Natchez Trace Parkway

Address:Tupelo, Mississippi
Tel: (256) 845-9605

Travel in the footsteps of the Native Americans, and the Western pioneers, at Natchez Trace Parkway. Accessible from entry points near Natchez, Jackson, and Tupelo, Mississippi, Cherokee, Alabama, and Nashville, Tennessee, the Natchez Trace Parkway offers visitors an opportunity to drive along the beautiful, scenic route, as well as to hike, bike, and camp.

The Natchez Trace Parkway, a 444-mile road connecting the southern portions of Mississippi, Alabama, and salt licks in modern, central Tennessee, was built in commemoration of an ancient Native American trail, used extensively in the late 18th, and early 19th centuries. Originally formed by the wanderings of bison and other game, the Natchez Trace was not traveled in its entirety by a European until 1742. By 1809, the US Army and private contractors had blazed the trail so that it was entirely navigable by wagon, leading to the development of settlements along the route. By 1816, however, the development of other cities started to pull the concentration of trade both eastwards and westwards, so that, by 1830, the Natchez Trace was abandoned as an official road, and faded back into the obscurity of the wilderness. In 1938, however, President Franklin Roosevelt signed legislation to have the Civilian Conservation Corps recreate the parkway, with construction beginning in 1939, under the supervision of the National Park Service.

Today, visitors can enjoy the continuous, designated bicycle route on the Natchez Trace Parkway, which takes visitors near about 40 food and supply stores. You can also camp at any one of over 20 campsites located on the parkway, or simply explore the beautiful, 45,000-acre, area encompassed by the parkway, all without any fees. Sixty-five miles of the original Natchez Trace are now divided into four footpaths, and administered by the Natchez Trace Parkway for your hiking pleasure. Around ten bike sale and service stations are available in the Jackson, Nashville, Natchez, and Tupelo areas so there's no reason to miss out on this adventure whether or not you have a bicycle.

To get to the Natchez Trace Parkway, you can take a Greyhound bus to Jackson or Tupelo, Missouri, or Nashville, Tennessee, an Amtrak train into Jackson, a Delta bus into Natchez, or fly into Jackson, Tupelo, or Nashville. Visit the Natchez Trace Parkway, and enjoy this commemoration of the beauty of nature and history.