Courtesy Natchez Trace Parkway
Natchez Trace Parkway
The Natchez Trace Parkway is 444 miles long and stretches through three states, but sites in Mississippi are some of the best, according to Amy Genke, park ranger of interpretation for the National Park Service.
“This historic route commemorates 10,000 years of history, from the prehistoric American Indian and beyond,” she said. “You can see where boatmen from centuries ago walked — you’re walking in the footsteps of history.”
Near Natchez, the Mount Locust site features the only open, historic building along the parkway.
“This was a primitive inn where those boatmen stayed,” said Genke.
The Cypress Swamp, near Jackson, features a trail with boardwalks over cypress swamps where alligators peek to catch a glimpse of walkers.
“This is one of my favorite trails along the parkway,” said Genke.
In northern Mississippi, the Bynum Mounds, 2,000-year-old burial mounds, and the Chickasaw Village Site, once a Chickasaw fort and homestead, tell the American Indian story along the parkway.
