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Published: August 9th 2007
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Natchez Trace Parkway
This is the modern Natchez Trace. Traffic was very light at this time of year. Natchez Trace Parkway: Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee
We leisurely drove the Parkway. The speed limit is 50 miles an hour. There are no stop lights or stop signs. There are no billboards. There is just lots of greenery and it’s an entirely different view from most roads. It’s RV friendly with loops that make it possible to pull-off and re-enter without backing up, so we could stop at various points of interest along the parkway. There are lots of places to stop and there are signs that describe what is significant about the area. There are paths to hike and at some places it is possible to hike on the old trace. There are a few areas that are called The Sunken Trace and it is an area that the path is worn down. Some areas have a soil that is called Loess. It was deposited during windstorms that occurred during the last Ice Age. It is 30 to 90 feet deep in some areas.
The National Park System has two parkways. The one that is better known is the Blue Ridge Parkway and is known for its scenic views. The lesser known one is the Natchez Trace Parkway and
Sunken Trace
This is a section of the deeply eroded or sunken "old trace." The sign leading into this area asks you to imagine as you walk along the trace how the conditions would have been in the 1800's. There would have been many hardships on the 500 mile journey. These would have included: heat, mosquitos, poor food, hard beds (if any), disease, swollen rivers and swamps.Injury for the lone traveler could end in disaster. was developed for its historical significance. Natchez Trace Parkway goes from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee. Long before the parkway and the cities, there was a trail that connected these two areas. I had never heard of the Natchez Trace parkway, but George has and thought it sounded interesting. We began our journey at the southern end of the parkway in Natchez, Mississippi which is a city on the Mississippi River.
The Native Americans who lived in this area were the Natchez. They lived in this area AD 700-1730. They were farmers and lived in permanent structures. We visited The Emerald Mound and The Grand Mound. These mounds have flat tops as structures had been built on top of them, whereas burial mounds in other areas of the country are rounded on top.
Melrose House is part of the National Park System and is located on the outskirts of Natchez. It has been restored to the antebellum period of its history and was completed in 1840. The lifestyle was affluent with fine furnishing, summer trips spent in the Northeast or on trips to Europe. Winter was spent at Melrose entertaining and taking care of plantation business. The house
Loess Bluff
A sample of the many signs that are along The Parkway. It was convenient to pull off and read the signs or explore the area. has been beautifully restored and the guides are very enthusiastic and informative in their presentations. There has been a lot of documentation left in the form of letters and papers, which our guide seemed to know very thoroughly.
It was interesting to visit Mount Locust which was an Inn along the old Trace. We walked a section of the original Trace, as it approached the Inn, so we could see how it looked to the travelers a long time ago. Originally products could only be shipped down the Mighty Mississippi River. The craft would be sold for lumber and then the people would need to walk back home to Ohio, Kentucky, etc. They would travel the Trace and it would take approximately 6 weeks. Accommodations varied, but the one Inn we did see had a nice spacious area for feeding the travelers. The sleeping accommodations were another matter; with the back porch enclosed on three sides, but fully open on the fourth side.
We stopped at various places along the Trace. There are lots of opportunities to get out and learn something or see something interesting. One place was a Tupelo-Baldcypress Swamp. It was well marked and we
Emerald Mound from a distance
It's very obvious from a distance that the top of the mound is flat. all enjoyed a stroll through the swamp.
We camped one night at the Jeff Busby Park. It has a limited number of sites. The cost was right with it being free, but there are no hookups. There were lots of trails for us to amuse ourselves hiking.
Mostly we stayed on or near the Parkway. The one time we ventured a few more miles away from it was on the advice of someone we’d met in our travels. He had claimed that the Core of Engineers Campground on Bay Springs Lake was worth the time to get there. He was right, the view was awesome! We ended up staying an extra day as we enjoyed the area and all the beautiful scenery.
The Natchez Trace continues on to the outskirts of Nashville. We parted company with the Parkway several miles before the end as it was time to head to our next destination, The Land Between the Lakes.
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Renee Panther
non-member comment
Love your travel blog.
Hi Lynn and George, We have enjoyed you travel blog very much. Your writing is very good and interesting. The pictures are beautiful. We felt like we were on the trip with you looking over your sholder. You could make this a new profession. Hope to see you at the May campout. Renee