All-American Road · Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee

Natchez Trace Parkway

444 miles from Natchez, Mississippi, to near Nashville along the old Natchez Trace, through Alabama, with no trucks and a 50 mph limit.

Along the Natchez Trace Parkway

Photo: Matthew Nichols, CC BY 2.0, source

  • Length444 miles[1]
  • Drive timeTwo days to enjoy the whole parkway[1]FHWA's "time to allow"
  • RoadsNot verified
  • Start and endNatchez, Mississippi (milepost 0) to near Nashville, Tennessee (milepost 444)[3]
  • Fees and passesNone[1]
  • Best seasonNot verified
  • SurfaceNot verified
  • Vehicle notesSpeed limit 50 mph unless posted lower. Commercial vehicles are prohibited; recreational trailers are allowed, up to 55 feet total length and 14 feet high.[3]
  • Seasonal closuresOpen all year, day and night. Severe weather can cause temporary closures from washouts and downed trees.[2]

Before you go

Road status and weather can change quickly. Check the official road-conditions link before you go.

Facts last checked against the sources on October 22, 2026.

About the drive

The Natchez Trace Parkway follows the historic travel corridor between the lower Mississippi River and the Cumberland River. It runs 444 miles from Natchez, Mississippi, through the northwest corner of Alabama to near Nashville, Tennessee, and is numbered by mileposts from south to north.

There are no billboards or trucks, and the speed limit is 50 mph, so it's a calm drive through forest, farmland and swamp. Stops include ancient ceremonial mounds near Natchez, a boardwalk through Cypress Swamp, the Tennessee River at Colbert Ferry in Alabama, and the Double Arch Bridge near the Nashville end.

The whole parkway is a two-day trip for most people, so many drive one state at a time. The Park Service keeps a current conditions page for weather closures.

Stops along the way

  1. Emerald Mound

    Milepost 10.3: the second-largest Mississippian-period ceremonial mound in the U.S.

    Official information · 31.63753, -91.25586 · about 1.0 mi from the route line

  2. Mount Locust Historic House

    Milepost 15.5: one of the old stands (inns) on the Trace.

    Official information · 31.6865, -91.19052 · about 0.3 mi from the route line

  3. Cypress Swamp

    Milepost 122: boardwalk loop through a tupelo-cypress swamp.

    Official information · 32.57955, -89.87014 · about 0.0 mi from the route line

  4. Parkway Visitor Center

    Milepost 266 near Tupelo: the main visitor center.

    Official information · 34.33021, -88.7099 · about 0.0 mi from the route line

  5. Colbert Ferry

    Milepost 327.3: Tennessee River crossing in Alabama.

    Official information · 34.83677, -87.94554 · about 0.1 mi from the route line

  6. Meriwether Lewis Burial Monument

    Milepost 385.9: grave of the explorer.

    Official information · 35.5112, -87.46053 · about 0.4 mi from the route line

  7. Birdsong Hollow Double Arch Bridge

    Milepost 438: the parkway's famous double-arch bridge near the north end.

    Official information · 35.98817, -86.99053 · about 0.0 mi from the route line

Stops are listed in order along the route; the numbers match the map. Stop locations come from the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey place-names database, the stop's own official page or, where noted in the data, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

Food along the way

Farmers markets within about 25 miles

  • Clinton's Fresh at Five Farmers MarketClinton, MS · about 1.0 mi from the route
  • Olde Towne MarketClinton, MS · about 1.0 mi from the route
  • Natchez Farmers' MarketNatchez, MS · about 1.5 mi from the route
  • Downtown Madison Farmers MarketMadison, MS · about 2.3 mi from the route
  • Downtown Tupelo Farmers' MarketTupelo, MS · about 2.4 mi from the route

Markets keep their own seasons and hours, so check with the market before you go. Find more in the Farmers Market Finder.

Sources

  1. America's Byways: Natchez Trace Parkway (FHWA) (checked 2026-10-22)
  2. Natchez Trace Parkway: operating hours and seasons (NPS) (checked 2026-10-22)
  3. Natchez Trace Parkway: Frequently Asked Questions (NPS) (checked 2026-10-22)
  4. Route line: U.S. DOT scenic byways map service (geo.dot.gov), retrieved 2026-10-22.

Written by VanillaGoods from the cited official sources. This is a drive to know, not a ranking. Road status and weather can change quickly; check the official road-conditions link before you go.

Spot something out of date? Email help@vanillagoods.com (help@vanillagoods.com).

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