Trace Sites
Top 30
There are over 90 sites along the Natchez Trace Parkway.
We have traveled up and down the parkway many times and recommend the sites below as our Natchez Trace Top 30 favorite sites.
Three of the thirty are off (close to) the parkway, but are very popular with Natchez Trace Travelers.
Safety: When traveling the Natchez Trace, the maximum speed limit is 50 mph.
When driving, please don’t speed and always be aware that a bicyclist could be around the next bend of the Trace.
State laws require motorists to give at least a 3-foot cushion while passing bicyclists.
Natchez Trace Travel offers travel enthusiasts a full glimpse into navigating and planning your dream trip of traveling the Natchez Trace Parkway.
These are organized by state from North to South: Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi.
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Tennessee
The Tennessee Natchez Trace Parkway Top 30 From North to South begins at Milepost 438 to 364.5.
Birdsong Hollow and Double Arch Bridge
Completed in 1994, the Double Arch Bridge that spans Birdsong Hollow received the Presidential Award for Design Excellence in 1995 for its innovative design that rises 155 feet above the valley. The bridge carries Natchez Trace travelers 1,648 feet across the valley and Tennessee Highway 96.
The bridge can be viewed from two locations. We recommend taking in both views. Just north of the bridge there is a parking area with a view of the bridge and the valley below. Just south of the bridge is an exit ramp that takes you down to Tennessee Highway 96. At the bottom of the hill there is a parking area with a view looking up at the entire length of the bridge.
Milepost 438 – 15-60 minutes
Latitude: 35.98643
Longitude: -86.992
Elevation (approximate): 778 feet
Features: Scenic overlook, a modern marvel
Timberland Park
Timberland Park, opened in the fall of 2014, sits on 72 acres adjacent to the Natchez Trace Parkway at milepost 437.2 less than a mile south of the Tennessee Highway 96 (Double Arch Bridge) entrance to the parkway. Several intersecting loop trails 2 to 3 miles long each. The park is maintained and staffed by Williamson County Parks & Recreation. For generations, the wooded property comprising Timberland Park was logged by hand and loaded onto wagons pulled by mules and horses. Most of the lumber was used to build homes and buildings in nearby Franklin. The old logging roads are now trails! Stop in and pick up a map of the parkway.
Timberland Park features a 2000 sq ft interpretive center that uses solar panels that stores the energy in batteries for electricity, rain water is collected for irrigation, propane for a fireplace and a septic system for waste.
Milepost 437.2 – 20-120 minutes
Latitude: 35.976829
Longitude: -87.002696
Elevation (approximate): 919 feet
Features: Hiking trail, restroom, 6 picnic tables, 0 grills (cooking prohibited)
Garrison Creek
Named for a nearby 1801-02 U.S. Army post, Garrison Creek is a trailhead for horseback riders and hikers on the Highland Rim Trail of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail. Plenty of horse trailer parking is available.
This part of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail is 24 miles in length. From the Garrison Creek trailhead you can hike or ride your horse south to Tennessee Highway 50 (milepost 408). Northern trailhead of 24 mile-long Highland Rim Trail (Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail) + 2 mile loop trail.
Milepost 427.6 – 10-60 minutes
Latitude: 35.87443
Longitude: -87.0323
Elevation (approximate): 709 feet
Milepost: 427.6
Features: – Restroom, hiking & horseback trail, 5 picnic tables, 3 grills
Gordon House and Duck River Ferry Site
One of the few remaining buildings associated with the old Natchez Trace is the house of ferry operator John Gordon. In the early 1800s, Gordon made an agreement with the Chickasaw Chief George Colbert to operate a trading post and ferry on the Duck River. Military expeditions with General Andrew Jackson kept him away from home much of the time. His wife, Dorothea, supervised construction of the present house in 1817-1818. John Gordon died shortly after it was completed, but Mrs. Gordon lived here until her death in 1859.
The 500 mile long Natchez Trace of the early 1800s, then known as Natchez Road, connected Nashville on the Cumberland River with Natchez on the Mississippi River.
