Natchez Trace parkway

[gregintenn]

Is this worth the drive? What can you find to do and see along the way? The wife and I are looking for a wintertime trip, but I’m not finding much of interest here, although she’s mentioned it. I see the Inn/visitor center is closed from storm damage.

[Garufa]

I drove it one time about 25 years ago from Jackson MS up to just south of Nashville….far enough to cross the big bridge.  Was taking the scenic route from Baton Rouge to Knoxville, lol.

As I recall the Tennessee part is far more scenic.  The deeper down you go into flat Mississippi it’s like driving on a 40 mph limited access road between fields.

[bubbadavis]

I used to live a few miles from the northern start of the Trace. It was my 'therapy' motorcycle ride. I could leave the house and be slowly cruising some beautiful scenery in minutes. It's a nice drive for the scenery - at least the northern part. 

[hillbillyfab]

We, my family made a day on the TN portion of it a few years back. We stopped and hiked almost all the trails to the waterfalls and observations spots. It’s was October so it wasn’t hot and made for an enjoyable experience. If y’all like the outdoors I’d recommend it. I wish I had brought binoculars, because there was lots of wildlife to view.

[OldIronFan]

I have ridden/driven the complete length a couple times. South to North on a motorcycle, North to South on a motorcycle, North to South via truck, and partial South to North via truck. 

The rides were for my own enjoyment. The car trips were work related where I had to get down toward South Mississippi for work and had to the time to take it and stay off the interstates. 

The North end is very scenic and curvy, lots of pull offs and stops at points of interest. I would frequently stop and hike a small side trail for 10 or 15 minutes to stretch my legs. 
The South end is very pretty. Tree canopy over the road with filtered sunlight like driving through a tunnel. Spanish moss hanging from the trees. Very old south and peaceful. 
The middle is like the mid west, fly over. Not much to see, the road is pretty straight and boring, the views are nothing special, the side trips are sparser. 

There is a ton of wild life on the road, be extremely vigilant, especially near dusk and dawn. No hunting on any of this land and the deer, turkey, and associated small game have gotten the memo. You will see groups of 5, 10, or 15 animals just a few yards from the road and you will see that every 75 to 100 yards for miles. 

There are some areas in North Mississippi that are nice side trips, especially just west near the Holly Springs National Forest. I went off the trace to do some off road riding in that area and had a blast. 

[pop pop]

Driven the Parkway from Franklin to Natchez. Camped in RV along the way. Natchez is worth the trip alone if you want a peaceful scenic slow drive in the country. TN is great with lots of pullouts however you can leave the parkway to explore some of the towns while going in the boring parts (N Miss) if you have an adventurist spirit, and time. I would say go for it. Lots to see along the way. Did our trip in the spring. 

My advice, take some safety gear (EDC) with you because you are secluded on lots of the pullouts and hikes. 

Edited December 17 by pop pop

[ianb]

 

Absolutely worth the trip!

Lots of history associated with it. Meriwether Lewis is buried near Hohenwald with a small monument and museum there. The iron mines are interesting for a quick look. The "old trace drive" and several old trace walking sections give a sense of what it was like back in the day. It was an important overland route since way before white people sailed over. There's a visitors center in Mississippi near tupelo. 

The gem of the trip is the nature. There's every kind of hike from paved paths to no path at all. Water falls, state parks, River Access with awesome fishing are around every turn in the Tennessee section. Off the top of my head near here there's Devils Backbone state natural area, Laurel Hill wildlife management area, Meriwether Lewis State Park and Jackson falls right along the trace. 

It's best done in an rv with bikes for side trips, ebikes even better. Take your hiking boots, binoculars and paper maps. Cell service is spotty. Have fun!

[kvmx00]

We are close and will drive the northern sections several times a year.  We also hit some of the hiking trails.  It’s a nice drive with no road reflector posts or power lines along the way.

[BigK]

I rode the TN side numerous times on solo my motorcycle and in the Jeep with the family with the top down. It was nice. We stopped at most of the stops to see the sites.

I went the full length with a couple of friends on motorcycles once. We fueled up our bikes and bellies in Tupelo, but got stuck between exits in a downpour within a few miles. By the time we found shelter we were soaked to the bone, so we just rode wet the rest of the way in the rain since we were already wet. It was still fun.

