I was a bit bored with only driving and decided to stretch my legs. Luckily there was promise of a hike with a waterfall while remaining on my Natchez Trace Parkway route. So I turned off into Tishomingo State Park in Tishomingo, Mississippi and laced up my shoes.
I chose to do part of the Outcroppings Trail that starts from this old CCC-constructed swinging bridge leading over the Bear Creek.
The bridge itself is in great condition but does have some sway to it. Don’t lean too far over the edge unless you want to go swimming!
Here’s a look straight down the creek. Trees are mostly bare by now. The water is moving but slowly; there are some small rapids but not much worth going to check out.
The trail is sometimes marked by red blazes and in a couple spots I saw yellow blazes, but I can’t figure out what they mean. Even the park trail map doesn’t really explain things. If for nothing else, be lucky markers exist, especially on autumn days like this where the path may be obscured by leaf cover.
For the most part it’s easy to identify the trail by looking ahead and keeping an eye out for things like wooden bridges and stairs which are plentiful.
Keep your eyes open along the route for things like rocky cliffs and caves. Somehow I don’t think “Bear” Creek is just a fun nickname, this looks like the black bear habitat we have back home in Wisconsin.
I found these large flat rocks that look like an old bridge foundation along the way, you’ll see them at this small rock garden if water levels are low enough.
At around the same spot is where I think I saw this natural spring(?) with a decorative rock stacking cover.
The terrain does have some variation but overall is relatively mild. Nearing the cliffs you will start seeing some wooden staircases where it gets steep.
Heading off the Outcroppings main loop to a spur trail the wood steps turn to stone steps as the elevation ascends, though it isn’t a huge amount of gain. Take your time and enjoy the scenery and it’s a piece of cake.
Near the top you will start seeing very interesting rock formations like this one that has a cubic-shape ledge jutting out and appearing almost alien to the surroundings.
Those rock steps disappear, the trail narrows to a single footpath, the exposed tree roots begin, and the climb continued upward.
Some more fascinating geology at the very peak, though I am admittedly a novice on the subject. I do find it interesting observing the layers and thinking how many millions of years led me to this point in time. This was under the vast oceans at some moment in the past, wild stuff.
This small waterfall isn’t flowing huge volumes today but it’s still quite nice. Overall it drops about 10 feet over the cliff’s edge before draining down towards Bear Creek through the rocky forest. And if nothing else, it’s a great destination to give you an excuse to go for a hike.
Here’s another view standing directly besides the falls. Sad that some ignorant people have decided to leave graffiti, please leave natural areas how you found them (aka Leave No Trace)!
The Outcroppings loop does continue atop the cliffs but I did not complete it today. As I departed the waterfall, a large family with tons of kids and dogs cut me off and I really didn’t want to be bumping into them the whole time during my walk. I exited on the same line as I started on which is an equally nice walk in the reverse direction. Back on the road now exploring the Natchez Trace.
Hiking Data
Here is the path for today’s hike. Quite short and direct, only the spur trail towards the waterfall is of any challenge. All in all a great little trek through the woods.
Total distance in & out just under a mile with about 100 feet elevation gain, again quite flat and easy. Needed to stretch my legs, this definitely did the trick!