Milepost 407.7 – 10-30 minutes
Latitude: 35.71973
Longitude: -87.26088
Elevation (approximate): 522 feet
Features: Old Trace, Indian history, hiking trail, restroom, 2 picnic tables (under pavilion), 0 grills
Baker Bluff Overlook
Baker Bluff Overlook offers one of the best scenic views along the entire Natchez Trace Parkway. In the valley below you will see farmland with cattle and barns. Photographers often setup tripods to get the best shots.
Note: the view is to the east so afternoon and early evening is the best viewing time as the sun will be at your back.
A 3/4 of a mile trail connects Baker Bluff Overlook to the Jackson Falls site. The trail is fairly strenuous as it goes up and back down.
Milepost 405.1 – 10-20 minutes
Latitude: 35.69819
Longitude: -87.28771
Elevation (approximate): 702 feet
Features: Hiking trail, scenic overlook, .75 mile one-way trail to Jackson Falls
Jackson Falls
Jackson Falls, one of the Trace’s most popular sites, has a large parking area, bathroom facility, picnic area and a hiking trail. From the parking area next to the bathroom facility and picnic area hiking north 1/4 mile takes you to a viewpoint 300 feet above the Duck River and another 1/2 mile to the Baker Bluff Overlook site.
A steep trail (concrete sidewalk) 900 feet long takes you to a clear pool at the base of these falls. This trail descends to Jackson Falls a beautifully sculptured cascade that seems ageless but it isn’t. For thousands of years before the falls existed Jackson Branch flowed into this high valley isolated from the Duck River below. Then in a classic case of stream piracy, the Duck River captured Jackson Branch. The flooding river and other erosional agents wore away at the bluffs, cutting a new channel through faults in the rock. At the site of Jackson Falls the diverted stream slips down into the Duck River Valley abandoning its former course.
Milepost 404.7 – 40-60 minutes
Latitude: 35.69729
Longitude: -87.29378
Elevation (approximate): 650 feet
Features: Hiking trail, waterfall, restrooms 3 picnic tables, 2 grills
Fall Hollow Waterfall
Fall Hollow Waterfall is just off the Parkway (you can park your car and walk 10 feet and see and hear some of the action). Fall Hollow is just north of the US 412 intersection.
A path and a set of wooden bridges take you across the small creeks before they begin their tumbling descent. The easy part of the path ends at an observation deck where you can look down at the largest waterfall. Past this point the path becomes very rocky and steep. As the sign says, ‘Proceed with Caution’.
Milepost 391.9 – 10-60 minutes
Latitude: 35.58413
Longitude: -87.42902
Elevation (approximate): 715 feet
Features: Hiking trail, waterfall, short walk to overlook, followed by steep trail to base of the falls
Meriwether Lewis Death and Burial Site
Meriwether Lewis – 1774 to 1809. Beneath the monument erected under the legislative act by the State of Tennessee A.D. 1848, reposes the dust of Meriwether Lewis, captain in The United States Army, Private Secretary to President Jefferson, senior Commander of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and Governor of the Territory of Louisiana.
In the Grinder House, the ruins of which are still discernible 230 yards south of this spot, his life of romantic endeavor and lasting achievement came tragically and mysteriously to its close on the night of October 11, 1809.
Site and ruins of the Grinder House in which Meriwether Lewis met his death on the night of October 11, 1809. Inside the Grinder House are exhibits depicting the significance of the Trace through its history and its chronology beginning in 1765, including the creation of the parkway in 1938 by and act of Congress.
Milepost 385.9 – 15-45 minutes
Latitude: 35.50631
Longitude: -87.45821
Elevation (approximate): 735 feet
Features: Hiking trail, history/ nature exhibit, Old Trace, 3 picnic areas with tables and grills, campground, restroom, several .5 to 1.5 mile trails, one on the Old Trace
Metal Ford and Buffalo River
Here travelers on the Natchez Trace crossed the river which was fordable except after heavy rains. The ford takes its name from its stone bottom, which reminded frontier travelers of stone-surfaced or “metaled” roads of the day.
A 5 minute stroll beyond Metal Ford leads you beside the Buffalo River to the McLish stand exhibit and then back to this point by way of the historic mill trace.
