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Canoe or Kayak Mississippi's only White Water Stream. 
The Okatoma Creek is Mississippi's only white water stream. The Okatoma Creek is a tributary of the Bouie River in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is part of the watershed of the Pascagoula River. It is popular as a place to enjoy whitewater canoeing or kayaking. It offers plenty of fun for the causal canoe enthusiast with its class I and class II rapids and a relaxing float in between for everyone. It offers great half-day or full-day trips. Furthermore, the southern Mississippi climate allows for enjoyment of the river in the spring and fall where you can enjoy the sights and fragrances of the flowers and new leaves in the spring and the beautiful fall colors in Autumn. Its floatable area is near the communities of Seminary, Sanford, and Lux in Covington County Mississippi about 10 miles north of the city of Hattiesburg.
The Okatoma Creek, at some times large enough to be called a river, has already assured Covington County’s place in history for, according to local Indian lore enthusiasts, Choctaw campsites can be found in almost every part of Covington County, but are most numerous along the banks of the Okatoma. Because the Indians lived in close harmony with the land, being careful not to abuse her resources, today we may share in the Okatoma’s recreational offerings and invite friends and tourists from other regions and states to join us. Canoe rentals are available for navigating the Okatoma, which the U.S. Department of the Interior has described as: a gently flowing pristine stream with sandbars, waterfalls, shoals, bluffs and high banks covered with maple, birch and magnolias; creating a canopy effect; a variety of flora, wild life and riverine species. There would be no Okatoma Festival were it not for the Okatoma River, Mississippi’s only "white water," for the Okatoma Canoe Race is a focal activity of the celebration. Intrepid canoeing teams, challenging a series of waterfalls and rapids which spill over shelves of sandstone and clay, enter the race at the Seminary ramps on Highway 590 as well-wishers line the banks to cheer their favorite canoeists on to victory. -Courtesy Of the Covington Chamber of Commerce
"There's White Water In Mississippi"Excerpts from an article from the May 1984 issue of Southern Living Along it's course, Okatoma Creek Flows from quiet pools, shaded yb forested banks, into open stretches that sparkle in the sun. The water is deep and green in the pools, but clear in the sunlight, where the sand bottoms are shallow enough for wading. Here and there over the rock beds, the creek gurgles in shoals and foams in small rapids. It sounds like a stream in the Southern Highlands, but instead, Okatoma Creek courses along the lowland spine of Southern Mississippi near Hattiesburg. It is one of a dozen or so streams in thye state that has become popular for canoeing, picnicking, fishing, and swimming, especially on weekends. "It's pretty quiet here during the week, but on good warm weekends you'll have about 200 canoes to keep you company," says Ronnie Robinson of Sanford, a crowwroads town on the Okatoma. On such weekens, Robinson may rent 130 of those canoes. He operates Okatoma Outdoor Post, shuttling canoers and his crafts between his business and the creek. They float a 13-mile stretch from Seminary to Sanford, or a shorter 6-mile section below sanford that takes two to three hours. Some combine the two routes for overnight camping. Most chose the Seminary-to-Sanford course, a trip that usually takes four to six hours. Weekdays are the best timss, when the creek is quiet except for occasional voices and the dip of paddles. On the approach of canoes, soft-shell turtles lazing on sunny logs plop into the water. Far downstream, a shy, great blue heron lifts from its streamside perch. Only the falls break the hushed reverie of a journey on the creek. Three rapids along the seminary-to-sanford stretch, one called The Chute, offer a fast ride in white water and tip over many canoes. Depenbding on the water level, however, most novices can negotiate the rapids without getting wet. Like The Chute on the Okatoma, other Mississippi streams are characterized by natural and manmade landmarks and by the activities they offer. On the Chunky River, it's the towering Dunn's Falls, a manmade power source for a 19th century textile mill. The Chikasawhay River flows under high, limestone bluffs. Chuch Estes, a polution control engineer with the Mississippi Department of Natural Resources, has canoed many of the streams. Among his favorites are the Bogue Chitto River and Black Creek. "The Okatoma, However, is far and away the most popular," he says. "It's near Jackson and even closer for students at the uniersity in Hattiesburg. One saturday, I counted 150 commercial canoes going into the river." Several of Mississippi's main canoeing stgreams are near I59, which is a major corridor to New Orleans and this year's World's Fair.
Want to learn more about the Okatoma Creek and opportunities for canoeing, kayaking, and camping? Check out the folks at Okatoma Outdoor Post, also known as Okatoma Canoe Rental.
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