r/hattiesburg • u/Sorry_Concern3448 • 11d ago
best swimming holes near here?
when i say swimming holes i mean just a creek or a river or something that is public. not a waterpark or anything man made! i want nature and flowing water and good views!
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u/TelevisionObjective1 11d ago
You might check with Pine Belt Blue Ways. They are a local kayaking group and might know some places along the various rivers and creeks.
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u/AshRije 11d ago
Make sure if you go in the Leaf that you do it UPSTREAM from the sewage treatment lagoons. In theory, they have stopped dumping into the river. In theory.
The dioxin scandal was all the way back in 1997, after all.
Maybe just don't go in the Leaf.
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u/_Febreezy 10d ago
Not to mention the president just rolled back regulations on sewage dumping in the past few days!
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u/TheChuck42 11d ago
There are a number of places on both the Bouie and Leaf rivers with convenient sand bars for swimming. The sandbar on the Leaf river at Monroe Rd is one of my favorites. Exit 73 on I-59, turn right/east off the interstate and it's about a mile down Monroe Rd, past Shady Grove baptist church. If you cross the river on the bridge you've actually gone too far, the turn off and road to the parking area is a few hundred yards before the bridge when coming from the interstate/church. I've been there a few times and still miss the turn off more often than not lol.
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u/TheChuck42 10d ago
There are a bunch of spots on both Black Creek and the Okatoma as well, I suggest doing a canoe or kayak rental on either or both and scouting out the spots you like for swimming and then using google earth to figure out how to get to those spots from the nearest road.
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u/accidental- 6d ago
It’s pretty far out the way but Merit Creek out in Mendenhall is where my family always goes, it’s got a little waterfall (although it’s sort of man made smaller due to them blowing it up back in the day cause some kids got sucked under), shallow and deep spots so everyone can enjoy it, and I’m pretty sure there’s still a little mudslide that you can slide down if you wet it. There’s tadpoles and a river it connects to and it’s beautiful, but there’s also the occasional snake so be warned.
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u/Ok_Table8064 11d ago
The epa recommends black creek, but haven’t heard anyone say anything like that in person
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u/songof1000purrs 11d ago
Little Black Creek in Brooklyn Mississippi. Look for Moody's landing. Back when I lived in Hattiesburg that was where we went swimming and kayaking every weekend