Steele’s Iron Works – Here about 1820 stood a charcoal burning furnace used to manufacture pig iron. All that remain of this pioneer enterprise are the slag pile and the evidence of a millrace used to bring water from the Buffalo River to operate the furnace’s air blasting machinery.
“I was roused from this melancholy reverie by the roaring of Buffalo River, which I forded with great difficulty.” Alexander Wilson, 1811
Milepost 382.8 – 10-30 minutes
Latitude: 35.46321
Longitude: -87.47895
Elevation (approximate): 764 feet
Features: Hiking trail, 4 picnic tables, 2 grills
Old Trace Drive
This 2.5 mile road (one-way) follows the original Old Natchez Trace route. Several overlooks provide views of the countryside. RVs and buses are prohibited due to the narrow road and low hanging limbs.
While on the Old Trace Drive you will be driving on a section of the Old Natchez Trace and see for yourself this frontier road much as it appeared in the early 1800s.
En route, stop at the three scenic overlooks to enjoy the fine views. The modern parkway follows the general route of the Old Natchez Trace. Engineering standards and the necessity of preserving sections of the Old Natchez Trace have made it impractical to follow it exactly.
This is a great place to view the fall colors from the comfort of your vehicle.
Milepost 375.8 – 10-20 minutes
Latitude: 35.38991
Longitude: -87.534483
Elevation (approximate): 1014 feet
Features: Old Trace, hiking trail, 2.5 mile road (one-way north)
Glenrock Branch
From the parking area it is a short walk down a trail to this natural amphitheater. The creek and limestone bluff bend around the shaded picnic area.
Milepost 364.5 – 10-30 minutes
Latitude: 35.25496
Longitude: -87.63166
Elevation (approximate): 807 feet
Features: Restrooms, 6 picnic tables, 4 grills
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Alabama
The Alabama Natchez Trace Parkway Top 30 From North to South begins at Milepost 338 to 327.3.
Te-lah-nay's Wall
In northwest Alabama, Tom Hendrix has been building a stone wall for over 30 years in memory of his great-great-grandmother’s journey.
His great-great-grandmother Te-lah-nay was part of the Yuchi Indian tribe that lived near here along the Tennessee River in the 1800s.
Her journey began when she and her sister Whana-le were sent to the Indian Territory of Oklahoma as part of the removal of native peoples from the southeast. But, that was only the beginning of her journey. Her tribe called the Tennessee River the Singing River because they believed a woman who lived in the river sang to them. When Te-lah-nay arrived in Oklahoma she said the streams and rivers did not sing to her and she longed for home. After spending one winter in Oklahoma she decides to head home. Even though she is alone the lessons that her grandmother taught her as a little girl help her overcome every peril and obstacle along the way. After enough adventure to literally fill a book she returns home and to the Singing River.
Fortunately, Tom’s grandmother (Teh-la-nay’s granddaughter) told him the stories about his great-great-grandmother when he was a little boy. Later in life Tom knew he needed to do something to honor her memory. During a conversation with an elder of the Yuchi tribe he was told “All things shall pass. Only the stones will remain.” It was then that he knew what he needed to do.
Milepost 150 yards east of 338 – 15-60 minutes
Latitude: 34.9475
Longitude: -87.82248
Elevation (approximate): 673 feet
Features: Clear walking trails
Rock Spring
Rock Spring – a nature trail offers you an opportunity to explore a small natural spring as it bubbles forth from the ground. Small fish dart about in the deep pools created as the stream wanders through the rich bottomland soil and limestone rock. Vegetation and trees change as you move through an abandoned field past the stream into a rocky hillside. After completing the 20 minute walk you may decide to pull off your shoes and dangle your feet in the swift cool water.
The trails and stepping stones in the area lead you across Colbert Creek past Rock Spring and through the woodlands. Since 1977 numerous beaver dams have been built then abandoned by the beaver or destroyed by high water. Walk the trails and enjoy a changing environment of this once free flowing spring-fed stream.
