Kayaking and camping - Horn Island, Mississippi

Stretching from Lake Borgne to the west, and Mobile Bay to the east, there are 6 offshore barrier islands separating the Mississippi Sound from the Gulf of Mexico. From the west, the first is Half Moon (also labeled Grand Island), then Cat Island, Ship Island (now two separate islands), Horn Island, Petit Bois Island, and then Dauphin Island in Alabama. I'm not counting Deer Island as an offshore island since it's so close to the mainland, but it does make for a great paddle also:
http://www.southeasternlouisianapaddling.com/2016/04/kayak-around-deer-island.html

Each island is very different, and you should research each paddle to each island individually, with regards to seasonal info, conditions, allowable landing areas and allowable camping areas.

By the way, various restoration projects are underway affecting these islands, and I hear talk of Ship Island being restored to one piece.

This post is about kayaking to Horn Island, and in particular, kayak camping on Horn Island, Mississippi.

Before I even get started actually describing the trip and island, I have to do this:

The main reason I haven't posted anything about kayaking to these islands yet is that I fear that I could be giving the wrong person an idea for a potentially dangerous paddle. Also, I have not done many trips out to these islands yet (to be continued), so I almost don't feel qualified to write about it.

To be blunt: people have died paddling out into the Mississippi Sound in the wrong kayak and with inadequate skills and/or knowledge. There are so many considerations that any list I make would be very long, and still fall short. So I'm not going to do a long warning section here. I will say this, and move on:

Before you decide to kayak across a large body of water, beyond your comfortable swimming distance, where large and very large vessels cross,  and where weather could change, you need to put aside any cockiness and really make sure you're ready.  And go with others who have already gone. This post is NOT a how-to. It's a "where-I've-been". I would consider it semi-risky for me to kayak to Horn alone--just because of how many "what-if's" I am not prepared for. For example, I'm not very good at getting back in my kayak from the water alone(self-rescue), so what if I flip in big waves or the wake of a fast moving yacht?  Go with someone (or better, a group) who's been and has rescue and open water experience and training. And it'll be a great kayak  trip.

Okay, about the trip options and the island: 

Horn Island is really a beautiful place to explore and camp. It's a barrier island, so it's beaten and rugged. But it's a beautiful sliver of a beach--one side on the Sound, and one side on the Gulf, with trails connecting the two sides. The dunes make great camping bowls, and the "interior" has some lagoons and ponds, and gators. Raccoons should be expected. It's a fun place to explore, take pictures, and just check out from the rest of the world. Needless (?) to say, it's all primitive.

On each of my trips, 2 paddles there and 2 paddles back, I learned and relearned how paddling several miles across tidal currents, even mild ones, is not simply a matter of picking a point and paddling towards it. In the Mississippi Sound, the tidal currents actually have an east-west/west-east flow, and if you look at a couple of my route pictures below, you'll see that we drifted and had to correct--yet another reason to paddle with experienced sea kayakers. The crossing out to Horn Island is between 7 and 9 miles, depending on your launch spot and landing spot. In the first trip I describe here, the actual "straight line" crossing was probably just over 7 miles, but we drifted far enough west as we crossed that we paddled perhaps a mile east along the northern shore of the island to get to our camping spot. For the second trip I describe below, the crossing to the northern shore was very close to 8 miles, and then we paddled a little more than 2 miles to round the island and find a good spot to camp.

By the way, it's very common to see dolphins nearby on these trips. 

Horn Island is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, run by the National Park Service, and there is a ranger station on the island. The ranger may very well stop and visit to make sure everything is okay and as it should be.  On the first of my two trips, she did stop by and checked out where we were building our fire, for example. Our next trip was during a government shutdown, otherwise she probably would have visited us then. Remember, you're likely building one of the only fires on the island--she'll probably know you're there. 

Here's a great reference map I found through Google:

As of this writing (Jan 2019), I've paddled to Horn Island twice--Once in November and once in January. These were both camping trips, so we chose winter months(this is the south--freezes aren't common). BUGS are way up on the list of reasons why winter is best for camping on these islands. Even in that January trip--it had been a mild winter so far--mosquitoes were collecting in/around the tents. Of course, this is a barrier island, so you should always expect a good breeze which could make the bugs less annoying. In fact, plan on windchill on your winter trips.

