Ford's Well Day Use Area

Ford's Well Recreation Area is located on the south side of Enid Lake. It is designed for horse enthusiasts to be able to camp with their horses and to ride the 20.8 mile Spyglass Hill Trail, and is popular among equestrian riders and historians. The area is a point of historical significance as an early 1900s site where many visitors came to either drink or bathe in the therapeutic waters that were produced by Mr. W. B. Ford's water well. It was also a way station for a major stage coach route through North Mississippi. Five interpretive buildings date back to the early 1900s — a water well with gazebo, a log cabin, a blacksmith shop, an outhouse and a barn — and interpretive programs and guided tours of the buildings are provided on request. Spyglass Hill Trail offers outdoor enthusiasts 20.8 miles of moderately hilly terrain with rock outcrops and scenic views of Enid Lake. Rest stops along the trail include picnic tables, grills, service tables, a swing bench and a prominent peak that provides a view of the lake. Visitors hiking, horseback riding or mountain biking along this trail will find numerous locations for viewing the local plant and animal species of this northern Mississippi hill country, and it is a perfect location for capturing a sunset or a rock sculpture made from some of the largest sandstone outcrops in the area. The horse-friendly campground has 18 sites, each with a 70 foot RV pad with parking apron, water, electric and sewage hook-ups, charcoal grill, grill table, picnic table, lantern holder, fire ring and hitching rail for horses. Other amenities in the campground include a picnic shelter, six picnic sites, a playground, an accessible shower house with flush toilets, a dump station, a horse shower station, a horse waste deposit bin and a mounting block. The campsites are nestled among towering native pine and oak trees with a distant view of the lake, and the surrounding woods provide habitat for squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, deer, butterflies and a variety of birds. Nearby recreation areas on Enid Lake offer access to the lake for boating, fishing and designated swimming areas, and the nearby towns of Water Valley and Batesville, Mississippi offer shopping, hotels, restaurants and emergency care facilities if needed.