Hummingbirds – Tiny Jewels of the Air: Few birds are as distinctive and charismatic as hummingbirds. From their iridescent plumage to their incredible aerial antics, hummingbirds are an irresistible attraction at Rock Spring. Each fall, hundreds of Ruby throated hummingbirds pass this way to feast on the nectar of the abundant jewelweed and other wildflowers.
Milepost 330.2 – 10-60 minutes
Latitude: 34.8579666
Longitude: -87.90585
Elevation (approximate): 489 feet
Features: Short nature trail
Colbert Ferry
Colbert’s Stand – George Colbert operated a ferry across the Tennessee River from 1800 to 1819. His stand, or inn, offered travelers a warm meal and shelter during their journey on the Old Trace. Colbert looked after his own well being and once charged Andrew Jackson $75,000 to ferry his Tennessee Army across the river.
The site of his stand is a short 50 yards up the path from the parking area. An additional 20 minute stroll will take you along the Old Trace to the bluff overlook and back. After a venison supper, one guest at Colbert’s Stand spent the night in an outbuilding (Wilderness Haven) with “not less than 50 Indians, many of them drunk.”
Here and about 20 other stands along the Trace, Kaintuck riverboatmen, money-laden businessmen, Indians and outlaws shared a spot of fellowship on a long hazardous road.
Milepost 327.3 – 15-45 minutes
Latitude: 34.83756
Longitude: -87.94231
Elevation (approximate): 459 feet
Features: Scenic views, 21 picnic tables, 8 grills
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Mississippi
The Tennessee Natchez Trace Parkway Top 30 From North to South begins at Milepost 304 and ends at 10.3.
Tishomingo State Park
Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in northeast Mississippi, Tishomingo State Park is Mississippi’s most scenic state park. The park is named for Chief Tishomingo. The Natchez Trace Parkway travels through the middle of the park and has an exit at milepost 304.5 to the park entrance.
Visitors to Tishomingo State Park can discover the same timeless natural beauty that enchanted Native Americans centuries ago. Tishomingo offers a unique landscape of massive rock formations and fern-filled crevices. Massive boulders blanketed in moss dot the hillsides, and colorful wildflowers border trails once walked by Native Americans.
Activities and recreational facilities include: picnic area with tables and grills, picnic pavilions, lodge facility, disc golf courses, compass course, hiking trails, playgrounds, multi-use field, volleyball court, and a swimming pool. Rock climbing is available by permit. Canoe trips and fishing are available on Bear Creek. Haynes Lake, a 45 acre fresh water lake, is available for fishing.
Milepost 304.5 – 20-90 minutes
Latitude: 34.611668
Longitude: -88.201134
Elevation (approximate): 554 feet
Features: 7 Trails from .75 miles to 3 miles long, 3 picnic pavilions and several picnic tables/ grills
Pharr Indian Mounds
Pharr Mounds is the largest and most important archaeological site in northern Mississippi. Eight large dome shaped burial mounds are scattered over an area of 90 acres (100 football fields).
These mounds were built and used about 100-1200 A.D. by a tribe of nomadic Indian hunters and gatherers who returned to this site at times to bury their dead with their possessions.
Milepost 286.7 – 10-20 minutes
Latitude: 34.4709833
Longitude: -88.420516
Elevation (approximate): 341 feet
Features: Short walking paths with outdoor covered interpretative signs
Confederate Gravesites and Old Trace
Much of the Old Trace had been abandoned by the start of the Civil War. However, the war did leave its mark on the Trace as it did upon the rest of the South. The soldiers marched, camped and fought along portions of this historic old road.
A 5 minute walk on the Old Trace here takes you to the gravesites of 13 unknown Confederate soldiers, a mute reminder of bygone days and of the great struggle out of which developed a stronger nation.
Milepost 269.4 -15-30 minutes
Latitude: 34.3650166
Longitude: -88.674316
Elevation (approximate): 361 feet
Features: Clear walking paths
Parkway Visitor Center
The Natchez Trace Headquarters is located adjacent to the parkway in Tupelo. Information Center, bookstore, exhibits, short movie, restrooms, nature walk and offices.
Nearby, is the northern trailhead of the 6 mile-long Blackland Prairie Trail (a segment of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail). You can walk/hike south to the Old Town Overlook site or further south to the Chickasaw Village Site.
