Located within the De Soto National Forest, Mississippi's largest wilderness lies in the broad valley of Black Creek, stained a deep caramel color by the tannic acid of decaying vegetation.

It is therefore an important representation of typical coastal plain ecosystems that existed before forests were cleared[2] and the rivers dammed.

[3] Rare species include the Pearl darter and the Yellow-blotched map turtle, both found only in this river and its tributaries.

"[5] Black Creek bisects Black Creek Wilderness, creating a hardwood floodplain of oxbow lakes and thick stands of sweet gum, sweet bay, red maple, oak, pine, and bald cypress.

[1] These represent the sort of forests that form when natural levels of water, including spring flooding and summer drought, control the distribution of species.