Mississippi
425
Mississippi State Parks
On July 21st 2020 I arrived after a two hour drive expecting a GREAT trail ride only to find that most of the trails were blocked by down trees and overgrown with vegetation. The staging/picnic area was overgrown and neglected. If cleaned up, this will continue to be a great place to ride. 
I thought I would clear up the question of alcohol in DeSoto National Forest. First you must understand that the National Forest is regulated by the US Forest Service and there are no prohibitions on alcohol.
National parks WITHIN the forest, on the other hand, are regulated by the National Park Service and in the parks alcohol is prohibited.
So, while there are no alcohol prohibitions in DeSoto National Forest, if you are visiting one of the public parks maintained by the National Park Service you must adhere to their prohibition.
Just finished an overnight backpack hiking trip....returned to my car and had back window bashed out....multiple campers in the campground at fairly bridge landing heard and saw nothing....yeah right....the trails are not worth hiking considering the cost of replacing your windows...best to find other trails...
A great place to visit would recommend to anyone who loves being in nature. As for the law enforcement personnel ive encountered they do their job well and as long as you follow the posted regulations you have nothing to worry about in the way of citations as others have mentioned
The banning of Alcohol is normally found in local alert messages, not in the federal regulations- check each and every park you want to visit carefully I AM AN ATTORNEY AND I CANNOT FIND IT TO BE ILLEGAL TO POSSESS OR CONSUME ALCOHOL IN THE NATIONAL FOREST DID HE CITE ANY SPECIFIC RULE REGULATION OR STATUTE?
The wife and I spent a week in this park in the summer of 2012. The park host and his wife were wonderful and helpful to us. we did not have any problems that i see someone else claimed that they had. yes there was leo in the park once in a while but only to check to see if the park was fine. the park was also exceptionaly clean as well as the showers. we intend on returning in the summer of 2013 for another stay. I feel it would be safe to say that if anyone has had problems in this park in the past, they brought it on themselves by not following the rules of the park.
I live next to the forest, go horse back riding around my home and at Big Foot riding trails OFTEN. Yes the rangers are out and about, but they have NEVER given me or my friends a second look. As long as your not breaking the law then you have nothing to worry about!!! (If your in the Stone County part of the forest it is a dry county so HIDE you beer or pour it in a cup then no worries) but i dont want to be hassled by this bolten ranger guy...its his kind that i am trying to get a break from by visiting the forest! how could you relax knowing someone like him could show up and harass you at any minute? We are a pair of English seniors, who were looking for somewhere peaceful to visit on a drive from New Orleans to Monroeville in May. Thank goodness for good old US freedom of speech, we found these comments and know we should give this park a miss - the fear of a $125 fine for unknowingly breaking part regulations, and aggression from the rangers, would really spoil our trip. Is there a reason why it is against the law to have a civilised glass of wine with a picnic? ive been to desoto national forest many times in the last 2 years. i really like the Airey lake spot in Stone county. there are multiple freshwater wells and restrooms. plenty of primitive campsites. the trails always are kept free of debris. never have had any problems with the rangers, but have only seen them one time. ive been around 100 times to Desoto. the driving trails are pretty good. i like off roading and the roads a graded well. there are plenty different trails to keep you busy all day and multiple days. they also have ATV and horse trails. I was planning a weekend trip, not anymore. Thanks for the heads up regarding the Park Rangers. Even though I am not thinking about breaking the parks rules, but I am very glad that reviews are made of places. I was thinking about spending my 1st wedding anniversary here and so happy that I checked this place out because running into Ranger Bolton would surely destroy my anniversary thanks guys. I am so disappointed in the ratings that this National Forest has been given. I was looking for a half way point from Ohio and Texas and thought this would be a great place. We just wanted a quiet place for family to meet up. I guess I will continue my search. Sat. May 28th I was in violation of the law. I was drinking a beer in the Janice Landing National Forest Rec. Area. Two cars and three rangers decended on myself and the other two people in the campsite. We were sitting in the dark being very quiet, after all we are all senior citizens, enjoying a cold beer to celebrate my birthday. They went through our ice chests and made us dump out the beer.