Before landing, and especially before camping on Horn Island, do your homework. Much of the island is off limits for environmental reasons---some good (bird nesting), and some bad(hazardous materials). On both of my trips, I went with people with knowledge and experience, and they picked our spots. I do have some general info links below.

We camped in areas with ample firewood. In one case, the group knew the area already. On the other trip, our trip leader landed and scouted around once or twice before we picked our spot.

One of my trips left from Ocean Springs and camped on the north side of the island on the Mississippi Sound beach, and on another, we left from Pascagoula, paddled to the eastern tip of the island, took a snack break, and then continued around to the southern side and camped facing the Gulf of Mexico.

I'll describe each trip separately:

My first trip was the one from Ocean Springs to the north side of the island. We parked along the edge of Belle Fountain Drive, next to a small sandy launch spot:

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.3427541,-88.7079043,120m/data=!3m1!1e3

Here's a Google Maps image of our start and finish:
From here, we paddled "straight" across(with a western drift from the tidal currents), about 7 miles to the island, then followed its northern edge east a mile or two until we reached the camping spot my friends were familiar with. In the image below, don't be fooled: We did paddle all the way back, but my old GPS died.

It's reasonably safe to assume you'll have a calmer beach landing on the north side of the island, versus the Gulf side, and our paddle along the northern shore to our campsite was very easy. On this day, the water was very shallow and calm:

On this side of the island, in November, the sun sets across the island. But even though you won't get water sunsets from this beach, you'll still get great shots. Or it's a short walk across the island if you do want to see the sun melt into the water.

You do get really great sunrises:

On our January 2019 trip, we left from the Beach Park Fishing Pier in Pascagoula, bypassed Round Island on the way out, and paddled straight to Horn. The incoming/flood tide was pushing us west a little, but our trip leader kept us on track.

Here's our launch and return:

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.3450181,-88.5624872,73m/data=!3m1!1e3

And the trip out as recorded by my Garmin:

We took a short break on the northern side of the eastern tip before heading out into the gulf.

As we rounded the eastern tip to the gulf side, we did get to play in some fairly light surf. We had frequent 2'-3' incoming waves across our beam, swelling up and breaking as they approached the island. Many of these waves really did swell up just a few feet to our left/south and would often break just as they crossed us. It was a fun guessing game--you had to pay attention and be ready to react. It slowed some of our crew down quite a bit, but my kayak seemed to enjoy it.

On our return trip, we did stop at Round Island for a snack. The incoming tide on this day was a bit stronger, and we had to pay attention to our landmarks and GPS to stay on course. By the way, 9 of us did this trip, but four of us had to leave a day early. One of our four, Maarten, kept us straight on track, and I honestly believe it was his skill and experience that kept us from drifting west and paddling more than we wanted. As I said at the beginning--skill, knowledge, and experience really matter in long, open water paddles.

On this trip, we had dolphins tagging along for part of the trip, and we watched them playing just a few hundred yards from our campsite in the morning.

Here are just a few pictures from the island on this trip:

The slight curve of the island gave our campsite a great "melting into the water" sunset:

 And a great "out of the water"sunrise:

Packing up to return home (easier with less water and food than the trip out):

And lets see how long this link works:
https://www.facebook.com/chet.jaynes/videos/10212823878969849/?t=7                                           

Obviously, there's a special appeal to paddling a few miles out to a primitive island and camping, and Horn Island is a great distance for a good paddle, and just a great island for an escape. As we setup camp in January, we did have company on the island--a couple walked past us, and we saw folks on the north side as we walked around. But these folks were in motor boats and gone by nightfall. So this is not your typical campground camping!


Here are some info links:

https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2006/5287/pdf/Miss_Sound_Gulf%20Islands.pdf

http://mscoastbirdingtrail.audubon.org/barrier-island-sites.html

https://www.outdoorhub.com/stories/2018/06/29/explore-mississippis-unspoiled-barrier-islands/

Kayak Around Deer Island - Biloxi,Mississippi

Deer Island, just off the coast of Biloxi and Ocean Springs, Mississippi, offers a great beginner's exposure to kayaking in the Mississippi Sound and Biloxi Bay, provided conditions are right. First off, no paddling in the Mississippi Sound should be taken lightly. ALWAYS check the forecast. But, what makes Deer Island a good first island trip is that the water remains very shallow all around the island, and the island's northwestern tip is very, very near the main coast. In fact, from the beach at Ocean Springs, Deer Island looks like a sliver of land extending off of Biloxi Beach.  

