Leaf River County Wildlife Management Area Sand Hills Fire Tower Circuit

This route follows old timber company roads through the Leaf River Sand Hills, a unique ecosystem where ancient beach ridges create islands of longleaf pine in a sea of hardwood bottoms. The trail starts at the Old Beaumont Road crossing and climbs steadily through turkey oak scrub to reach the 80-foot fire tower at mile 12. The tower’s still active during fire season, and if you’re lucky, the lookout will wave from the cab 80 feet above your head. The descent follows Sand Ridge Road, a roller-coaster route that parallels Leaf River through some of the prettiest bottomland hardwood forest in south Mississippi.

Moderate difficulty with a few sandy climbs that’ll require momentum and good tires. Any stock 4WD can handle this in dry conditions, but avoid during wet weather when the clay sections turn into Mississippi skating rinks. Spring and fall offer the best driving conditions and wildflower displays. No permits required, but respect the active timber operations — log trucks own these roads Monday through Friday. Several primitive camping spots exist along Sand Ridge Road, and the swimming holes on Leaf River are worth the short hike down from the ridge.