Come Visit the Refuge

The refuge is currently closed to the public. After Katrina, the refuge is building new facilities and as soon as those facilities are completed, we will reopen for visitors. We anticipate being reopened Spring 2008.

The refuge is located in Jackson County in extreme southeast Mississippi, about three miles north of Gautier, Mississippi.

It is less than a one-hour drive west from Mobile, Alabama, and about a two-hour drive east from New Orleans.

The headquarters and visitor center is located one half mile north of Interstate I-10, at Exit 61, off the Gautier-Vancleave Road.

The headquarters and visitor's center are open from 8am to 4pm, Monday through Friday. There is a nature trail at the Visitor's Center that is open only at that time, as well.

The Fontainebleau trail in Ocean Springs is open during daylight hours.

The wet pine savanna and the cranes are sensitive to disturbance; therefore, most of the refuge is closed to the public. We often offer special tours and opportunities to view cranes and other birds. These tours are scheduled with special emphasis on minimal disturbance.

The refuge does not have camping facilities. Camping is offered at the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Ocean Springs, Shepard State Park in Gautier, and local private campgrounds.