De Soto National Forest

The De Soto National Forest is a National Forest, which is located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The forest covers an area of 1532 km ², of which 190 km ² are designated as wilderness. These are in detail the Leaf River Wilderness 170 km ² and the Black Creek Wilderness 20 km ². On its border flows of Leaf River, home to the rare Yellow Polka Dot hump turtle among others.

The De Soto National Forest extends between Hattiesburg and Gulfport in the north to the south of the Gulf of Mexico.