedia
Clark Creek Natural Area is a state park
in the U.S. state
of Mississippi
. It is located off Mississippi Highway 24 west of Woodville
.
s, some with up to 30 feet (9.1 m) falls.
The park is open for public use year round, but is limited to pedestrian traffic. No motorized vehicles are allowed. Hunting is strictly prohibited. Public restrooms and a drinking fountain can be found at the parking area. No potable water is available on the trails and no camping is permitted on the grounds.
Clark Creek Natural Area is used for outdoor activities such as hiking, bird watching, geocaching, or just enjoying being outdoors.
, Serviceberry
, umbrella tree, pyramid magnolia, Chinquapin oak and witch-hazel
. The federally endangered Carolina magnolia vine and many others are well marked.
The park includes migratory birds, poisonous snakes, a rare land snail, white-tail deer, the Southern red belly dace (a state endangered fish), fox, squirrel as well as the black bear.
The park was established by the Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Committee, the Nature Conservancy, Wilkinson County, David Bramlette, International Paper Company and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
Eight geocaches
are located in this park.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. It is located off Mississippi Highway 24 west of Woodville
Woodville, Mississippi
Woodville is a town in and the county seat of Wilkinson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,192 at the 2000 census.The Woodville Republican, a weekly newspaper founded in 1823, is the oldest surviving business in Mississippi.-Geography:Woodville is located at .According to...
.
Description
The Clark Creek Natural Area is set in southwestern Mississippi. It is more than 700 acres (2.8 km²) in size with approximately 50 waterfallWaterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s, some with up to 30 feet (9.1 m) falls.
The park is open for public use year round, but is limited to pedestrian traffic. No motorized vehicles are allowed. Hunting is strictly prohibited. Public restrooms and a drinking fountain can be found at the parking area. No potable water is available on the trails and no camping is permitted on the grounds.
Clark Creek Natural Area is used for outdoor activities such as hiking, bird watching, geocaching, or just enjoying being outdoors.
Flora and fauna
The Nature Area has a mix of hardwood and pine forest with large beech and magnolia trees. The park includes the world record Mexican Plum and Bigleaf Snowbell and the state of Mississippi record Hophombeam. Several uncommon trees that can be seen are Southern Sugar MapleSugar Maple
Acer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas...
, Serviceberry
Serviceberry
Amelanchier , also known as shadbush, shadwood or shadblow, serviceberry or sarvisberry, wild pear, juneberry, saskatoon, sugarplum or wild-plum, and chuckley pear is a genus of about 20 species of deciduous-leaved shrubs and small trees in the Rose family .Amelanchier is native to temperate regions...
, umbrella tree, pyramid magnolia, Chinquapin oak and witch-hazel
Witch-hazel
Witch-hazel is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, with three species in North America , and one each in Japan and China...
. The federally endangered Carolina magnolia vine and many others are well marked.
The park includes migratory birds, poisonous snakes, a rare land snail, white-tail deer, the Southern red belly dace (a state endangered fish), fox, squirrel as well as the black bear.
Trails
The park has both primitive and improved trails. The improved trails have been paved with pea gravel and include steep wooden stairs. Clark Creek's steeply sloping bluffs increase the difficulty of hiking. The length of the primitive trail is approximately 2.6 miles (4.2 km) and usually takes 3–5 hours to complete. The improved trails are approximately 1.75 miles (2.8 km) long and usually take around 2 hours to complete.The park was established by the Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Committee, the Nature Conservancy, Wilkinson County, David Bramlette, International Paper Company and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
Eight geocaches
Geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world....
are located in this park.