Shepard State Park: Marshwalk and Oscar Trails, et. al. (Blog Hike #1043)

Trails: Marshwalk, Delta, Golf, and Oscar Trails
Hike Location: Shepard State Park
Geographic Location: Gautier, MS (30.37519, -88.63086)
Length: 2.7 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: February 2025
Overview: A double loop over and around Lamott Bayou's salt marsh.
Park Information: https://shepardstatepark.com/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=979603
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming January 2, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: In southeast Mississippi, take I-10 to Gautier-Vancleave Road (exit 61).  Exit and go south on Gautier-Vancleave Rd.  Drive Gautier-Vancleave Rd. south 3.2 miles to US 90 and turn left on US 90.  Drive US 90 east 2.4 miles to Oak Street; there is a traffic light at this intersection.  Turn right on Oak St., then 2 blocks later turn left on Graveline Road.  Drive Graveline Rd. 1.2 narrow and winding miles to the signed park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, pay the entrance fee at the park office to obtain a code to open the park gate, then drive the main park road 0.3 miles to the parking lot for the athletic field, dog park, and Marshwalk on the left.  Park in this lot.

The hike: Located in the bootheel of Mississippi less than 2 miles from the Gulf of Mexico/America, Shepard State Park consists of 395 acres in and along Lamott Bayou's salt marsh.  Despite the state park name, the park has been maintained and operated by the City of Gautier since 2013.  The park retains state park level amenities, which include a 38-site developed campground, a picnic pavilion, an archery range, a dog park, and a disc golf course, which is reviewed in Parking Full Time Disc Golf Reviews.

            For hikers, Shepard State Park offers 13 trails, but most of its trails are short nature trails that are less than 1 mile in length.  The park's longest trail is the 2 mile Oscar Trail, and the park's most scenic and popular trail is the Marshwalk, an elevated walkway over the salt marsh.  Combining those two trails with the short Delta and Golf Trails forms the hike described here.  While I was not sure what to expect when I drove into this park, I had a very pleasant hike here with abundant marsh scenery.

Marshwalk trailhead

            From the parking lot, head northwest around the restroom building and across the lightly wooded sandy dirt area to reach the signed start of the Marshwalk.  At 1005 feet in length, this Marshwalk is the largest pier ever constructed over a marsh in Mississippi, and it is the only one with Thruflow decking, which offers low maintenance and high traction.  The walkway offers great views across Lamott Bayou's marsh, and the Marshwalk won the Small Project Award of Merit for its engineering when it opened in 2021.  A large number of interpretive signs tell about the marsh's flora and fauna.  I expected to do some good wildlife and bird viewing on this walkway, but I honestly did not see much wildlife when I came here on a warm and humid late morning in early February.

Hiking the Marshwalk

            At 0.25 miles, you reach the other end of the Marshwalk and a trail intersection.  The option going left leads across the India Bridge to the Oscar Trail, and we will go that way eventually.  To extend the hike, turn right at this intersection and the next one to begin the Delta Trail.  The trail, road, and bridge names at this park form a non-standard phonetic alphabet, which is why many of them seem so unusual: the names tell you nothing about what you will see on the trail.  The trails at this park are unmarked, but small green signs mark trail intersections.

Starting the Delta Trail

            The 0.3 mile Delta Trail takes you around a short loop on the north side of Lamott Bayou's marsh.  Where the trail splits to form its loop, angle right to stay close to the marsh.  Dense woods featuring tall pine trees, magnolia, holly, and palmetto cover this area.

            At 0.4 miles, turn right to cross a wooden bridge across a small arm of Lamott Bayou.  Next you climb slightly to reach the lightly wooded sandy dirt area you started in; you can see your car a few hundred feet away.  Turn left twice to re-cross the small arm of Lamott Bayou, now hiking on the Golf Trail.  The front nine of this park's disc golf course is also located in this area.

Hiking through pine woods

            Just shy of 0.6 miles, you come out at Cherokee Road.  Turn left to walk a short distance on this dirt/gravel road, then turn left again where the signed Delta Trail enters the woods.  At 0.65 miles, you close the short Delta/Golf Trail loop.  Turn right and then left to retrace your steps to the marsh.  Where the Marshwalk exits left, continue straight to cross the India Bridge and begin the Oscar Trail.

Start of Oscar Trail's loop

            After a short but steep climb, the Oscar Trail splits to form its loop at 0.8 miles into the hike.  Turn left to begin a clockwise journey around the Oscar Trail.  The next section is my favorite part of the Oscar Trail: it heads southbound with Lamott Bayou's marsh just through the live oaks and palmettos to the left.  No clear views of the marsh emerge, so be thankful for the new Marshwalk.

Hiking beside the marsh

            For the next mile the Oscar Trail embarks on a gently undulating course roughly parallel to the marsh's edge.  The trail winds almost as much as a mountain bike trail, but you should ignore several shortcut trails that exit right.  At 1.8 miles, the trail curves left to begin heading north flush against the park's west boundary.  I shared this part of the trail with a turtle, and the hiking is pleasant if unremarkable.

Passing a turtle

            2.1 miles into the hike, you reach an unsigned trail intersection.  Follow the yellow arrow that directs you to turn right to stay on the Oscar Trail; the option going slightly left leads to the Yankee Trail, which is a mountain bike trail.  After hiking east for 0.3 miles, you close the Oscar Trail's loop.  Continue straight to return to the Marshwalk, then turn right to retrace your steps across the Marshwalk to the parking lot and complete the hike.  This park has many other short trails, and the Romeo and Tango Trails are located on the other side of the parking lot if you want to extend your hike.  Those trails offer nice walks through the woods but scenery similar to what you have already seen.