Natchez Trace

https://www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natchez_Trace_Parkway The Natchez Trace Parkway is a National Parkway in the southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Old Natchez Trace and preserves sections of the original trail. Its central feature is a two-lane parkway road that extends 444 miles (715 km) from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. Access to the parkway is limited, with more than fifty access points in the states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. The southern end of the route is in Natchez at an intersection with Liberty Road, and the northern end is northeast of Fairview, Tennessee, in the suburban community of Pasquo, Tennessee, at an intersection with Tennessee 100. In addition to Natchez and Nashville, the larger cities along the route include Jackson and Tupelo, Mississippi, and Florence, Alabama. The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile recreational road and scenic drive through three states. It roughly follows the "Old Natchez Trace," a historic travel corridor used by American Indians, "Kaintucks," European settlers, slave traders, soldiers, and future presidents. Today, people can enjoy a scenic drive as well as hiking, biking, horseback riding, and camping along the Parkway. Directions to the Natchez Trace Parkway vary depending on what part of the tri-state Parkway you are trying to reach. There are more than 50 roads that access the Parkway in Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. For specific questions concerning how to get to a certain portion of the Parkway, please call the Visitor Center at 1-800-305-7417. Meriwether Lewis Visitor Information Center Milepost 385.9 The Meriwether Lewis Visitor Information Center is open seasonally. It is located at milepost 385.9. At this visitor center you can browse exhibits on the last days of Meriwether Lewis. Volunteers and rangers are on hand to help you plan your visit and discuss the final hours of one of the United States' most famous explorers! The exhibits are open and self-guided in a separate section of the visitor center. The Meriwether Lewis Information Cabin is located at Milepost 385.9 off of the Natchez Trace Parkway near Hohenwald, TN. Latitude: 35.509202 Longitude: -87.4597584 Mount Locust Information Center Milepost 15.5 Located at milepost 15.5, the Mount Locust Information Center is at the site of the only remaining inn, or "stand" on the Parkway. During open hours, rangers are available to hand out maps, brochures, and answer questions about the historic house, just a short walk up the hill from the information center. Videos are available at https://www.nps.gov/natr/learn/photosmultimedia/videos.htm. Please visit the America's National Parks online store at https://shop.americasnationalparks.org/store/ Mount Locust Information Cabin is located at Milepost 15.5 off of the Natchez Trace Parkway. Latitude: 31.6869082 Longitude: -91.1891446 Parkway Information Cabin Milepost 102.4 The Parkway Information Cabin is closed indefinitely. The Chisha Foka trail parking area is open. The Parkway Information Cabin is located at Milepost 102.4 off of the Natchez Trace Parkway. Latitude: 32.425833 Longitude: -90.126111 Parkway Visitor Center Milepost 266 The Parkway Visitor Center is just north of Tupelo, Mississippi. A ranger is on duty to answer questions and provide information and brochures. Ask and we will be glad to show you our movie. Other videos are available at https://www.nps.gov/natr/learn/photosmultimedia/videos.htm. The bookstore is open from 9am-4:30pm. You can also visit the America's National Parks online store at https://shop.americasnationalparks.org/store/ The Parkway Visitor Center is located at milepost 266 on the Natchez Trace Parkway. The visitor center is located near the intersection of highway 145 and the Natchez Trace Parkway north of Tupelo, Mississippi. GPS Address for the Visitor Center: 2680 Natchez Trace Parkway Tupelo, MS 38804 Jeff Busby Campground, Milepost 193.1 Jeff Busby Campground at milepost 193.1, midway on the Parkway, includes an 18-site campground, picnic tables, restrooms, trails, exhibits and an overlook atop Little Mountain. Campground sites are on a first come first served basis, no reservations. Pull-through and back-in sites are available. Campgrounds are typically busiest during the spring and fall, especially during holiday weekends. There is no fee for camping. There is a 14 day stay limit. No fee 0.00 Campground sites are on a first come first served basis, no reservations. Campgrounds are typically busiest during the spring and fall, especially during holiday weekends. Jeff Busby Campground in Fall A family walking on a wooded campground road edged by split rail fence. Trees are in fall color. Jeff Busby Campground Jeff Busby Campground Site Map Map of campground loop showing 18 campsites. Number 9 is accessible. Location and type of campsites at Jeff Busby Campground. Jeff Busby Campground in Springtime One of the campsites at Jeff Busby featuring a fire ring and picnic table. One of the campsites at Jeff Busby featuring a fire