Winter Trails With Soul: The Best Places to Hike When Mississippi's Coolest City Gets Cooler

Jackson is home to a network of trails that come alive in the colder months, each one more unique than a rare Mississippi December snowflake.

As the temperature drops, the City With Soul's winter magic extends far beyond cozy cafes and holiday events.

LeFleur's Bluff State Park

Urban Trails in Jackson's Belhaven Neighborhood

In the heart of Jackson's Belhaven neighborhood, the Museum Trail stitches together several cultural highlights and serves as the gateway to both the Belhaven Mountain Bike Trails and the little-known Belhaven Beach trail. It is a place where the city's creative pulse meets the quiet of winter woods, where the hum of nearby traffic softens as the trail drifts into pockets of pine, oak, and gentle elevation. On crisp mornings you can wander past murals, glide under the shadow of the some of Jackson's iconic downtown streets, and follow the path into terrain that feels surprisingly wild for the middle of the capital city.

Historic Parks for Winter Walks

in West Jackson, Battlefield Park offers a quick escape with wide open fields and wooded paths that wind through one of Jackson's most historic landscapes. The city's largest and oldest park was once a civil war battleground, now it offers light stretches of greenery and changing leaves as the quiet offers visitors the chance to reflect on past years' memories and next year's dreams.

On the west side of the city, Buddy Butts Park is another historical stronghold bringing a different kind of winter experience. This park offers everything from historic World War II POW camp remnants to a network of twisting singletrack bike trails. While popular with mountain bikers, hikers will find steady elevation changes, miles of paths, shaded hollows, wildlife sightings, and long stretches of leaf-covered ground that provide a satisfying crunch under the weight of a boot. The cold air sharpens the forest's smells and sounds, turning the park into a lively pocket of winter exploration.

Museum trail bridge fall winter
Museum Trail
Credit: Museum Trail

Peaceful Winter Gardens and Nature Trails

For a gentler walk, Mynelle Gardens invites visitors into a quiet sanctuary of ponds, stone pathways, and landscaped terraces. While not quite a hike, this winter walk is a great place to find peace and to reflect on the year behind and the year ahead. The gardens hold a calm beauty that comes alive when the leaves settle and the light turns softer. It is a peaceful loop for families, photographers, or anyone looking to slow down inside the city.

Hiking LeFleur's Bluff State Park

A deep woods taste of Jackson's wintery outdoor offerings can be experienced on the hiking trails of LeFleur's Bluff State Park. With a network of trails connecting the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science to Mayes Lake, hikers will experience a backwater nursery, a fossil gulch, boardwalk bridges, and overlooks all along the Pearl River, so named for the pearls produced by once abundant mussels that called the water home. The falling leaves provide visitors with even better views of the river, and greater opportunities to view wildlife while they explore the woods.

Winter reshapes Jackson's outdoors into something quieter and more intimate. Whether you wander through curated gardens, follow singletrack into the hills, or trace your way across historic ground, the season carries its own kind of magic. Use the map below, lace up, layer up, and explore the best this city has to offer.

Happy trails.

Peter Kelly

Author

Peter Kelly

Peter Kelly is a storyteller who moves between film, writing, and business strategy to capture ideas with clarity and imagination. His creative work spans documentary filmmaking, narrative development, and photography shaped by years of exploring cultures and adventures from the American South to the far reaches of the globe. His work is guided by curiosity, a love of wild places, and a commitment to stories that unravel human connection. In his free time, Peter can typically be found rappelling, scuba diving, or reading.