Milepost 266 – 15-45 minutes
Latitude: 34.3304166
Longitude: -88.709833
Elevation (approximate): 328 feet
Features: Northern trailhead of the 6 mile-long Blackland Prairie Trail (Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail), 4 picnic tables, 0 grills, bicycle repair station
Chickasaw Village Site
What is now Tupelo, MS was once the homeland of the Chickasaw people. This site is on land that is believed to have been a Chickasaw fort and village up through the 1700s (scroll down the page to read more about the area’s rich history).
Today, the park service has interpretive signs and artist renderings of what the village would have looked like.
There are several hiking/walking options available at the Chickasaw Village Site. You can hike north to the Old Town Overlook site and further to the Parkway Visitor Center along the 6 mile long Blackland Prairie Trail (a segment of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail). Part of the trail requires walking on the parkway for road and creek crossings.
There is also a one half mile interpretive trail that identifies plants and their uses by American Indians. Hikers can make a loop by using the hiking trail and part of a horse trail (that extends further south to its trailhead on Jackson Street).
Milepost 261.8 – 10-30 minutes
Latitude: 34.27795
Longitude: -88.741783
Elevation (approximate): 308 feet
Features: Access to Blackland Prairie Trail (Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail), a short nature loop trail
Bynum Indian Mounds
Prehistoric Trade – Raw materials and articles from distant areas reached the Indians of the Bynum site by trade along early trails that were the forerunners of the Natchez Trace. Spool shaped objects made of copper filled with lead were found with Bynum materials. Flint for tools and weapons came from as far away as the region of Ohio. Green stone for polished celts (axes) was obtained from the Alabama- Tennessee Piedmont. Marine shells came from the Gulf coast.
A Living From the Land – The Indians hunted, fished and gathered wild berries, nuts and fruit. They supplemented these activities by farming. Deer was the most common game animal. The Indians used the bones for tools and the skin for clothing. Cooking pots were made of clay mixed with sand or grit. The surfaces were decorated with the impressions of fabrics or cords. You may see specimens from the Bynum Mounds in the Parkway Visitors Center near Tupelo.
Milepost 232.4 -10-20 minutes
Latitude: 33.8984666
Longitude: -88.948083
Elevation (approximate): 335 feet
Features: Clear paved walking paths from parking lot
Jeff Busby Park
This Natchez Trace site is named after U.S. Congressman Thomas Jefferson Busby who in 1934 introduced a bill authorizing a survey of the Old Natchez Trace. Four years later, the historic road was designated a unit of the National Park System. This area is named in Jeff Busby’s honor to commemorate his part in the Parkway’s establishment.
Little Mountain – on a clear day from here atop Little Mountain you can see about 20 miles. The ridges and valleys are part of a geological land form called the Wilcox series that extends northeast into Alabama. Some 50 million years ago the Wilcox existed as layers of sand and mud. Pressure of overlying sediments and early upheavals have resulted in those layers being tilted and converted into sandstone and shale. More resistant to erosion than the shale, the sandstone portions are the present day ridges.
A one half mile long loop nature trail descends into a shady hollow. You can easily complete the loop in 30 minutes. However, the more time you allow the more you will see and hear. Walk gently and give the forest residents a chance to welcome you into their home. A one half mile long side trail from the loop leads to the campground.
Little Mountain Trail is .8 miles long for a round trip total of 1.6 miles. Near the top of the mountain is a half mile-long nature loop trail.
Milepost 193.1 – 15-45 minutes
Latitude: 33.41705
Longitude: -89.269833
Elevation (approximate): 397 (584 top of Little Mountain) feet
Features: 22 picnic tables, 13 grills, 18-site campground, restrooms, trails, exhibits and an overlook atop Little Mountain (one of the highest elevations in Mississippi)
French Camp Historic Village
Construction of the Colonel James Drane house began in 1846 using a water powered saw. The foundation and framing are secured with wooden pegs and the ceiling with squared nails. Moved to this location in 1981, the house is now owned and operated by the French Camp Academy. You are invited to visit the Drane House. The information station is in the 1840 Huffman Log Cabin. A sorghum mill adjacent to the cabin operates during the fall sorghum season. Open Monday through Saturday 8:30 to 5 p.m. Restoration of the Colonel James Drane home, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places has been funded with assistance of a matching grant-in-aid from the Department of the Interior National Park Service under the provisions of the Jobs Bill Program of 1983.
