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 (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, whose route generally follows sections of the Natchez Trace Parkway through the states of

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, and

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. 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 ...

); 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 agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

. 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 portion was built. The Natchez Trace Parkway and National Scenic Trail commemorate the historic Natchez Trace, 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