Jackson Free Press

If you eat right and exercise, the Freshman 15 won't be a problem. Luckily, the Jackson metro area has a few places to walk and hike, so you can get your exercise in.

Clinton Community Nature Center (617 Dunton Road, Clinton, 601-926-1104)

The Clinton Community Nature Center is one of the best-kept secrets in the metro. It is secluded and usually sparsely populated. It features 2.1 miles of shaded walking trails, a splashing frog water feature, amphitheater, native plants, wildlife and more. The trails are open seven days from 7 a.m. until sunset.

Cypress Swamp (Natchez Trace Parkway, Milepost 122, Canton)

Cypress Swamp is a scenic trail on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi that leads to an abandoned river channel. As the channel fills with silt and vegetation, black willow, sycamore, red maple and other trees will gradually replace the bald cypress and tupelo.

Flowood Nature Park (4077 Flowood Drive, Flowood, 601-992-4440)

Close to Flowood Elementary School, this natural site is a one-mile, paved, distance-marked walking trail. From the beginning of the trail, it runs beside the lake and into a wooded area on the rear of the park. The trail weaves through a mature hardwood forest with markers for native trees and plant species, where anyone can learn about trees, plants and wildlife in the area.

Parham Bridges Walking Trail (5055 Old Canton Road)

Parham Bridges Park has a paved walking trail located at the intersection of Ridgewood and Old Canton roads. It's about five miles from Belhaven University, Millsaps College and Tougaloo College, and about eight miles from Jackson State University.

Mirror Lake Walking Trail (2829 Lakeland Drive, Flowood)

This walking trail is approximately 0.58 miles, starting at Mirror Lake in Flowood. People can bring bread crumbs here to feed the geese and ducks that frequent this area. The walking trail is a loop, mostly flat, with a paved path.

Ridgeland Multi-Use Path

The City of Ridgeland has built a multi-use path for cyclists, walkers, joggers, roller-bladers and more that parallels the parkway from Highland Colony Parkway near milepost 101 to Harbor Drive near milepost 103. It connects to a Reservoir Overlook area at milepost 105.

TC Squared Walking Trail (Tougaloo College)

If you go to Tougaloo, you don't necessarily have to travel to find a trail. The college has the TC Squared trail on campus, which it created with the help of Blue Cross & Blue Shield. It's located at the front of the campus and is about 1/3 of a mile long.

Campus Gold Trail and Academic Green Trail

Belhaven has two campus trails, which it also created with the help of BCBS. The trails are built around the campus and overlap one another.

See more events at jfpevents.com.