Longleaf Trace: Epley to Clyde return

Longleaf Trace: Epley to Clyde return — detailed guide

Source review: 2026-10-12. A dated source review does not guarantee current-day conditions.

Complete editorial draft with qualifications, checked October 12, 2026. Current parking signs, the initial walking approach, crossing controls, pavement and services need a fresh local check before publication on Joy Riders USA.

This outing follows the paved Longleaf Trace from Epley Station to Clyde Depot and back. It offers a modest portion of Mississippi's longer rail-trail through the Pine Belt, with a named station at each end. The main trail is for bicycles and other shared uses; the parallel native-soil horse trail is a separate route.

Plan on approximately ten miles of trail riding. The current station list and the manager's linked map place Epley at mile 15 and Clyde at mile 10. Their five-mile separation gives a ten-mile return on the same main trail. Walking between parking and the path is additional and unmeasured. This is a distance based on published station mile markers, rather than a surveyed car-to-car measurement.

Begin at Epley Station, 1 Epley Road, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The manager lists public parking, restrooms and trailhead facilities there. Use designated visitor parking and follow the signs for the paved hiking-and-biking Trace. Walk your bicycle through parking traffic to the main path. The individual stall, precise walking line and accessible approach have not been surveyed. The supplied source coordinates are station references; this guide does not offer a parking-space navigation pin.

From Epley, ride on the main paved Trace toward Clyde Depot and Hattiesburg, generally east and southeast on the regional map. The mile numbers decrease from 15 toward 10. Stay on the main paved route at entrances and trail junctions, rather than taking a spur toward camping or the equestrian facilities near the nature center. Those facilities provide useful orientation but are not extra mileage in this outing.

At Clyde Depot, leave the through path at its designated stopping area and pause clear of other users. Turn safely and retrace the same paved Trace toward Epley, with the mile numbers increasing toward 15. Walk the parking approach back to your car. You can shorten the outing by returning earlier from a clear stopping place, but that shorter distance is not measured here.

The manager describes the Trace's event course as gentle and paved. That supports the trail's general recreational character; it does not certify a maximum slope or every station approach. The main trail is described as ten feet wide. Expect shared use, take bends slowly and walk any bridge, bump or approach that feels uncomfortable. The station elevations are reference points, not a calculation of total climbing or the steepest grade.

Road crossings need attention. The manager's rules require users to stop, look and listen at motor-vehicle crossings and give vehicles the right of way. Stop completely and cross only when clear; walk your bicycle through an interface if needed. Permitted electric carts and authorized service vehicles can also use the route. At designated equestrian crossings, yield to horses. The regional map does not provide a street-by-street inventory or establish the protection at every crossing.

Keep right, warn before passing and yield to people walking. The published speed limit is 15 mph. Children younger than 12 need an adult, and pets must stay leashed. Ordinary cycling does not require booking an event. The manager's golf-cart permit policy and event approvals are separate; the electric-bike rules of another Mississippi trail do not apply here by association.

Plan this ride between sunrise and sunset. The rules allow some separately posted lighted-area exceptions, while the current safety notice gives the sunrise-to-sunset window. A daylight trip fits both. The manager calls the Trace a free attraction; optional rentals, camping or purchases are not part of this ride. Follow current parking terms at the station.

Bring drinking water and allow for a restroom being closed. A maintenance-job description that mentions cleaning water-filling stations does not establish that water is available today. The operator also identifies trail overlaying as a maintenance priority, but that statement does not prove resurfacing is complete or specify a current closure. Check the latest local signs, repairs, storm debris, pavement and station services before setting out. This draft does not supply a live all-clear, a visitor GPX or a certified accessible course.

Sources: manager trail description, stations and public facilities, linked regional map, rules and etiquette, current safety notice, manager event-course description, maintenance priority.