Louis LeFleur first traded with the Choctaw Indians at a bluff now part of Jackson, Mississippi. About 1812, he established his stand 900 feet to the northeast on the Natchez Trace. Because of the storekeeper’s nationality the area was often called “French Camp”, a name retained by the present village. LeFleur married a Choctaw woman. Their famous son who changed his name to Greenwood Leflore, became a Choctaw chief and a Mississippi State Senator. For him are named the city of Greenwood and the county of Leflore.
A stone memorial marks a stage of the Natchez Trace at French Camp. The first highway opened through the lower south by the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830 between the American government and the Choctaw Indians. The surrounding country became a part of the state of Mississippi. Here Andrew Jackson’s Tennessee and Kentucky commands rested on their way to join him in his coast campaign in the War of 1812, during which second struggle for American Independence, Mississippi took a heroic part. Presented to the town of French Camp by the Mississippi Daughters of the American Revolution, November 10, 1915.
Milepost 180.7 – 10-60 minutes
Latitude: 33.295381
Longitude: -89.40038
Elevation (approximate): 400 feet
Features: Brief distances between each memorial
River Bend
In 1698, the French Explorer, Pierre LeMoyne Sieur d’Iberville, sailed into the mouth of this river and found pearls. He named it ‘River of Pearls’.
The Natchez Trace, 100 years later, avoided the marshy lowlands by following the ridge between the Pearl River and the Big Black River for 150 miles.
The last 75 miles of the river course have served since 1812 as a boundary between Mississippi and Louisiana.
Milepost 122.6 – 10-20 minutes
Latitude: 32.5850166
Longitude: -89.861133
Elevation (approximate): 308 feet
Features: 29 Tables, 15 grills
Cypress Swamp
The Cypress Swamp Loop Trail is 4/10ths of a mile long. Over bridge and thru the swamp to a pond and back to the parking area. An easy trail that can be hiked in 20 minutes.
As anywhere on the parkway, dogs are allowed as long as they are on a leash. Watch out for alligators – they, are not on a leash!
In the month of November, the tree canopy and water vegetation are bathed in interesting fall colors.
Water tupelo and bald cypress trees can live in deep water for long periods. After taking root in summer when the swamp is nearly dry, the seedlings can stay alive in water deep enough to kill other plants.
This trail leads to an abandoned river channel. As the channel fills with silt and vegetation, black willow, sycamore, red maple and other trees will gradually replace the bald cypress and tupelo. Don’t hurry, the change will take several hundred years.
Milepost 122 – 10-30 minutes
Latitude: 32.5795166
Longitude: -89.870016
Elevation (approximate): 299 feet
Features: Short nature trail through and over a cypress swamp
Reservoir Overlook
This 50 square mile reservoir is formed by an earth filled dam. It is administered by the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District, an agency of the State of Mississippi. Information concerning recreational facilities may be obtained at the marinas. Access from the Parkway is by way of state and county roads.
Ross Barnett Reservoir (Pearl River) parallels the Parkway for eight miles.
Bicyclists, walkers and joggers can access the Natchez Trace Multi-Use Trail from Reservoir Overlook’s parking area. This is the northern terminus of the trail. Further south the trail joins the Ridgeland Multi-Use Path. From here, you can walk or bike south for several miles paralleling the parkway all the way to the Choctaw Agency at milepost 100.7. This alternate route will help bicyclists avoid heavy car traffic through the Jackson/Ridgeland/Madison area.
