Paddling Bogue Homa - Logtown (Pearlington), MS

So here's a super easy, very beginner friendly paddle just off the Pearl River on the location of a former logging community called Logtown. All that's left of this community is a cemetery and some historical markers along the road, so this is more officially in Pearlington,MS.  This is just about an hour from New Orleans, on the Mississippi side of the East Pearl River.

This paddle, in normal conditions, should be fine for virtually any kayak or canoe, or paddler of any skill level with basic fitness.

This is basically a T-Shaped route, and your actual distance could depend on how far into each end of that "T" you can go and still be able to turn around. It begins to narrow at each end, and in a 16 foot or longer boat, you'll probably be limited to just around/over 4 miles. In a shorter boat, you should be able to continue farther and still be able to turn around.

As I mentioned, the Bogue Homa is extremely beginner friendly, but keep in mind you do have to paddle a very short distance (a few dozen yards) on the Pearl, so do some homework if there are flooding conditions. Normally, this is a classic flat water bayou, and you should expect to see wildlife, depending on the season---gators, wild boars along the banks, a great variety of birds, and we passed a beaver dam. Once you turn into this large bayou, you feel checked out--you won't hear traffic, you will hear birds, and you're able to just relax and enjoy.

The very beginning, on the East Pearl:

It is worth noting that you will be in a fairly secluded area, so as always, make sure you're prepared, wearing your life vest, and have some form of communication(along with all the other safety and common sense things that come with paddling anywhere).

I've only done this paddle once, on a mild January day, so this is a description of that trip, and these pictures do reflect the grey/brown winter season. We did a beginner-friendly Meetup(.com), had a wide variety of paddlers and boats, and everyone had a great time.

Though we did pass some places where it may have been possible to get out to heed nature's call, you should plan on having to stay in your boat the entire time.  There is a boardwalk trail and bridge that passes over the bayou, with a kayak/canoe dock, so you can get out there, but this is very near the beginning or end of your trip.

This is such a simple route to follow, I don't really need to describe much. Once you enter the bayou, you'll paddle just less than a mile and come to a fork, with a sign giving you a distance of .7 miles to the left, and .5 miles to the right, which is almost exactly how far we were able to go each way in our longer boats.  Limitations would vary with seasonal water and vegetation levels, as well as random fallen trees. There are some smaller bayous along the way that you can explore, but we didn't on this trip.

Regrouping at one of the turnaround points:

The parking and launch area is primitive--no facilities. It is very large, and surrounded by woods, and usually not very crowded, so we do wander off into the woods as needed. You can probably find a comfortable spot along the banks to relax and picnic afterwards.

So that's it. Honestly, for me, this is a bit of a drive for only a 4 mile paddle, but if you're looking for a day in the country, come do this and a picnic, and enjoy.  Check out the historical markers up the road, or Possum Trail, which has a trail head on the road just outside the launch area. Or, if you're comfortable with the Pearl, you can explore an oxbow just upriver, or Carey's Ditch, also just upriver. See the maps, and you'll also find a link to Carey's Ditch along the right side of this page, with at least one other route description mentioning it.

Here's the launch:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/30%C2%B016'48.6%22N+89%C2%B037'49.5%22W/@30.2801667,-89.6326054,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d30.280174!4d-89.63042

And here's the route, as recorded by my Garmin: