In Hattiesburg, a new kind of Southern Miss game day tradition is quietly taking shape.
Instead of battling traffic around campus or circling parking lots near the stadium, some fans are choosing a different route to the game. They arrive on bicycles, running shoes, and even golf carts, cruising down the Long Leaf Trace toward the campus of University of Southern Mississippi.
What began as a recreational trail has slowly become one of the most unique ways to experience Golden Eagles game days.
For many locals, the ride down the Trace has become just as much a part of the Game Day experience itself.
What Is the Long Leaf Trace?
The Long Leaf Trace is a 44-mile rails-to-trails path that stretches from Hattiesburg to Prentiss, Mississippi. Built along a former Mississippi Central Railroad corridor, the paved trail has grown into one of the most popular cycling and running destinations in the state.
The trail officially opened in 2000 and has expanded over the years with multiple trailheads, rest areas, and scenic stretches through the Pine Belt’s forests and small towns.
Today, the Trace draws thousands of visitors each year for cycling, running, and outdoor recreation. But in Hattiesburg, it has also become something else entirely.
A game day gateway to Southern Miss athletics.
Spring on the Trace: The Road to Pete Taylor Park
While the Trace serves as a route to football games in the fall, the trail takes on a completely different personality during Southern Miss baseball season.
Spring in Hattiesburg means baseball.
And on any given game day, the Trace becomes a moving parade of fans heading toward Pete Taylor Park.
Joggers in black and gold pass cyclists making their way toward campus. Families cruise down the trail in golf carts decorated with Southern Miss flags. People ride bikes, some with coolers strapped to the back. Some fans even pull wagons loaded with folding chairs and tailgate supplies.
By mid-afternoon, the trail begins to feel less like a recreation path and more like a pregame procession.
Everyone is heading to the same place.
Pete Taylor Park.
The closer fans get to campus, the more the baseball atmosphere takes over. The sounds of The Grateful Dead playing from the ballpark. The sights and smells coming from The Roost. The crack of batting practice echoes from inside the stadium. Somewhere nearby, someone is listening to John Cox on the Southern Miss radio broadcast while debating pitching matchups for the weekend series.
Many of those fans are headed for one of college baseball’s most famous outfield party decks — the Right Field Roost.
The Roost has become a legendary gathering place for Southern Miss baseball fans, where grills fire up hours before first pitch and fans watch the game from lawn chairs just beyond the outfield wall. On big weekends, it becomes one of the most electric atmospheres in college baseball.
And for some fans, the trip to the Roost begins miles away on the Long Leaf Trace.
A Scenic Alternative to Game Day Traffic
Anyone who has attended a Southern Miss game knows that traffic and parking around campus can get hectic.
That is where the Trace has quietly become a favorite alternative for some fans.
Instead of dealing with crowded parking lots and traffic bottlenecks, fans can park at a nearby trailhead and bike or walk directly toward campus. The ride itself becomes part of the experience.
The Gateway Trailhead, right across the street from campus under the Southern Miss water tower, one of the most popular starting points in Hattiesburg, sits only a short ride from the university. From there, fans can easily make their way toward campus while enjoying one of the most scenic routes in the Pine Belt.
By the time they arrive near the stadium, the energy of game day is already building.
A New Game Day Tradition in the Pine Belt
Game day traditions evolve over time.
Some involve marching bands and pregame ceremonies. Others involve tailgating rituals passed down through generations of fans.
The Long Leaf Trace may not have been built with sports in mind, but it has slowly become part of the Southern Miss game day culture.
For cyclists, runners, and outdoor enthusiasts in the Pine Belt, the trail offers a unique way to experience the energy of a Golden Eagles game day.
It is a reminder that sometimes the best part of the day is not just the game itself.
Sometimes it is the journey getting there.
And in Baseburg, that journey often begins on the Long Leaf Trace, rolling through the pine trees toward campus, with the sounds of Southern Miss baseball waiting just beyond the trail.
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