ring and picnic table. Meriwether Lewis Campground, Milepost 385.9 The Meriwether Lewis Campground at milepost 385.9, on the northern end of the Parkway, has 32 sites. All sites are free and available on a first-come, first served basis. They do not offer electricity, showers, or dump stations. Drinkable water and flush toilets are available on site. Enjoy the Meriwether Lewis site which includes hiking trails, a section of Old Trace, exhibits and picnic areas. No fee 0.00 Campground sites are on a first come first served basis, no reservations. Campgrounds are typically busiest during the spring and fall, especially during holiday weekends. Tent camping at the Meriwether Lewis Death and Burial Site Campground Two blue tents are set up at campsite 29. The site is surrounded by green trees. The campgroudn at the Meriwether Lewis site is a great basecamp for exploring the Natchez Trace Parkway in Tennessee Meriwether Lewis Campground Map A line drawing showing the location and numbers of campsites Meriwether Lewis Campground Map Rocky Springs Campground, Milepost 54.8 Rocky Springs Campground at milepost 54.8 on the southern end of the Parkway, includes a 22-site campground, picnic tables, restrooms, a section of the Old Natchez Trace, self-guiding walking trails through the old town site. Campground sites are on a first come first served basis, no reservations. Pull-through and back-in sites are available. Campgrounds are typically the busiest during the spring and fall, especially during holiday weekends. Potable water may be an issue. Check "What's Open What's Closed" No fee 0.00 Campground sites are on a first come first served basis, no reservations. Campgrounds are typically busiest during the spring and fall, especially during holiday weekends. Rocky Springs Campground in Autumn Image of Rocky Springs campground in autumn, including two picnic tables and two fire rings Campsites are available on a first come, first serve basis. No reservations. Rocky Springs Campground Map Map shows campground loop with 22 sites. Number 10 is accessible. Location and type of campsites at Rocky Springs Campground Accessible Campsite This wooded campsite has wheel chair access to the picnic table. ADA Campsite Rocky Springs Arrowhead Entry Sign A hanging wooden arrowhead sign with the post rider logo and the words Rocky Springs. Rocky Springs Campground Entry Sign Road into Rocky Springs Campground A paved road leading into forest. Rocky Springs Campground Entry Road Natchez Trace Parkway in Early Fall A slightly curvy section of the Natchez Trace Parkway in Early Fall The Natchez Trace Parkway commemorates a historic travel route that helped build the young United States. The Parkway 444 miles, with plenty of stops to allow you to explore some of the history or enjoy the scenery along the way. Double Arch Bridge over Birdsong Hollow (milepost 438) on the Natchez Trace Parkway View of the Double Arch Bridge from Birdsong Hollow The elegant Double Arch Bridge won the Presidential Award for Design Excellence in 1995. It spans Birdsong Hollow and Tennessee Highway 96. To see it from below, take the TN 96 exit and stop at the pulloff before you get to the highway. Mount Locust Historic House (milepost 15.5) on the Natchez Trace Parkway Mount Locust Historic House Mount Locust served as a family home and as a stand, or inn, for Natchez Trace travelers. Built around 1780, the home and grounds are open for visitors during operating hours. Old Trace (milepost 221.4) on the Natchez Trace Parkway A foggy section of the Old Trace in autumn The "Old Trace," the historic trail commemorated by the Natchez Trace Parkway today, still survives in segments. The Old Trace was the main road through the Old Southwest, connecting Natchez to Nashville by going through Chickasaw and Choctaw lands. Great White Dog Ofi' Tohbi' Long ago Ofi' Tohbi', a great white dog, led Chicsha and Chatah and their people to settle in the southeast. Sitting white German Shepherd dog Long-term Wildland Urban Interface and Fuels Reduction Project Restores Rare and Threatened Species on National Park Service Land Long-term Wildland Urban Interface and Fuels Reduction Project Restores Rare and Threatened Species on National Park Service Land The Return On March 23, 1806, the return trip began. They followed the Columbia River upstream and eventually bought some pack horses to carry their gear until they reached the Nez Perce to retrieve their horses. From May 14 to June 10 the Corps stayed at a camp as guests of the Nez Perce and waited for the snow to melt. 1954 stamp commemorating the lewis and clark expedition National Park Service Visitor and Resource Protection Staff Focuses on Week of Leadership Staff from all levels of the National Park Service in law enforcement, United States Park Police, as well as fire and aviation spent a week learning leadership lessons from one another as well as from a diverse group of leaders during the last week of September 2019. A group of women and men on a rocky outcrop in high desert. 