Gulf Islands Wilderness

The Gulf Islands Wilderness comprises Horn and Petit Bois Islands, offering a place of solitude and self-reliance. The undeveloped islands remain wild, with minimal signs of modern human impact. They are continuously shaped by powerful oceanic and weather forces. The dynamic landscape holds intricate ecosystems — rolling dunes, dense maritime forests, and unusual wetlands — home to adapted wildlife and plants including sea oats, live oaks, saw palmetto, prickly pear cactus, southeastern snowy plovers, southern bald eagles, American alligators, ghost crabs, and various snake species. The surrounding waters support a thriving sea life, with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, moon jellies, Portuguese man-of-war, and Kemp's ridley turtles among the notable residents. All of this Wilderness lies in Mississippi and is managed by the National Park Service. Congress designated it in 1978.