Since most of the mainland coast here is beach, you can launch from any number of places, depending on how long you want your crossing out to the island to be. But because of the amount of boat traffic moving back and forth across Biloxi Bay, I'm only going to describe one option here--the "beginner friendly" option, which has a very short crossing. and uses the public boat launch at the end of Kuhn St. The total distance this paddle is just over 10 miles. 

General notes about Deer Island: 

As I mentioned, it's very near the mainland at one end, and the beach has a very gradual slope, especially on the south side,  so you can stay in very shallow water. Even if you did encounter trouble, you'd have very little trouble landing on the island to wait out a storm or to wait for help. But, that shallow water will turn very bouncy if the wind kicks up too much. And, you should expect no cover or shelter on the island, so a nasty afternoon thunderstorm could really spoil your day if you aren't prepared. Some parts of the island are wooded, and some parts are pretty bare. 

***Summer of 2023 update: 

After paddling around Deer Island a few more times since I first posted this, I do think it's worth qualifying "beginner friendly" as it relates to that shallow water that I refer to (This is the voice in the back of my head that makes me afraid that someone will read my post and take a family paddle to the island):

For many yards out from the visible beach on the south side of Deer Island, the water is 5' or less deep. Since the floor of the MS Sound is uneven, the depth varies, and because the coast is curved, your "straight" path will take you through the full range of 1'-5' deep water. 

Any incoming waves (from the south or west) will start to swell and break in different ways as they encounter that long, shallow, uneven, underwater coastline. AND, winds coming from the south or west (or in between, of course), will have decent fetch, so don't underestimate their impact. 5-10mph S, W, or SW winds can create enough energy to slosh you around. If you're in a small boat, it can slosh you around a lot, and you can end up soaked. This can be a lot of fun, if that's what you're ready for. 

Staying close to the beach is a give-and-take: you're in very shallow water where you can just put a foot down and get control if you need to; but the waves will be bouncier in that shallow water, and you'll be working harder in shallow water (I'll skip the science, but water shallower than the length of your boat will be slower, and certainly in 2 or 3 feet of water, you will feel slower - the water feels "thicker").

So, if this is a fun, beach paddle kind of trip for you, just accept getting wet, do your homework, and have fun. And please, don't assume  young children will be comfortable or capable out here on a windy day. Steering the boat gets harder in the wrong bounce, so you'll get more tired than you might expect.

 

If you're a reasonably experienced paddler, comfortable a little further from land (judge yourself wisely), you can go out several hundred feet, where the water will level out and the deeper water will be easier to paddle through. The bounce becomes more of a roll in the deeper water.

Final(I think) note about winds from the south-to-west: The crossing to the island, on the north side, will be sheltered from south and southwest winds. So do not assume a calm crossing means a calm paddle. You'll be able to tell as you approach or go through the opening in the breakwater - if you see a big change in the energy as you get to that opening, and you aren't sure about your skills or boat, or your companions' skills and boats, just go land on the north side and have an Island Day. Just keep an eye on the weather, and watch the traffic when you cross back.

 

So this takes be back to the original post before that update:

 

I won't try to define "normal" conditions, but let's say very calm days, or mild winds from the north and/or east (across land and the smaller Biloxi Bay), which is what I've experienced probably 6 of the 8 or so times I've done this trip. Those are the "Normal" conditions I look for when I plan this trip with my GF, who isn't as comfortable in bouncy water. In those normal conditions, you should expect typical "beach conditions", with waves washing ashore, across the beam of your kayak (from one side to the other), so without a skeg or rudder, you can expect to have to fight your kayak's urge to weathercock and take you away from shore. 