Milepost 105.6 – 10-20 minutes
Latitude: 32.4371166
Longitude: -90.07435
Elevation (approximate): 325 feet
Features: Northern trailhead of the paved Natchez Trace Multi-Use Trail/ Ridgeland Multi-Use Path
Rocky Springs
The Town of Rocky Springs. At the end of this trail is evidence of a once thriving community. First settled in the late 1790s, the town grew from a watering place along the Natchez Trace, and took its name from the source of that water – the rocky springs. In 1860, a total of 2,616 people lived in this area covering about 25 square miles. The population of the town proper included 3 merchants, 4 physicians, 4 teachers, 3 clergy and 13 artisans; while the surrounding farming community included 54 planters, 28 overseers and over 2,000 slaves who nurtured the crop that made the town possible – cotton. Civil War, Yellow Fever, destructive crop insects and poor land management brought an end to this once prosperous rural community.
Milepost 54.8 – 10-45 minutes
Latitude: 32.08655
Longitude: -90.798866
Elevation (approximate): 125 feet
Features: Short nature trail thru old town area and a short segment of Old Trace, 15 picnic tables, 4 grills
Sunken Trace
Preserved here is a portion of the deeply eroded or ‘sunken’ Old Trace. Hardships of journeying on the Old Trace included heat, mosquitos, poor food, hard beds (if any), disease, swollen rivers, and sucking swamps.
Take five minutes to walk this sunken trail and let your imagination carry you back to the early 1800s when people walking 500 miles had to put up with these discomforts and where a broken leg or arm could spell death for the lone traveler.
Milepost 41.5 – 10-30 minutes
Latitude: 31.9702
Longitude: -90.955583
Elevation (approximate): 177 feet
Features: Quick clear paths despite the terrain
Windsor Ruins
Built in 1859-61 by Smith Daniell who only lived in the large mansion for a few weeks before he died. The Windsor plantation once sprawled over 2,600 acres. Legend says that from a roof observatory, Mark Twain watched the Mississippi River in the distance.
A Union soldier was shot in the front doorway of the home. During the Civil War the mansion was used as a Union hospital and observation post, thus sparing it from being burned by Union troops.
However, after the Civil War, during a house party on February 17, 1890 a guest left a lighted cigar on the upper balcony and Windsor burned to the ground. Everything was destroyed except 23 of the columns, balustrades and iron stairs.
Milepost 41 – 15-30 minutes
Latitude: 31.9409333
Longitude: -91.125566
Elevation (approximate): 194 feet
Features: One of the most highlighted must-see attractions
Mount Locust
Constructed circa, 1780, this home is one of the oldest structures in Mississippi. It functioned as both a working plantation and as an inn, where travelers on the Natchez Trace could rest for the night.
Mount Locust is the only surviving inn of the more than 50 that existed during the period of greatest use of the Old Natchez Trace.
The American Revolution caused several thousand British sympathizers to move into the Natchez District. During the American Revolution, Spain moved against Britain and seized Natchez in 1779. John Blommart, a retired British naval officer, probably built Mount Locust about 1780.
William Ferguson, a Virginian, migrated to Natchez in 1774. In 1784 the recently married Ferguson bought the Blommart tract, Mt. Locust. As the Ferguson family grew, so did the house and its outbuildings. William Ferguson’s widow Paulina married James Chamberlain in 1806. The Ferguson-Chamberlain family lived at Mount Locust for over 150 years.
After 1795, the Mississippi River was legally opened for American traffic. Settlers from the Ohio River Valley floated their products downriver and sold them at Natchez or New Orleans. Most of them walked back home over the Natchez Trace, because their boats could not go upstream.
When steamboats came to the Mississippi, travel on the Trace declined. At Mount Locust, cotton growing replaced the tavern business.
Milepost 15.5 – 15-60 minutes
Latitude: 31.6855666
Longitude: -91.1876
Elevation (approximate): 161 feet
Features: Very clear walkable paths
Emerald Indian Mound
This is the second largest Indian Temple Mound in the United States. It was built and used between 1300 and 1600 A.D. by the forerunners of the Natchez Indians.
These Indians used a natural hill as a base, which they reshaped by trimming the top and filling the sides to form a great primary platform, 770 feet long, 435 feet wide and 35 feet high.
At the west end still stands a 30 foot secondary mound once topped by a ceremonial structure.
Milepost 10.3 – 10-30 minutes
Latitude: 31.6354166
Longitude: -91.24765
Elevation (approximate): 351 feet
Features: Clear walking paths