Bienville National Forest, National forest in Scott, Smith, Jasper and Newton counties, Mississippi, United States

Bienville National Forest covers 178,541 acres across Scott, Smith, Jasper and Newton counties in central Mississippi, with its headquarters in Jackson and a ranger district office in Forest. It lies in the Southeastern mixed forests ecoregion and holds stands of pine and oak; the upper courses of the Leaf and Strong rivers flow through it.

The forest was established in 1936 as part of a federal program that bought and protected land that had been heavily logged in the decades before. The pine stands replanted during that era now form the core of what visitors see today.

The forest is named for Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, an official of French Louisiana. The name was given when the forest was established on June 15, 1936. The forest lies in Scott, Smith, Jasper and Newton counties, and its headquarters is in Jackson, as with all six Mississippi national forests.

The forest has campgrounds, hiking trails, and picnic spots spread across the area, so it helps to check which zone you want to visit before arriving. Fishing is possible at several lakes, but seasonal rules apply and it is worth confirming them in advance.

Within the forest, three separate wildlife management zones are dedicated specifically to white-tailed deer and wild turkeys, which is unusual for a national forest of this size. These zones follow their own set of rules that differ from the rest of the forest, so hunters and wildlife watchers should look into them separately.