Natchez Trace Parkway

I am thinking about riding this up and back soon with the wife as pillon and see that there are some warnings about road damage in Mississippi. Has anybody ridden it lately and if so how much of a problem did this cause if any?

We live in Mississippi and ride the Trace quite often. I haven't heard about any serious "problems", but I'll see what I can find out for you. Give me a few days.... Gail

mikegalbicka said:

I am thinking about riding this up and back soon with the wife as pillon and see that there are some warnings about road damage in Mississippi. Has anybody ridden it lately and if so how much of a problem did this cause if any?

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mikegalbicka,

From what I can find out, there was some downed trees, etc. last week due to wind. However, it appears that most of that was horse riding trails/hiking. I seriously doubt that there would be any closed sections of the Trace itself, being that it is a major route. Closer to time for you to make your trip, you can re-check at www.nps.gov/natr/planyourvisit/conditions.htm In the meantime, if I hear of anything other than this I will let you know. The Trace is absolutely beautiful, and I recommend stopping at French Camp along the way. Also, Jeff Busby Park has free camping (no showers), but nice restrooms. Gail

Thanks Gail. That is where I saw this warning which had me wondering.

https://www.nps.gov/natr/learn/news...vement-problems-for-mississippi-travelers.htm

Both of those links are pretty old...I found them earlier. I have seen that using Google maps, it will indicate areas of slow down or detour. I did a portion of the Parkway from Jackson to Tupelo, MS, and there doesn't appear to be any issues shown on the map.

I wondered about the date being old too but probably wrongly assumed if it was no longer relevant it would be removed.

Nice pastoral ride. The trace is usually on the back side of plantations and farms. Stick to the speed limits, which is relatively slow. The trace is usually well patroled by law enforcement. Ride and enjoy.

Looks like we will be headed that way within the week. Looking forward to it. Wish we could have beat the heat and gotten out sooner but the schedule just didn't work.

mikegalbicka said:

Looks like we will be headed that way within the week. Looking forward to it. Wish we could have beat the heat and gotten out sooner but the schedule just didn't work.

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2 of us rode the Trace from North to South, leaving from Birmingham, AL, riding to the northern terminus (Leipers' Fork), then heading to Tupelo, MS for our 1st night on the road. The next day we finished the Trace and spent the evening in a nice hotel on the river's edge in LA. A great ride.

Points to remember: no gas/lodging on the Trace. The NPS is serious about the 50 mph speed limit. (I set my cruise control on 50mph and left it there. I don't think I touched the throttle all day, either day). There is only 1 place on the Trace to get lunch (nice park just south of John Burns' Farm, IIRC). Some construction zones, but these didn't really slow us down (OK, I may have gone off cruise through the construction zones). Road surfaces -- other than the construction zones -- were terrific!

We ate lunch and gassed up just before entering the Trace (in Franklin, TN) and this got us to Tupelo. There are lots of hotels and several nice restaurants in north Tupelo, just off the Trace. The second day we ate breakfast at the hotel (Comfort Inn in our case), gassed up just north of the hotel, ate lunch early as we passed the park mentioned earlier, then rode on to Natchez before gassing up again. The 3rd day we rode back to Birmingham, after a great night in the Comfort Inn on the shores of LA right at the bridge from Natchez over the MS River.

Now that we've ridden it, we're not in any hurry to do it again! I'd much rather ride the Blue Ridge Parkway again (I've ridden it 4 times so far, and could probably enjoy riding it every other year).

YMMV

Bikes: My 2015 R1200RT, Jim's 2012 R1200R

Enjoy! If you get the chance, stop for lunch at French Camp. The Trace is pretty but DO NOT RIDE IT AT NIGHT. Even in the daytime watch for deer & turkeys. I actually saw a black panther in the Tombigbee Forest section of the Trace! Of course I was too dumb struck to take a picture, but that was a jaw dropping experience. Hope y'all have a great trip!

The Trace, like similar roads, is a state of mind.

I live almost beside the Blue Ridge Parkway and it is different every time I.get on it. Lots of elevation changing and curves. I was not looking forward to the Trace as I pictured straight and boring.

I had a delightful 2 day ride. Thoroughly enjoyed it. You should too. Think Buffalo for Thousands of Years and Thousands of Years ago..........
Charlie

shortythorne said:

Enjoy! If you get the chance, stop for lunch at French Camp. The Trace is pretty but DO NOT RIDE IT AT NIGHT. Even in the daytime watch for deer & turkeys. I actually saw a black panther in the Tombigbee Forest section of the Trace! Of course I was too dumb struck to take a picture, but that was a jaw dropping experience. Hope y'all have a great trip!

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French Camp looks like the perfect place for lunch. Any particular establishment come to mind? We do not ride at night anywhere so no problem there.

We plan to ride from Natchez to French Camp for lunch then on to Florence, AL for dinner and sleep. Will leave there and ride to the north terminus then return to the same hotel the next day. Day 3 will be back to Natchez.

Just gonna take our time and stop at any points of interest (history, waterfalls, forests,etc) and generally chill out.

Things to do

Shiloh battlefield stuff about 1 1/2 hours from Florence nice riding area, also a great restaurant on Tennessee River called the Catfish Hotel near the battlefield area. Warning if you go over to the area to eat and have a quick look see, you will want to go back and spend more time which is ok because you get to eat again.

179212 said:

Shiloh battlefield stuff about 1 1/2 hours from Florence nice riding area, also a great restaurant on Tennessee River called the Catfish Hotel near the battlefield area. Warning if you go over to the area to eat and have a quick look see, you will want to go back and spend more time which is ok because you get to eat again.

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Thanks. Looks interesting for the future. Probably won't stray that far off the Trace this time though. We shall see.

jgoertz said:

2 of us rode the Trace from North to South, leaving from Birmingham, AL, riding to the northern terminus (Leipers' Fork), then heading to Tupelo, MS for our 1st night on the road. The next day we finished the Trace and spent the evening in a nice hotel on the river's edge in LA. A great ride.

Now that we've ridden it, we're not in any hurry to do it again! I'd much rather ride the Blue Ridge Parkway again (I've ridden it 4 times so far, and could probably enjoy riding it every other year).

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I think it's a good idea to ride The Trace before riding the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Trace has its own kind of deep Southern flatland charm, and it sort-of suffers in comparison to the BRP. Nonetheless, it's a fine ride, but the NPS Rangers are serious about speed enforcement.

Do you get any elevation on the Tennessee end?

My parents had a camp on the Tennessee river at Iuka Mississippi. Rode the Trace and every other road to get to and from there. The best part on the Trace is Tupelo MS north to Nashville.

Mount Woodall is just out of Iuka, Ms., it's the highest point in Ms., at 807 ft tall. Probabably 25-50 miles from the Trace.

barryg said:

Mount Woodall is just out of Iuka, Ms., it's the highest point in Ms., at 807 ft tall. Probabably 25-50 miles from the Trace.

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Wow - over twice as high as anything here in Florida.

Random comment

I've been reading this thread with some amusement and nostalgia. I actually grew up outside Tupelo, MS, and lived about 1/2 mile from "the Trace". At that time, mid 50's to early 60's, the Trace was still gravel, and my buddies and I used to go ride our balloon tire bicycles along the roadway. On my bucket list is a trip back with a proper vehicle to ride the whole length - just for old times' sake.