The best parts of the trip were seeing the Spanish moss in trees once we got far enough south and on the way to check LA off our list we found a great seafood restaurant called Roux 61. It was awesome!

[monkeylizard]

+1 to all of the above. There's a great little coffee shop in Collinwood called the Dragonfly. I'm not a coffee drinker but they have other good non-coffee frozen drinks and some fantastic baked goods.

Tupelo, MS makes for a good place to stop for the night. There's not a ton there but it does have some interseting Elvis stuff and a few good restaurants and local shops. It's a cute little town.

[Tuffus]

Like everyone else has said, the Tennessee section is best. I have ridden the whole distance on bicycle 3 times. We carried our camping gear on the bikes and averaged 60 miles a day. To me the best way to go. Car and motorcycle trips are good too but as you go farther south it becomes flat and not as scenic. Several free campgrounds (no hookups for RVs) on the Trace along the way but no showers. You would have to get off and go into towns for more comfortable accommodations.

[gregintenn]

Thanks, guys! We might just give it a whirl after all. Impromptu trips have left us some of the best memories.

[Garufa]

59 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Thanks, guys! We might just give it a whirl after all. Impromptu trips have left us some of the best memories.

Ain’t nothing to it but to do it.

[pop pop]

Chatting about this drive has flung a craving on me to go somewhere. OH, winter!!! May head down to S Carolina and visit our daughter and grandkids. Warmer there

[gregintenn]

1 hour ago, pop pop said:

Chatting about this drive has flung a craving on me to go somewhere. OH, winter!!! May head down to S Carolina and visit our daughter and grandkids. Warmer there

That would be a nice trip. I’d look to see what roads were still closed along the Tennessee/North Carolina border due to the flooding.

[pop pop]

Good advice greg. 

[-boatman-]

Are the stops and trails along the way marked or is that something needing research before the trip?

[BigK]

Just now, -boatman- said:

Are the stops and trails along the way marked or is that something needing research before the trip?

Easy to spot with signs in plenty of time to exit.

[ianb]

11 minutes ago, -boatman- said:

Are the stops and trails along the way marked or is that something needing research before the trip?

The stops associated with the parkway are well marked. Recommend research ahead of time for state and local attractions like state parks, local towns and dining, wineries, lodging, etc 

[gregintenn]

I guess the impending .gov shutdown will nix this plan. Gotta love em!

[pop pop]

I traveled to Cumberland Gap, when Obama shut the National Parks down. It was a bummer.  We explored the town of Cumberland Gap and boy was it a treat. What made it so interesting was we went into a junk store, and several people were sitting around the entrance. I was wondering if you could view the Gap Trail and asked this gentleman sitting in a chair. Turned out he was the town Historian, and he pointed to what looked like a flat looking roadbed and said follow that back toward KY so I could actually visualize the Cumberland trail from downtown. Not much there in the downtown only a restaurant, hotel and a few other small businesses. Like all the small towns of yesteryear, the interstates and major roadways have bypassed them. We drove the long tunnel over into Middlesboro KY. That was an experience.  

I mentioned Daniel Boon finding the trail and the old guy hit the ceiling. He said "BOON" my a________. He only followed the buffalo and Indians and then said he told everyone he discovered the C Gap. He exclaimed "Whatta a Fake" Daniel Boon was a Pompas bragger. The old guy was surely not a D Boone fan! I grew up 19 Miles from Boonsboro, in E Central Ky, and I am a Daniel Boon fan. 

We did get the real story on in the Nat Park where a volunteer told the story of Boon and what he did. I believer real true history bares out her story as more factual. Boon and some laborers did cut the Cumberland Trail through the C Gap which is a 70 miles long supply route back into TN from the KY side of the mountains and C Gap. Even though we had to go back later to view the C Gap from above, it was a good, I would say wonderful trip into East TN and S W KY. 

Edited to add; Go ahead and go Greg if you possibly can, You can still have fun even if they shut down some of the infrastructure. Just like us I would never have met the old geezer that hated Daniel Boon. What a Hoot! The Natchez Trace has many gems to see and experience and memories that will last a lifetime. 

Edited Friday at 07:28 PM by pop pop

[monkeylizard]

Stop at Timberland Park a couple hundred yards or so south of the big bridge at Birdsong Hollow/TN-96. You can get free NPS maps there.