Red Bluff is attracting plenty of people escaping the confines of their own four walls during this time of self-distancing, shelter-in-place, safer-at-home and all around quarantine thanks to the coronavirus.
Walking among the parked vehicles Monday at "Mississippi's Little Grand Canyon," one could look at the license plates and see visitors from all over. They had come from Hinds, Hancock, Forest, Franklin, Lincoln, Lamar and Marion counties and also from Louisiana and Alabama. Cars were lined up on both sides of the bluff with people constantly coming and going.
Red Bluff, a natural rock formation along the Pearl River near Morgantown, is privately owned and has "no trespassing" signs posted. However, those are regularly ignored by hikers and others seeking outdoor recreation.
Emily Cobb and her family visited Monday. Cobb had never been there but Crosby, her husband, had. They decided to visit because they figured it would be a fun place to visit that is remote and a lot of people would not be there and it would be easier to social distance themselves.
“We decided to come out and enjoy it,” Cobb said. Of seeing it for the first time, “It’s awesome and super cool.”
Cobb did note the amount of litter spread about in the area.
“It’s a shame; it's private property, and we are being allowed to see this.”
As it is on private property, it does not fall under the guidelines issued by Gov. Tate Reeves when he issued the shelter-in-place order closing parks to prevent large social and non-essential gatherings.
Marion County Chief Deputy Jamie Singley said Monday because Red Bluff is on private property, there is not much that can be done to enforce the social distancing rules regarding the amount of people visiting each day.
Barricades have been set up, but the people have been driving around them to see the area. Standing at the top Monday, one could hear people talking and laughing down below. Every so often, a person or a family could be spotted on the bottom exploring different parts of the site.
Hunter Carter from Hattiesburg, a repeat visitor to Red Bluff, came with some friends and just wanted to explore the area.
"You get to keep a lot of distance from most people around here. It is not like going to a park that is crowded," he said.
However, Carter noted, this visit was one of the busiest he has ever seen it at Red Bluff.
Kiki Robinson of McComb said Monday she wanted to explore the area. It was her first visit to the landmark. Robinson said her job has her out in the public and that has made her not as nervous about the coronavirus.
Ashley Moran from Gulfport said she and her family were absolutely amazed at the site.
“We heard a lot about it on Facebook so with all of the pictures we wanted to come and see it for ourselves," she said.
