Tombigbee State Park: Tree Trunk Nature Trail (Blog Hike #842)

Trail: Tree Trunk Nature Trail

Hike Location: Tombigbee State Park
Geographic Location: east of Tupelo, MS (34.23188, -88.61520)
Length: 1.3 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: May 2021
Overview: A rolling double loop with good Lake Lee views.
Park Information: https://www.mdwfp.com/parks-destinations/state-parks/tombigbee
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=872189
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: On the south side of Tupelo, take US 45 to Eason Boulevard.  Exit and go east on Eason Blvd.  Drive Eason Blvd. east 1.7 miles to SR 6 and turn right on SR 6.  Drive SR 6 south 0.7 miles to CR 1050 and turn left on CR 1050.  Drive narrow and winding CR 1050 its full distance to State Park Road and turn left on State Park Rd.  The signed entrance to the state park is 1.7 miles ahead on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, pay the small entrance fee, and park in the large blacktop parking lot in front of the park office.  The signed wooden entrance portal for the Tree Trunk Nature Trail is another 500 feet down the park road on the left.

The hike: Developed in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps as one of Mississippi's first state parks, Tombigbee State Park protects 480 acres around Lake Lee, the 90-acre man-made lake at this park's center.  The park is named for the Tombigbee River, a major regional waterway that flows on a north-to-south course only a few miles east of the park.  Water from the park's lake flows west into Town Creek just south of Tupelo, then flows into the Tombigbee River, which flows into the Mobile/Tensaw River, which flows into Mobile Bay, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

            In terms of amenities, the park features a 20-site developed campground, 8 cabins, fishing on Lake Lee, athletic fields, 2 18-hole disc golf courses (the park's Course #1 is featured in my Disc Golf Review blog), and the short Tree Trunk Nature Trail described here.  The Tree Trunk Nature Trail consists of two loops: a short southern loop near the trailhead and a longer more remote northern loop.  Though not long, this trail explores the hills and hollows around Lake Lee and offers nice views across the lake.

Wooden portal at trailhead

            From the park office, continue walking up the park road, pass the campground on the right, and look for the wooden portal on the left that says "Tree Trunk Nature Trail."  Walk through the portal and descend some steep wooden steps to begin the trail's southern loop.  Unfortunately, several parts of this trail pass through areas that are also used for disc golf, and for the first few hundred feet the trail coincides with the path that serves the park's disc golf Course #1.  While sharing the woods with flying plastic makes this trail feel more like an exercise trail than a nature trail, most disc golfers are considerate and check for people in their way before they throw.  Follow the wooden signs with arrows to stay on the nature trail and avoid getting side-tracked on the disc golf path.

Wooden arrow marking trail

            After using a wooden bridge to cross a creek and passing disc golf tee #7, you exit the first disc  golf area as the trail climbs up and over a low ridge.  At 0.2 miles, you reach a bench and a trail intersection.  The trail going straight continues the southern loop, and we will go that way eventually.  To also hike the northern loop, turn left to cross a long wooden bridge over a wet area that forms the backwater of Lake Lee.

Long wooden bridge

            At the opposite end of the bridge, the trail splits to form its northern loop.  This trail description turns left to stay along the lake shore and uses the trail going uphill and right as its return route, thus hiking the northern loop clockwise.  Some wet areas need to be negotiated as a shallow inlet of Lake Lee opens up on the left.  Several benches are passed, and some exercise stations allow you to use this trail as a fitness trail if you so desire.

View down Lake Lee

            Just shy of 0.4 miles, you reach a wooden platform with benches that offers a fantastic view down the length of Lake Lee.  Past the platform, the trail stays along the lakeshore with minor ups and downs negotiated with the help of some unusual steps made out of cement blocks.  Some turtles plopped into the water as I approached their location.  After crossing another wet area on another long wooden bridge, the trail curves right and climbs away from the lake first on wooden steps and then on a natural dirt grade.

Climbing away from the lake

            The park's mountain bike trail comes close on the left just before the trail dips through a ravine and intersects the path that serves the park's disc golf Course #2.  After sharing paths with this course's hole #10 for a couple hundred feet, the trail curves left to leave the disc golf path.  Again, watch for the wooden arrows that mark the nature trail.  A steep descent closes the northern loop.  Angle left to walk back across the first long wooden bridge, then turn left again to continue the southern loop.

Walking atop the ridge

            The trail comes close to the park road on the left before curving right to angle up the hill using some wooden waterbars.  A pleasant ridgetop hike leads to yet another intersection with disc golf Course #1, this time at that course's #10 tee.  The nature trail follows the path for hole #10 downhill to close the southern loop; again, watch for the wooden arrows that mark the nature trail.  Turning left and climbing the steep wooden steps returns you to the entrance portal and completes the hike.