The Natchez Trace Parkway: A Hiking Heaven

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Love hiking and the great outdoors? Hike through history and enjoy the natural beauty around you when you visit the Natchez Trace Parkway.

The Natchez Trace Parkway: A Hiking Heaven

Tishomingo Swinging Bridge
Tishomingo Swinging Bridge

For your hiking enjoyment, the Natchez Trace Parkway offers over 25 nature and guided trails that range from 1/8 to 2.5 miles. You’ll find five hiking sections of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail connected by the Parkway, totaling over 60 miles. In fact, the Natchez Trace has consistently been named Best Hiking Area in Mississippi by Mississippi Magazine.

The Natchez Trace offers genuine opportunities to explore diverse natural environments that include wetlands, swamps, Spanish moss, hardwood forest, rock outcroppings, and overlooks. In some places you can even walk along the Old Trace itself and follow the footsteps of those that have walked hundreds, and even thousands of years before you.

We strongly encourage you to visit the sparkling waterfalls for a relaxing, scenic hiking adventure. For a hike through history and culture, visit the interpretive sites and exhibits. Winding 444 miles through Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, you’ll find natural beauty all along the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Here are the five hiking trails featured on the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail:

  • Potkopinu Trail – Experience history as you walk along this quiet, three-mile “sunken” trail.
  • Rocky Springs Trail – Near Port Gibson, this site offers almost ten miles of trail.
  • Yockanookany Trail – This 24 mile long nature trail passes through a variety of historical areas.
  • Blackland Prairie Trail – Near Tupelo, this trail winds six miles through hardwood forests and blackbelt prairie.
  • Highland Rim Trail – Located near Leiper’s Fork, this 25 mile long trail offers multiple spots for hikers and horseback riders.
Tishomingo State Park
Tishomingo State Park

Ready to take a hike?

Hiking along the Natchez Trace Parkway is most popular during spring and summer, but generally temperate weather makes it enjoyable year round. No matter when or where you decide to go, one thing is for sure: you’ll have an awesome experience.

Plan your trip to the scenic Trace now!

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