Natchez Trace Parkway

[Dwight]

Has anyone traveled the Natchez Trace Parkway? What are your thoughts?

[Hugh & Nita]

It is great if you're interested in avoiding traffic and driving 50 mph (strictly enforced). I don't recall seeing any commercial establishments except for a convience store at "Little Mountain" in Mississippi. You will see wildlife and watch out for deer.

[wb13798]

no commercial, vehicles permitted. a friend of mine had his pu with a magnetic sign and they pulled him over and he got a $200 ticket for the commercial vehicle violation. from tupelo ms to hwy us72 in alabama just scenery and wild animals. near tupelo ms i saw a campground on a lake didnt stop. dont know if it was part of the trace or off the trace. you can loose a day on this road and enjoy the sights. rv s permitted. two lane road well maintained no heavy trucks to tear the road up.

[Pahaska]

I have pulled the entire trace once and parts of it several times. It is really a smooth ride and I got my best-ever towing mileage on the trace. There are lots of pulloffs, some to just read the sign and some that require some hiking.

There is a discontinuity around Jackson, MS, otherwise it is all Trace from Nashville to Natchez. Figure most of a day from Nashville to Jackson and most of a day from Jackson to Natchez. I stay at a commercial park, close to the Trace just north of Jackson and at Natchez State Park, close to the southern terminus.

[Gerald Clay]

The trace is a mindset away from getting there to being there. I'd love to see roads like this going everywhere. Just don't be in a hurry. Indian mounds, old inns, history and wildlife, frequent stops and picnics. No big trucks and very minial passing as every one can do the max speed. I've stayed at the Natchez State park at the southern end twice had to dry camp once due to overflow. Just take your time and remember that this once was a walking path for those headed north after riding rafts south, down river. They didn't move fast either.

[RivetED]

Deb is a retired history teacher & we've taken 3 field trips to Vicksberg and Natchez & visited many sites along the trace. When on our own we've retraced, no pun intended, this trip twice, travelling only from Vicksberg south. One of our near-future trips will include a run from Natchez to Nashville, it's beautiful!! Don't forget to take in the antebellum mansions close to and on the 'trace'. One of our favorite stops is the "Cock-'o-the-Walk" restaurant in Nathez...great cat fish and atmosphere plus a story about the flat-bottom boaters that used the 'trace'.

[bencbailey]

I live very close to the Trace and use it often going South from Nashville. You can travel 50 miles an hour and enjoy the scenery instead of fighting the interstate traffic. Lots of interesting places within minutes from the Trace - Liepers Fork, Hohenwald, Napier (RV club), and Waynesboro. Fuel and food all available.

[Dwight]

Thanks Ed for the info. Will you and Debbie be at the Tuesday supper? If so, could you bring some info on the Parkway?

[RivetED]

Originally Posted by Dwight

Thanks Ed for the info. Will you and Debbie be at the Tuesday supper? If so, could you bring some info on the Parkway?

Yes & Yes !! Be glad to...

[HP9K]

If you can find a current copy (May 2004) of Motorhome magazine, there is an article about travelling the parkway.

I drove the full length southbound a couple of years ago and it was a great trip. Spent the night at Tishomingo State Park - it's right off the parkway and many of the sites are around a lake.

[Dbraw]

My wife and I travelled the Trace last year from Nashville to Natchez. Had a great time. Stayed at Tupelo State Park on the way down and at Grenada Lake on the way back. While visiting Natchez, we camped across the river at Vidalia, LA in a new RV campground. We took the Blues highway north out of Vicksburg, playing Eric Clampton with the windows rolled down just like was recommended. Lots of really flat roads and big fields of cotton and beans.
Have a good trip,
Dan

[drcharles2]

Dwight,
The Trace is comparable to the Blue Ridge Parkway, without the mountains, curves, and somewhat heavy traffic, and you may cruise all day at 50 mph if you choose. Springtime, at this moment, is exhilarating with forsythia, dogwood, azalea, flowering crab, and crocus in full bloom. Could you resist stopping at Pigeon Roost, Witch Dance, or TwentyMile Bottom ? ReWind, my beagle, and I stayed in the campground of the iconic pioneer, Meriweather Lewis, nearer the north end, after visiting the Shiloh civil war site. Unlike the uglystate highway, no obscene billboard the size of Yankee Stadium every fifty yards.

If you're more interested in single first names, the contemporary, vaporous, there is always Kosciusko, Ms., birthplace of Oprah, or Tupelo, Ms., where Elvis was hatched. Avoid the town campground in Florence, Al., McFarland Park, on the Tennessee River, unless you're on a diet of bbq ribs, a dozen bud lights, more noise than a nascar weekend, personal watercraft out the wazoo, and an endless stream of ugly tattooed women. We did, however, see several cute beagles.

The trace is worth the trip. Five stars.
O.k., six stars if you count Miss Winfrey.
Dr. C.