2019 Connecting with our Homelands Awardees Hopa Mountain, in partnership with the National Park Service, is pleased to announce the 2019 awardees of the Connecting with our Homelands travel grants. Twenty-one Indigenous organizations, schools, and nonprofits have been awarded travel funds for trips to national park units across 12 states/territories within the United States. An elder and young student talk while sitting on a rock. Grinder's Stand On October 11, at Grinder's Stand (also “Inn”), 72 miles short of Nashville, most historians believe that Lewis, suffering from depression and anxiety, shot himself in the head and died the following morning. Thomas Jefferson had much earlier noted Lewis's depressions, when he served as the President's secretary, and believed that they ran in the Lewis family. interpretive sign at lewis's monument Emancipation and the Quest for Freedom Although the abolition of slavery emerged as a dominant objective of the Union war effort, most Northerners embraced abolition as a practical measure rather than a moral cause. The war resolved legally and constitutionally the single most important moral question that afflicted the nascent republic, an issue that prevented the country from coalescing around a shared vision of freedom, equality, morality, and nationhood. Slave family seated in front of their house Build Multi-Use Trails Along The Natchez Trace Parkway The 106th Congress (1999-2001) directed the National Park Service to investigate the feasibility and cost to construct a multi-use trail along the Parkwa yTrail Feasibility Study was prepared by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which examined the feasibility of constructing multi-use trails parallel to the Natchez Trace Parkway motor road. a map of natchez trace parkway tupelo section Women in Fire Science: Cynthia Worthington Cynthia Worthington is a fire effects monitor and has worked in several different units of the National Park Service during her career. The importance of collaboration with other fields and the built-in adaptability of fire programs is one of her favorite parts of working in fire that keeps her coming back. A woman in black rain gear stands with a clipboard in a meadow. National Park Service Commemoration of the 19th Amendment In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment the National Park Service has developed a number of special programs. This includes online content, exhibits, and special events. The National Park Service’s Cultural Resources Geographic Information Systems (CRGIS) announces the release of a story map that highlights some of these programs and provides information for the public to locate and participate. Opening slide of the 19th Amendment NPS Commemoration Story Map Series: Geologic Time Periods in the Paleozoic Era During the Paleozoic Era (541 to 252 million years ago), fish diversified and marine organisms were very abundant. In North America, the Paleozoic is characterized by multiple advances and retreats of shallow seas and repeated continental collisions that formed the Appalachian Mountains. Common Paleozoic fossils include trilobites and cephalopods such as squid, as well as insects and ferns. The greatest mass extinction in Earth's history ended this era. fossil corals in a rock matrix Ordovician Period—485.4 to 443.8 MYA Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains national parks, along with the Blue Ridge Parkway that connects them, pass through rocks from the core of the Appalachian Mountains. The mountains began forming during the Ordovician and eventually attained elevations similar to those of the Himalayas. rock with fossil brachiopod shells Paleozoic Era During the Paleozoic Era (541 to 252 million years ago), fish diversified and marine organisms were very abundant. In North America, the Paleozoic is characterized by multiple advances and retreats of shallow seas and repeated continental collisions that formed the Appalachian Mountains. Common Paleozoic fossils include trilobites and cephalopods such as squid, as well as insects and ferns. The greatest mass extinction in Earth's history ended this era. fossil corals in a rock matrix Insider Tips - Before You Visit the Natchez Trace Parkway How do you negotiate 10,000 years of history, and 444 miles of nature and agriculture? These Top Ten Tips will help you plan so you don't miss what you want to see. A view from a cave like area with water dripping from the entrance. Betsy Love – The First Married American Woman to Gain Rights to Property The first ruling in the United States that gave married women the right to own property. It was ruled that as a Chickasaw woman, she retained ownership of her property. The decision was tainted by the fact that the "property" was an enslaved person. Front page of an old book with text indicating Laws of Mississippi 1838 The Chickasaw Nation Rallies to Provide Aid to the United States Colbert Ferry is the site of George Colbert's home. Changing Patterns of Water Availability May Change Vegetation Composition in US National Parks Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios. Green, orange, and dead grey junipers in red soil, mountains in background Women in Fire Science: Alicia Schlarb Alicia Schlarb is the