Yes I was in violation, but given the circumstances I think a stern warning and a good butt chewing would have been more than enough. The $125.00 ticket stings but not nearly as much as my being so stupid as to not at least disguise the container.
The violation notice is barly readable but the officers initials are E. J. B with the rest of the name not readable. I think the Officers number is 1960. Let me just add to the comments here about Officer A. Bolton.
I was recently scouting some locations near the bike trails for an upcoming photography shoot, when a Park Ranger Law Enforcement vehicle drove by, then rapidly turned around and stopped near my truck. The Park Ranger introduced himself and then asked what was the purpose of my visit to the National Forest...His demeanor and tone was demanding and investigative in nature. I simply told him I was looking around and enjoying the great outdoors. Finding no satisfaction in my answer he asked if he could search my truck. I asked him why and replied he could with a valid search warrant or suspection of a crime. He then got aggresive in his tone and starting reeling off a bunch of BS about implied consent, and threatened my detention or arrest.
I asked if he was finished and that I was leaving, and if he felt that it was necessary to detain me he better go ahead and do that. I got into my vehicle and told him that this incident will be reported to the National Forest Admin. I also informed him of my law enforcement background and my rights as a citizen. I wished him a good day, rolled up my window and drove off.
By looking at this forum I can see that Officer Bolton has made quite an impression on the owners of Desoto National Forest, that would be the American public and also the same people who write his paycheck.
Our group just had a horrible experience with a ranger at the Big Biloxi campground. Officer A. Bolton came into the park on Saturday evening and systematically swept throught the park looking through vehicles and tents and making all campers open their coolers looking for alcohol. Anyone caught with alcohol was made to pour it out and was given a $125 ticket. We were all treated like common criminals, and I have never seen such a look of hatred coming from a law enforcement officer before. Extremely unprofessional and abusive - even though we were extremely polite and cooperative. I will never step foot in Desoto National Forest again unless they do something about this guy. We wondered why this great-looking park was almost empty on a beautiful spring weekend. The camp host confirmed that the guy is a menace and will ticket campers for the most minor offenses - such as parking a car or staking a tent the least bit off the designated areas. Where is the pride in stewardship ? The roads need work, no bathrooms ..(Bushes ?) the one outhouse is terriable,no running water.. Great riding in South Mississippi. Well maintained and a wonderful area. The hunters make it very dangerous during hunting season. Please ban hunting in the recreational area for riding, hiking and camping. Just a small portion of the whole area and hunters can have the rest. Thank you. best park ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Be careful in DeSoto NF! There is an overzealous Ranger on patrol. If you accidentally drive down the wrong dirt road, there is a $275 fine!!! This ranger is rude, unprofessional, and would ticket his own grandmother. Enter DeSoto National Forest at your own risk. I hiked the Black Creek Trail on 7/31/2010. In many areas it was totally overgrown by tall weed, 5 feet + high. Most annoying were the thousands of long thorny blackberry (?) canes that tore on my arms and clothing. From the parking area near Janice Landing I followed the old wood road and tried to locate the spot where the trail proper crosses to follow the river. I was not successful. I saw no white markers on trees. Further on along the wood road I came to the second trail crossing -marked by white blazes- where the trail crosses and enters the uplands. Here the hight of the weeds were not as bad and the trail was not as wet and swampy as often is the case. On the way back I followed the trail along the river. Eventually I had to turn back to the wood road, because a deep wash was difficult to ford. When I hiked here in the middle of May, some trees had fallen over which I used as a crossing. I found a densely shaded area overlooking a bend in the river and enjoyed a nice lunch on this rather hot day. Beautiful forrest areas, the paths are gorgeous, I would recommend it to anyone. butiful forist areas the paths are gorgeous
i would recomend it to anyone
