Mississippi
When to catch Noxubee Refugeat its best
Noxubee Refuge through the year: wildlife by season (3 separate phases, from May), fall foliage (usually: November: … Peak of fall colors) and wildflowers (5 separate phases, from February). Each has its own page with spots, sources and the latest reports.
RIGHT NOW · SEP 30
- Latest reportNo dated report this season; the posters below show each usual window.
- This weekend (NWS)Sat showers and thunderstorms, 85°F · Sun rain showers likely, 80°F
- Park alertsCheck the managing agency before you go
When are you going?
Fall at Noxubee Refuge
- USUAL PEAK · FALL FOLIAGENoxubee RefugeNovember: … Peak of fall colorsMississippi
“November: … Peak of fall colors” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Also good in fall
- End of the season for flowering plants
From each place's own sources; no peak claimed.
Winter at Noxubee Refuge
Next peak here after winter
“November: … Peak of fall colors” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Spring at Noxubee Refuge
Also good in spring
- Red-cockaded woodpeckers start to nest
From each place's own sources; no peak claimed.
Next peak here after spring
“November: … Peak of fall colors” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Summer at Noxubee Refuge
Good in summer
- Queen Anne's lace and maypops bloom
From each place's own sources; no peak claimed.
Next peak here after summer
“November: … Peak of fall colors” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Where to go at Noxubee Refuge
- Noxubee Refuge3 separate phases, from MayThis page
- Natchez Trace Parkway, MississippiLocal timing: early March through May, section by section
Best spots
Wildlife by season
- Bluff Lake BoardwalkA 0.15-mile boardwalk over a wetland to an observation platform, with views of waterfowl, egrets and other wading birds in the rookery in spring and summer; no bikesU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
- Goose OverlookA viewing area on a bluff above the Dickerson Arm of Bluff Lake, reached by a level 150-foot concrete walkU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Fall foliage
- Morgan Hill OverlookAn observation platform on Morgan Hill with perhaps one of the best views on the refuge, over the whole 450-acre Loakfoma Lake; the overlook trail is 0.39 mileU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
- Goose OverlookA viewing area on a bluff above the Dickerson Arm of Bluff Lake, reached by a level 150-foot concrete walkU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Wildflowers
- Woodpecker TrailA 0.96-mile foot trail, open in daylight; leashed pets are welcome, bikes are notU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
- Beaver Dam TrailA 1.22-mile foot trail, open in daylight; in winter and spring parts of some trails can be under water after floodsU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Next 7 days at Noxubee Refuge
- TodaySunny92° / 68°–
- ThuSunny92° / 69°10% rain
- FriChance Showers And Thunderstorms91° / 68°52% rain
- SatShowers And Thunderstorms85° / 67°76% rain
- SunRain Showers Likely80° / 63°65% rain
- MonSlight Chance Rain Showers80° / 57°21% rain
- TueSlight Chance Rain Showers80° / 58°18% rain
Today: sunrise 6:49 a.m., sunset 6:42 p.m., light until 7:07 p.m. · moon waning gibbous, 78% lit (our calculation)
Visitor reports, not verified
Visitor reports for Noxubee Refuge open around Oct 11: that's when you can tell us how the trees looked.
Nearby, and when they peak
- USUAL PEAK · SPRING MIGRATIONWheeler RefugeApril: Teal migration is at its peak.137 mi
“April: Teal migration is at its peak.” · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
- SEASON · FALL FOLIAGENatchez Trace Parkway, MississippiFrom mid-October near Nashville to just before Thanksgiving near Jackson, Mississippi73 mi
“from mid-October near Nashville to just before Thanksgiving near Jackson, Mississippi” · National Park Service ↗
Towns nearby
- Starkville, MS14 mi
- Meridian, MS62 mi
- Tupelo, MS69 mi
- Tuscaloosa, AL73 mi
- Oxford, MS86 mi
- Jackson, MS106 mi
Noxubee Refuge in pictures
Questions people ask
Where can I see the heron and egret rookery?
From the Bluff Lake Boardwalk. The Fish and Wildlife Service says it crosses a wetland with excellent views of waterfowl, egrets and other wading birds in the rookery in spring and summer, and it ends at an observation platform.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee NWR: Photography ↗ (opens in a new tab)
What wildlife can I expect from May to August?
The refuge’s own calendar lists cattle egret and heron rookeries active, bluebirds and prothonotary warblers nesting and alligators active in May; the cattle egret rookery full, with cormorants and anhingas on Bluff Lake, in July; and wood storks on the lakes, cattle egrets nesting and alligators very visible in August.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee NWR: Species ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Is the refuge good for wildlife photography?
Yes. The Fish and Wildlife Service says it offers excellent opportunities all year to photograph alligators, waterfowl, warblers and many other species, from five observation platforms.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee NWR: Photography ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Is there an easy, level viewpoint?
Goose Overlook is reached by a level, 150-foot concrete walk. Otherwise, trails aren't wheelchair accessible unless marked.Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee NWR: Photography ↗ (opens in a new tab), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee NWR: Trails ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How we know
- Sep 29Park ServiceThe refuge's month-by-month Seasons of Wildlife calendar: blossoms, flowers, nesting, migration, fall color and wintering eaglesSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee NWR: Species in a new tab)