lead fire effects monitor for a portion of the National Park Service's Southeast Region. She and her crew provide prescribed burning, monitoring, and wildland fire responses to national parks located within Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and portions of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Florida. She loves fire and that she can change perceptions about wildland fire through science. Alicia Schlarb. Battle of the Bark Trees shade us from the sun, provide homes for wildlife, stabilize Earth’s surface, and produce food for humans and animals alike. Some are massive, and others are miniscule by comparison, but what makes one better than the other—we’ll let you decide! Check out our iconic trees below and find your favorite! Five thick barked red-brown trees are backlit by the sunlight. Series: Geologic Time—Major Divisions and NPS Fossils The National Park System contains a magnificent record of geologic time because rocks from each period of the geologic time scale are preserved in park landscapes. The geologic time scale is divided into four large periods of time—the Cenozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, Paleozoic Era, and The Precambrian. photo of desert landscape with a petrified wood log on the surface Natchez Trace Parkway partners with Chickasaw Nation for wildland fire education Natchez Trace Parkway interpretive staff and Mississippi River Zone wildland fire staff, in consultation with the Chickasaw Nation, created two short videos to educate park visitors on the importance of wildland fire for the Chickasaw people and prescribed fire at the Chickasaw Village site. A mannequin in fire gear is propped behind a table display about wildland fire in a visitor center. Guide to the Thomas J. Allen Photograph Collection Finding aid for the Thomas J. Allen Photographs in the NPS History Collection. Hiram Rhodes Revels - First African American in Congress Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American Congressman. He represented the state of Mississippi. His life was one of service, a life he was free to choose. 2013 Freeman Tilden Award Recipients Congratulations to the national and regional recipients of the 2013 Freeman Tilden Award for Excellence in Interpretation and Education. A photo of five award recipients and the Director of the National Park Service. Updated Species Database Will Help Boost Amphibian Conservation Across the National Park System To steward amphibians effectively, managers need basic information about which species live in parks. But species lists need constant maintenance to remain accurate. Due to recent efforts, the National Park Service now has an up-to-date amphibian species checklist for almost 300 parks. This information can serve as the basis for innumerable conservation efforts across the nation. A toad sits on red sand, looking into the camera. Restoring essential grasslands in the East To combat this loss, the National Park Service is embarking on a vast grassland restoration project across the Eastern United States. With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, the project is underway to protect this important natural resource in thirty-five parks – a major win not just for grasslands but for the numerous species that depend on them. People walking toward a small pond in a meadow Project Profile: Restore Eastern Grasslands The National Park Service will restore up to 4,000 acres of agricultural fields and degraded lands across 37 parks in 15 states. This landscape-scale restoration project will expand the range and connectivity of native grasslands across the eastern US, restore biodiversity and critical ecosystem functions, reduce pesticide use, benefit people and wildlife, and create employment opportunities for diverse early career youth. A park manager and others standing amidst a grassy landscape. Press Kit: Natchez Trace Parkway Safe Driving This press kit compiles relevant resources, links, and information for reporters to use in their reporting within the Natchez Trace Parkway. Specifically focusing on safe driving within the Parkway. Parkway disappearing into the fog Guide to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) Southeast Region Collection This finding aid describes the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) Southest Region Collection, part of the NPS History Collection. Project Profile: A Strategic Approach to Building Forest Resiliency in Southeast Parks The National Park Service is addressing the climate change vulnerability of southeast park ecosystems. Fall-colored trees on a mountain slope. A tree is in the right-side foreground. Hidden in Plain Sight: Old Growth Remnant Grasslands During 2024 scouting for a large eastern grassland restoration project funded by IRA and BIL, several old growth remnant grasslands were identified in National Capital and Northeast Region parks that were previously unknown. These remnants preserve the genetic integrity of the original grassland flora of the eastern US and are true unexpected treasures that in some cases, were hidden in plain sight. a grassland landscape with distant trees