Natchez Trace Parkway

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile National Parkway administered by the National Park Service, following one of North America's oldest travel corridors — a path used for thousands of years by Native Americans, then by European settlers, soldiers, and flatboat crews returning north after floating goods downriver to Natchez. The Mississippi section of the Parkway runs from Natchez in the southwest to the Tennessee border near Tishomingo County in the northeast, passing through Jackson, Kosciusko, and Tupelo.

The Parkway is a two-lane, limited-access road with no commercial vehicles and a 50 mph speed limit, making it one of the most peaceful long-distance drives in the American South. Pull-off exhibits, nature trails, and archaeological sites appear at dozens of mileposts. Notable Mississippi stops include Emerald Mound (Milepost 10.3), the second-largest pre-Columbian platform mound in the United States; the Rocky Springs ghost town (Milepost 54.8); and the Pharr Mounds (Milepost 286.7), a 2,000-year-old ceremonial complex of eight burial mounds.

Mount Locust (Milepost 15.5) is the only surviving inn, or 'stand,' from the original Natchez Trace, open seasonally for ranger-led tours. Wildflower displays in March and April transform the roadsides, while October brings hardwood foliage through the northern Mississippi section near Tishomingo State Park.

Cyclists regularly ride the full length over several days; the Parkway is widely regarded as one of the finest bike touring routes in the eastern United States owing to the absence of commercial traffic and the consistent tree canopy providing shade. Camping is available at Rocky Springs, Jeff Busby, and Tombigbee campgrounds within the Mississippi section. There is no entry fee to drive the Parkway.