Mississippi is home to several rivers, but given its southern location, many people forget there are some small mountains that can result in some impressively tall waterfalls.
Many of our most amazing waterfalls in Mississippi are quaint in size and nature, but this doesn’t diminish their natural beauty. Take an easy hike through the natural bounties offered in the state, and enjoy a picnic in the great outdoors as you listen to the water bubble and flow past you at one of these pristine waterfalls
The 15 waterfalls mentioned below range in size from 65 feet to a few inches.
1. Seminary Falls
Seminary Falls are also known as the ‘Falls on Okatoma – Okatoma being the name of the river that supplies the cascade. It’s a great river for kayaking and rafting; several spots are gentle before it becomes a roaring river passing over flat rocks to create whirlpools.
Seminary Falls is a shallow waterfall that flows quickly over the rocks into a whirlpool before popping people out into a slower section in the river. At most, the falls are a few inches in height.
2. Scutchalo Falls
Scutchalo Falls is near Carlisle and Carpenter. The falls are part of Schutchalo Creek’s tributary. The water is not going to flow as much as on the main river, but it does make for a peaceful location.
There are usually three or four places where the water comes over the ledge to fall about four feet. There is a shallow pool beneath that has a green tinge due to the reflection of light.
3. Ferris Falls
Ferris Falls is probably one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the southern states. While not tall, it flows into a pool, at about two or three feet high. With lower water, it may fall even farther.
The creek runs through the forest until it reaches a ledge that has been worn down by water. The water might be enough to hop over to the next ledge in times when the river is at a low flow, and at other times it is more like five or six feet wide.
The green water and plants surrounding the Eastabuchie River might make a hiker feel they have reached paradise. The Eastabuchie is part of the Leaf River that has branched off.
4. Merit Falls
Merit Falls is on a rushing river named Rials Creek. The waterfall is inside Merit Waterpark and considered a place of peace.
Although not a giant in terms of height, there is plenty of power behind it due to the river. Visitors will see it emanates from a large boulder, where the water routes two ways to fall around the boulder. A little further downstream is another waterfall area.
The height is at most three feet, but the water gushes, making it a beautiful landscape. Merit Water Park covers 25 acres. It is part of Simpson County and about four miles from D’ Lo. Visitors can picnic, hike, and enjoy swimming and beach time in the summer.
5. Tishomingo State Park Waterfalls
Source: Rhonda Hickox / shutterstockTishomingo State Park Waterfalls are spread throughout the state park. Not all the falls are named, and since there are at least four waterfalls throughout the park, it is better to talk about them as one.
These small falls are along many of the trails in the park, so visitors can choose a trail and the right season to enjoy. Spring and summer are the best times to see the waterfalls since rain and snow runoff are going to help them spring to life.
Check out the rock outcroppings as you hike, because little trickling falls can be anywhere. It will be easy to see where water has eroded the rocks as it falls along the shallow creeks. The heights of each waterfall will vary.
6. Bear Creek Falls
Bear Creek Falls is located near the town of Dennis. It can be found along Bear Creek Outcropping Trail which is a 3.6-mile long loop. The waterfall is just one feature; there is also a bridge to cross Bear Creek.
7. Rawson Gully Falls
Rawson Gully Falls is in Lauderdale County. It is another location that has plenty of vegetation and barely a decent path to reach it.
The waterfall is 40 feet high. It is named for the creek, Rawson, that feeds the falls. It begins on a gentle slope of smooth rock before falling a great distance down smooth boulders to the creek below.
8. Black Creek Canoe Falls
Black Creek Canoe Falls in Mississippi is near Brooklyn. The trail is 28.4 miles long from point to point, with 272 feet of elevation gain.
The waterfall is on the river near Fairley Bridge Road. The trail is used for walking rather than extensive hiking. When visiting Black Creek Canoe Falls, visitors can bring their dog on a leash. They can also camp, canoe, and fish in the area.
9. Clark Creek Falls
Clark Creek Falls is in Clark Creek Natural Area. The area is protected and home to spring and summer falls.
Clark Creek Falls is the only one named, but there are about 50 seasonal falls that appear with the rainfall and snowmelt.
Many of the falls in the natural area are between ten feet and 30 feet. Clark Creek Falls is mid-size in height. It is not a gushing cascade, but one that meanders over a verdant ledge in four to five places before the water continues heading down the creek. Behind the falls is a little cavern area – obviously a result of erosion.
10. Brushy Creek Waterfall
Brushy Creek Waterfall is in Homochitto National Forest. The trail is 11.1 miles long, taking visitors through trafficked areas onto a back trail and to the waterfall.
The trailhead starts in Crosby, Mississippi. Along the trail is a small waterfall.
Given the location of the trail in Mississippi’s northern area, it is a hike best done between April and September. Hikers will have an elevation gain of 866 feet on the out and back trail.
11. Union Falls
Union Falls is in Jones County. The waterfall is part of Tallahala Creek, which is more of a river in terms of size.
The waterfall flows over natural rock that has eroded over time to become a cavernous ledge. Depending on the water flow, the pool beneath can be a few feet from the top of the rocks. The pool below is a place that one can swim during the summer months.
Visitors should search for Ovette Moselle Road and then hike the well-worn path to the falls.
12. Owens Creek Falls
Owens Creek Falls is near Natchez Trace around Vicksburg and Port Gibson. Travelers need to find Natchez Trace Parkway at milepost 52.4 to get to the trailhead.
The waterfall is part of Rocky Springs, on the National Scenic Trail. The waterfall is formed by a small stream, which makes the water slowly fall over the edge of a well-worn rock ledge into a shallow pool beneath.
The water is a little green due to the type of rock it runs over. Many of the springs that once fed the main river have disappeared, making it more of a stream than a creek. The waterfall can be several feet wide and fall about four feet when it is a good rainy season.
13. Cooper Falls
Cooper Falls is another amazing site in Mississippi that should not be missed. While some of the other waterfalls mentioned here are gushing, short falls that you might find on most rivers, Cooper Falls is one of the tallest and most expansive.
The moss growing on the rocks beneath provides a mesh below the water that lets the flow trickle in spots and gush in others. There is another ledge of rocks, but the water tends to fall straight since erosion over time has made the ledge smooth and smaller.
Below the wide falls lies a pool, where many come to swim in the summers. To see the 50-foot Cooper Falls, hikers can go to J.P. Coleman State Park. The pool beneath the falls is called Pickwick Lake.
14. Dunn’s Falls
Dunn’s Falls is not a natural waterfall. It has been created as part of the park, with a bridge going across the expanse of the river and a waterwheel ensconced in cement.
The stair design stands 65 feet tall, helping the water gradually fall from the top into a rocky pool below. It is a shallow pool that one can walk across in warm weather.
Most of the water is routed to go over the stair portion of the falls. The stone is smooth and cut back to create a look of natural beauty. Some of the rocks they removed to create the waterfall are piled up at the base to break the water up before it goes into the shallow pool.
15. Mint Springs Falls
Mint Springs Falls is in Vicksburg National Military Park. The water flows over vegetation and rock outcroppings to fall 30 feet into a small rocky pool below. The water hits boulders before going into the shallow pool blocked by other rocks.
The waterfall is most beautiful during the summer months after a rainfall. It is also one of the taller falls, although not the tallest.
Most often, the waterfall is difficult to reach and considered off-limits because of the dangerous path. With rainfall, it becomes more dangerous to go down the overgrown pathway.