Our route:
When I do this trip, I'm actually hoping for a little wave action to get  a small taste of "the ocean", but the first two times I did it were even calmer than  the forecast and the water was very calm. Those were very relaxing paddling trips, with an interesting taste of open water, open sky, and what feels like a deserted island. So far, the biggest waves I've encountered on the Mississippi Sound (south) side of this trip have been 1'-3' "rolling" waves. Nothing serious--just enough to make you have to pay attention a little bit. But again, a summer thunderstorm can change this quickly.
(Note my 2023 update earlier - I have had a couple trips in 2023, in my surfski, that did make me work to manage the waves. Sure, a surfski is may be tippier than a sea kayak, but these conditions would probably have been even more challenging for 9'-12' boat)

Most of this post is based on one of those very calm days:

We used the public launch at the end of Kuhn St, right on the beach, and did a very easy crossing over to the island. We headed west, and at the end of the island, we followed the breakwater until we came to a gap that we could cut through and turn east.
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.3920167,-88.8724673,65m/data=!3m1!1e3

We did this in a counter-clockwise loop. 

Once you're on the southern, or Mississippi Sound, side of the island, you get a taste of open water paddling. On a day as calm as ours was, you don't get the feel of "big water", but you do get the experience of just you, the water, and the sky. To your south, probably beyond your eyesight, are  the barrier islands further out: Ship Island, which is disappearing and is now two separate islands, and Horn Island, which is more substantial and has some great camping spots.  At some point, you'll probably see a breakwater to your south, which at first I thought was one of the islands. 

It was her first time using the new rudder on that boat, and on this day she barely needed it.

The energy of the water can sometimes be interesting at the eastern tip of the island - Biloxi Bay and The Mississippi Sound have their own sets of dynamics, and if it's windy, these dynamics meet and mix here.

Rounding the eastern tip of Deer Island

An important note about the eastern tip of Deer Island: If you look at the picture below, you'll see the large trench that runs parallel to the southern beach of the island. At high tide, the opening to this trench, at the eastern tip of the island, is pretty large and it feels like you're rounding the edge of the island. I've seen it at a particularly large high tide, and this opening was quite large.I've been told you can paddle into this trench and that it eventually has a small channel that snakes out to the bay side of the island. I've also been told it's easy to bottom out on very shallow spots. So, this could be a fun place to explore, but check the tides so you don't get stuck if the tide is going back out. For this route, paddle past it. The first time or two that I paddled here, I didn't notice this trench. On other paddles, I've had to convince my companions that this really is not the end of the island. If the water is high enough, much of the sliver of beach in the photo below is covered, and the actual tip of the island can look deceptively far away. Here's a picture of this, but with lower water levels:

Then we returned on the bay side. Shortly after rounding the eastern tip and in Biloxi Bay, you'll come upon a small cove that looks pretty inviting for a break, but you'll just have to find a spot that isn't swarming with bugs or gulls. I have actually done trips in August where we were not bothered by the bugs at all. There are lots of options for lunch breaks, so we just pick a relatively bug free spot and relax a bit. In fact, since you can always expect some breeze out here, over the years(since I first posted this) we've realized that most of our trips here are in August. It's a break from the still air of a New Orleans summer, and you can go for a swim anytime you want to. 

It was on the bay side that we had a little excitement when this appeared next to us on our first trip:

Just a dolphin
Sometime in 2016, the City of Biloxi built this pier on the island:

We followed the northern shore of the island until we got close enough to the launch spot to make an easy crossing across the bay back to the mainland. 

Using the Biloxi casinos as our targets as we paddle back towards our launch/take out. 

As you're returning along the northern side of the island, going east to west, there's a marina that blocks your view of the Kuhn St launch. Look for the large white Biloxi Yacht Club and the metallic sides of the O'Keefe Museum, both of which are on other side of the beach highway, but are very visible landmarks for your crossing. You may not see the parking lot and your vehicle until you're most of the way back across.

Here's a nice article from my friend, Jack Curry, about camping on Deer Island:

http://neworleansoutdoorcompanion.blogspot.com/2013/02/deer-island-ms-wilderness-hiding-in.html

Old Fort Bayou Paddle - North From The Shed BBQ (Ocean Springs, MS)

It's probably safe to say that most paddlers around here know of Old Fort Bayou because of the annual Battle on the Bayou paddle race. This is a race based in the Gulf Hills area of Ocean Springs, and its route feels like a typical coastal bayou, with marsh grass on both sides, and a lot of exposure to the wind. And, it is very much affected by the tides. This is also what people see as they cross over Old Fort Bayou in the residential and commercial areas of Ocean Springs.

However, north of I-10 Old Fort Bayou starts to narrow, and then gets more and more wooded and sheltered. This post is about paddling this northern section of Old Fort Bayou and Fort Bayou Creek, starting and finishing at The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint. This route goes north from The Shed, and is an out-and-back.

