Tunica Hills, MS
It’s just about guarantee that if you ask someone in Louisiana where to go hiking, the first answer will be Tunica Hills. Just a few hours Northeast of Lafayette, straddling the LA/MS border, is the Clark Creek National Area, otherwise known as Tunica Hills. It’s locally famous for its natural beauty, accessibility, and waterfalls (the only 3 waterfalls in the state of LA). I frequented this spot growing up with my family and introduced it to Brandi early on in our relationship. It became a spot that we returned to many times throughout college both alone and with groups of friends.
It was the perfect day-retreat from our little concrete jungle. You could pack bags and a lunch the night prior, head out before sunrise, and make it to the trailhead before the morning sun was gone. The trails and falls are wonderfully accessible to visitors of all ages and ability, with a blazed trail extending to the more noteworthy water features. But for those looking for more of a challenge, there‘s a primitive trail that weaves its way through the area with an expected duration of about 6 hours. Shorter for the more experienced. Skill aside though, Brandi and I always finished in way over 6 hours - half intentionally, half because we’re just kind of close. Either way, for us, anything less than 6 hours was selling ourselves short of our time there. Slowing down was the goal of going in the first place!
The photos below are a collection of shots taken over many trips to the falls - the same goes for the paragraphs above.
