Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
146 acres2.6 mi of trail
Fontainbleau Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Zach123abc · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Ocean Springs
14% of Ocean Springs’ land is conserved: 1,059 acres
The biggest trail networks: Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge (2.6 mi), Gulf Islands National Seashore (2.2 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 457 acres are parks and preserves, 24 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #1 of 101 in Mississippi. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
1,059 acres · of 11.6 sq mi of land
Trails
5.8 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
457 ac
24 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.8 mi
1.1 mi lanes · 0.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Ocean Springs?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ocean Springs have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ocean Springs is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #1 of 101 in Mississippi. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ocean Springs’ overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical MS town 2% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · MS 0.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land24 acres of park per 1,000 residents (457 acres) · MS 8 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home88% of residents within a half mile of a park · MS 46% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 84%
LessMore
Mississippi towns of 2,500+ (101)#1 of 101
Few Mississippi towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Ocean Springs’ 14% is ahead of 91% of Mississippi towns, while its trails per square mile lead 92% of them.
Water is 24% of Ocean Springs’ area (4 of 15 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 11%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Managed by National Park Service
372 acres2.2 mi of trail
CCC Trailunofficial sidetrail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Mississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park
Park
13 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cedar Point Site
Managed by State of Mississippi
205 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 20 parks & preserves
Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge146 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsGulf Islands National Seashore372 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsMississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsInner Harbor Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Land Trust of Mississippi Coastal Plain Weeks Bayou Site3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Little Childrens Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCedar Point Site205 acres · State of Mississippi
DirectionsMarine Education Center17 acres
DirectionsOcean Springs City Park13 acres
DirectionsClay Boyd Park5 acres
Parker Field3 acres
Land Trust of Mississippi Coastal Plain Hellmer's Lane Site2 acres
DirectionsRosetti Park1 acres
DirectionsShearwater Park1 acres
Dr. Thomas D. McIlwain Harbor Green1 acres
DirectionsMartinLuther King Jr. Park1 acres
DirectionsMarble Springs Park1 acres
Marshal Park1 acres
DirectionsLe Monye Park1 acres
Fort Bayou Estates Children's Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,059 conserved acres
14% of Ocean Springs’ land. Water is left out: Ocean Springs has 11.6 square miles of land and 3.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ocean Springs’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land483 ac
National Park Service382 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service296 ac
Town or city42 ac
County4 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land1 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
State Conservation Area · 483 acNational Lakeshore or Seashore · 380 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 296 acLocal Park · 25 acLocal Recreation Area · 20 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf Islands National Seashore National Lakeshore or Seashore | National Park Service | 380 | Open |
| Old Fort Bayou Coastal Reserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 324 | Restricted |
| Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 296 | Restricted |
| Davis Bayou Coastal Reserve State Conservation Area | Other state land | 157 | Restricted |
| Gay Lemon Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Fort Maurepas City Park And Nature Preserve Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Ocean Springs City Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Clay Boyd Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Inner Harbor Park Local Park | County | 4 | Open |
| Freedom Field Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Ocean Springs
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ocean Springs
Saint Alphonsus School Playground
DirectionsPlus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Ocean Springs
Boat RampsIn Gulf Islands National Seashore
DirectionsFishing spots in Ocean Springs
Fish Pier Car Park
DirectionsScenic views in Ocean Springs
CCC Dining Hall RuinsIn Gulf Islands National Seashore
DirectionsObservation DeckIn Gulf Islands National Seashore
DirectionsObservation DeckIn Gulf Islands National Seashore
DirectionsObservation DeckIn Gulf Islands National Seashore
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.8 mi
Fontainbleau Trail1.4 mi
Nature Trail0.2 mi
CCC Trail0.2 mi
unofficial sidetrail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
10Tennis
8Baseball
1Beach volleyball
1Volleyball
1Basketball
1Football
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →21 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot at Ocean SpringsBuilding · listed 1979
About itSaint John's Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1987
About itCarter-Callaway HouseBuilding · listed 1987
About itCochran-Cassanova HouseBuilding · listed 1987
About itHansen-Dickey HouseBuilding · listed 1987
About itHouse at 1112 Bowen AvenueBuilding · listed 1987
About itHouse at 1410 Bowen AvenueBuilding · listed 1987
About itIndian Springs Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itMarble Springs Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itO'Keefe-Clark Boarding HouseBuilding · listed 1987
About itOld Farmers and Merchants State BankBuilding · listed 1987
About itSullivan-Charnley Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About it9 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ocean Springs: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.4 | 11.1 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.7 | 14.1 | 13.9 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 10.2 |
| High (°F) | 60 | 63 | 70 | 75 | 82 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 86 | 79 | 69 | 62 |
| Rain (in) | 5.6 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 6.7 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 5.9 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.9 |
October is the driest month (3.9 in) and August the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 7.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Ocean Springs →
Next door
Ocean Springs and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Springs | 14% | 0.5 | 24 | 88% | A− |
| Gulf Hills | 27% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| Gulf Park Estates | 17% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Biloxi | 6% | 0.3 | 5 | 60% | B− |
| Gautier | 26% | 0.2 | 9 | 27% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ocean Springs
Where can I hike in Ocean Springs?
The longest trail networks: Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, 2.6 miles; Gulf Islands National Seashore, 2.2 miles; Mississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ocean Springs is conserved land?
14% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Mississippi town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Ocean Springs’ trails?
Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge and Gulf Islands National Seashore don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ocean Springs?
1.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.1 of painted or protected lanes and 0.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Ocean Springs?
18,473 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ocean Springs or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 457 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ocean Springs have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #1 of 101 in Mississippi. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Ocean Springs neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →