Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
East Levee Road, but the road name is not marked. A hunter's permit station and sign mark
the beginning of the refuge.
When birding along the roads here in the winter or very early spring, watch for great blue
heron, eastern meadowlark, loggerhead shrike, red-tailed hawk, northern harrier, American
kestrel, killdeer, great egret, and wood duck. Small ponds and flooded fields below the levee
will often yield ducks, sometimes in large numbers. Waterfowl that can be seen here regu-
larly include ring-necked duck, blue-winged teal, American coot, pied-billed grebe, gadwall,
green-winged teal, northern shoveler, American wigeon, ruddy duck, canvasback, and red-
head. A spotting scope will be very handy.
East Levee Road comes out onto a paved road that heads right (west) to Holly Bluff; this
road crosses the channel, and the West Levee Road (also dirt) heads north back into the
refuge. In the flooded fields on the west side of this road, I have seen gatherings of great
egrets in the hundreds. From West Levee Road to SH 16 in Holly Bluff is 6 miles.
Delta National Forest
Just west of Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is Delta National Forest, the only
bottomland hardwood national forest in the national forest system. Coming out of Holly
Bluff, SH 16 is heading south. Just after the bridge over Big Sunflower River, barely south of
Holly Bluff on SH 16, a paved road veers to the left (toward Spanish Fort) just before SH 16
makes a bend to the right (west). The Forest Service map shows this road as going straight
south from the bend in SH 16, but, in fact, this road cuts off to the left from SH 16 just be-
fore SH 16 makes the bend to the west. Following this road will take you into the middle of
the national forest. After about 5 miles, the road turns to dirt, but it is smooth and passable.
Many of the roads in the national forest are dirt. Most are good roads, but after heavy rains
they can be difficult for cars, and there are some places where the roads get washed out and
are passable only to four-wheel-drive vehicles.