Here's a link to The Shed:

The Shed Launch

The actual route, as recorded by my Garmin.

Yes, The Shed is a part of the plan: We get to eat really good BBQ within minutes of finishing our trip. And, they do have really good beer too, by the way. 

It's really quite stark how much more wooded this route is than the southern part of the bayou, with beautiful blooming magnolias, wisteria, wild roses, amazing azaleas, and more(March and April are beautiful here) draping over the water's edge. Again, because the lower two-thirds of Old Fort Bayou is marsh grass and power boats, and home to one of the largest kayaking events in the area, I don't think many people realize how beautiful the northern end of the bayou/creek is. I don't think we've ever passed another paddler out here.

Just a slight current as we headed out

There are a lot of sandy landing spots along the way, some clearly private property, and some unmarked.

It narrows as you head north, and becomes much more sheltered. We may pass one or two fisherman within the first  mile or two. 

Our trips are usually just over 8 miles, and we basically turn around when the overhanging branches get a little too thick, and when our long sea kayaks become too long for the obstacles: logs, overhangs, curves, narrow spots...

This is a very pleasant paddle, which at times feels like an easy river, and at others like a very still bayou. Almost any decent 12'-17' kayak or good canoe would be appropriate for this trip.

Old Fort Bayou is affected by the tides, and I've definitely felt the current when I've paddled south of The Shed. On this northern stretch, however, the slight current, if any, disappears before too long. Really, the wind is as likely to be a factor as tidal flow. As the bayou turns and winds north, it becomes more and more still and coffee-colored. 

Since this is an out-and-back, this route is pretty simple to follow. There are some detours you could explore along the way, but really, there are only two real forks, or decisions to make regarding your route: Right around the first 1/2 mile, there's a pretty distinct fork, but the right-hand option is just a short cul de sac--perhaps a tenth of a mile. Then, between 3 and 3 1/2 miles,   there will be a left or right option, with the right option being a good bit narrower. On the maps, this right option is actually listed as Old Fort Bayou, and the left option is listed as Fort Bayou Creek.

There is usually distinctly orange or caramel color to the water on this little section to the right:

Same spot, but on the return trip (so it's on the left):

The right hand option at the fork

In the picture below, the water was a little low, and this little stretch of Old Fort Bayou to the right was beautiful, but shallow, and not really the right place for a 17' sea kayak. But, this would make an excellent lunch spot with lots of sand, shade, and clear, cool water:

The Fort Bayou Creek option to the left has always been clear for another mile or so before we turn around.

Continuing along Fort Bayou Creek, after the fork.

After the fork, Fort Bayou Creek gets even prettier, with more trees leaning across the water, much more shade, and (at least in spring) the smell of flowers and the sound of birds is constant. I believe sweet olive was the smell of the day on our March 2020 trip, and the surface of the water was lightly coated with tiny white flower petals: 

But, 4 miles seems to be about as far as we ever get before deciding to turn around:

We certainly could've gotten out and gone past the log in the above picture, but 8 miles was perfect for us on this day.

Launch info:

There is a public boat launch right behind The Shed, but just beyond the large parking area, to the north and west, is a nice dirt kayak/canoe launch. It's at the end of the long wooden dock that extends from the end of the restaurant, upstream a bit. I actually didn't know about this dirt launch until someone from The Shed came over and told us, right before we launched from the concrete launch. Here's a snip of a Google satellite view of this area:

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.4483774,-88.7203801,137m/data=!3m1!1e3

***NOTE***In March of 2020, we came back to do this paddle for the first time in 2 or 3 years, and a small boathouse belonging to The Shed was moored to the end of their dock, partially blocking this dirt launch.  We were still able to launch and go around it, but it did make the launch spot less obvious. Update to this update: A few weeks later, this launch spot was overgrown, still blocked by the boat house, and inaccessible. We launched from the main, concrete launch alongside the restaurant. 2020, of course, was a year like no other, with the pandemic and shutdowns, and I'm hopeful this launch gets re-established in the future. I'll keep this post updated as I can. Meanwhile, the main concrete launch is still good.

 

That's about it. I'll finish by saying this really is a peaceful paddle that's very beautiful when spring flowers are blooming--March through May.  Enjoy the paddle, then the BBQ afterwards!