Mississippi

Mississippi offers Gulf coast beaches and barrier islands, paddling rivers and bayous, hiking piney woods, and birding along the Mississippi flyway. Gulf Islands National Seashore's barrier islands, the Natchez Trace Parkway, the De Soto National Forest, and the bluffs and bayous along the great river anchor it.

Spring and fall are the most comfortable for hiking and paddling; summer is hot and humid but good for the Gulf beaches. Winters are mild, ideal for birding the coast and refuges.

White-tailed deer, alligators, wild turkeys, and the endangered Mississippi sandhill crane inhabit the state, while the barrier islands and coast host nesting and migrating shorebirds and sea turtles.

Bottomland hardwood forest, longleaf and loblolly pine, coastal marsh, and the offshore barrier islands make up the ecosystems, with the river and Gulf shaping a water-rich landscape.

Mississippi is mostly low coastal plain — the Delta's flat alluvial floodplain in the northwest, loess bluffs along the river, rolling piney hills, and the Gulf coast with its barrier islands offshore. Woodall Mountain (807 ft) is among the lowest state high points.

The Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez peoples lived here; the Choctaw remain. The land of the blues and a center of civil rights history, Mississippi became the 20th state in 1817.

River and bayou fishing, Gulf coast culture, and the deep musical and cultural heritage of the Delta intertwine with the outdoors.

Protecting the barrier islands and coastal marsh, conserving the rare Mississippi sandhill crane, and longleaf pine restoration are central efforts.

Jackson is the main airport; the Gulf Coast (Gulfport-Biloxi) serves the beaches and islands. The Natchez Trace Parkway is a scenic driving route the length of the state.

Heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and alligators in southern waters are constants; hurricanes threaten the coast in late summer and fall. Watch for venomous snakes and check for ticks.

State parks charge a fee, and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks administers licenses; Gulf Islands is a free national seashore (boat access to the wild islands).

Heed hurricane forecasts on the coast.

Take a boat to the wild barrier islands of Gulf Islands National Seashore, drive the tranquil Natchez Trace, and visit the coast and refuges in the mild winter for the best birding.

Mississippi borders Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas, linking the Gulf coast, the great river, and the piney woods of the Deep South.