wolfman*1
04-21-2008, 04:09 PM
The Natchez Trace Parkway is a Federal ParkRoad a lot like the Blue Ridge Parkway as far as the type of road and some of the scenery. No high mountain views though like the B.R.P. The Trace begins in Natchez, Mississippi and ends about 450 miles later just south of Nashville, Tennessee in Franklin. I thought that the best riding parts are from the Mississippi/Alabama State line north to Nashville. The southern part is beautiful, but relatively flat. This road has a lot of history. Apparently early pioneers would float their goods down the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to Natchez Mississippi where they would sell their stuff. They even sold the lumber from the boats they made to get their wares there. They then would hike back to Nashville, Tennessee. This trail or trace was used for many, many years. The remnants of it are still visible. You can walk parts of it still today. Along the way, there are ancient Indian Burial Mounds and a whole ton on of history. There are lots of pull offs, bathrooms and a very well maintained road.
We began our trip in mid April at the Comfort Inns Suites, located on the river across the Mississippi River from Natchez in Vidalia, Louisiana. it a very nice and relatively new motel. Videlia is about 150 miles from New Orleans. We left from there for the 2 day trip to Nashville. The speed limit on the Parkway is 50 mph on most parts and slower on some others. It’s enforced too. There are lots of park rangers on it. It rained the entire first day of our trip, however it was a light rain and the scenery was beautiful. We saw deer, lot's of turkeys and buzzards. No bears though, darn! Plan your route for gas stops. To get gas, you have to leave the Parkway. While some gas stops may be really close to the Parkway, other may be some distance away. We stopped for the night in Starkville, Mississippi, home of MSU. That was a good halfway point. Lot of motels, restaurants, stores etc.... in case you need something. The next day was clear and sunny, but not very warm. We had packed lunches the first day and thought we could finish it and just do a late lunch at the end. We took a break at the Tennessee side of the Tennessee River Bridge. There's a really nice pull off with bathrooms there and more great scenery. It took us longer to do the ride than we’d figured so it was about 3 pm when we exited the Trace. I would suggest you pack lunches each day you plan on being on it. At the end of the Parkway, we found the Loveless Café (Diner to the stars). We ate there. I think every country singer etc in world has eaten there. There are gift shops etc ... there. The food was ok but not great. The prices were pretty reasonable though. This was one “way kool” ride and is well worth doing. You might be able to do it in 1 day but you'd be missing everything. Plan on 2 for sure. Thanks Eck.
Steve
We began our trip in mid April at the Comfort Inns Suites, located on the river across the Mississippi River from Natchez in Vidalia, Louisiana. it a very nice and relatively new motel. Videlia is about 150 miles from New Orleans. We left from there for the 2 day trip to Nashville. The speed limit on the Parkway is 50 mph on most parts and slower on some others. It’s enforced too. There are lots of park rangers on it. It rained the entire first day of our trip, however it was a light rain and the scenery was beautiful. We saw deer, lot's of turkeys and buzzards. No bears though, darn! Plan your route for gas stops. To get gas, you have to leave the Parkway. While some gas stops may be really close to the Parkway, other may be some distance away. We stopped for the night in Starkville, Mississippi, home of MSU. That was a good halfway point. Lot of motels, restaurants, stores etc.... in case you need something. The next day was clear and sunny, but not very warm. We had packed lunches the first day and thought we could finish it and just do a late lunch at the end. We took a break at the Tennessee side of the Tennessee River Bridge. There's a really nice pull off with bathrooms there and more great scenery. It took us longer to do the ride than we’d figured so it was about 3 pm when we exited the Trace. I would suggest you pack lunches each day you plan on being on it. At the end of the Parkway, we found the Loveless Café (Diner to the stars). We ate there. I think every country singer etc in world has eaten there. There are gift shops etc ... there. The food was ok but not great. The prices were pretty reasonable though. This was one “way kool” ride and is well worth doing. You might be able to do it in 1 day but you'd be missing everything. Plan on 2 for sure. Thanks Eck.
Steve