Bienville National Forest

The 178,400-acre Bienville National Forest, in east central Mississippi, was named for Jean Baptiste Bienville, founder of Mobile, Natchez and New Orleans.

The forest offers camping, picnicking, swimming, hiking, fishing and historic sites.

The 23-mile Shockaloe Horse and Hiking Trail, a national recreation trail, starts near the town of Forest.

At the Harrell Prairie Hill Botanical Area, a 150-acre island of natural grassland surrounded by forest, there is an unusual plant community known as Jackson Prairie.

Most land acquisitions that led to the creation of Bienville National Forest were by direct purchase from four large lumber companies: Adams-Edgar Lumber Company, Bienville Lumber Company, Eastman Gardner Lumber Company and Marathon Lumber Company.

Wildlife and fish on the forest are managed cooperatively by the U.S. Forest Service and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

Three designated wildlife management areas, Bienville, Caney Creek and Tallahala, have been established cooperatively.

The Bienville Ranger District is best known for its timber and wildlife resources, and the Shockaloe National Recreation Trail. The office is on the west side of State Hwy. 35, approximately 1.5 miles south of Interstate 20.