The Natchez Trace Trail is a designated

National Scenic Trail The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, whose route generally follows sections of the

Natchez Trace Parkway The Natchez Trace Parkway is a limited-access national parkway in the Southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Natchez Trace and preserves sections of that original trail. Its central feature is a two-lane road that extends 44 ...

through the states of

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, and

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. The Natchez Trace Trail is not a long, continuous footpath, as is the case with other national scenic trails (such as the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...

); rather, only a limited number of trail segments along the route, currently over of trail, have been developed for hiking and horseback riding. Moreover, the Natchez Trace Trail, unlike many others that rely heavily on volunteers for trail construction and maintenance, is managed and maintained by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

. Sections of the trail follow along the Natchez Trace Parkway road shoulder, and cross county and state roads. It was originally intended to be longer and follow most of the Natchez Trace Parkway, but only a portion was built. The Natchez Trace Parkway and National Scenic Trail commemorate the historic

Natchez Trace The Natchez Trace, also known as the Old Natchez Trace, is a historic forest trail within the United States which extends roughly from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, linking the Cumberland River, Cumberland, Tennessee River, ...

, an ancient path that began as a wildlife and Native American trail, and has a rich history of use by colonizers, "Kaintuck" boatmen,

post riders Post riders or postriders describes a horse and rider postal delivery system that existed at various times and various places throughout history. The term is usually reserved for instances where a network of regularly scheduled service was provid ...

, and military men.

Sections

This trail comprises five sections. The table below is ordered from South, Milepost 0 (Natchez) to North, Milepost 444 (near Nashville), but can be sorted differently.

References

External links

National Park Service website

Natchez Trace Compact
{{authority control Hiking trails in Alabama Hiking trails in Mississippi Hiking trails in Tennessee Long-distance trails in the United States Natchez Trace National Scenic Trails of the United States National Park Service areas in Alabama National Park Service areas in Mississippi National Park Service areas in Tennessee Protected areas of Claiborne County, Mississippi Protected areas of Lee County, Mississippi Protected areas of Madison County, Mississippi Protected areas of Williamson County, Tennessee Protected areas established in 1983 1983 establishments in Alabama 1983 establishments in Mississippi 1983 establishments in Tennessee