About the Trace: The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile, two-lane road through Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee that commemorates the historic Natchez Trace and preserves sections of the original trail. There are limited exits and entrances and it is closed to commercial traffic so you can enjoying riding without any stops…unless you want to pull off at any of the 50 exits along the way.
I had planned to ride the entire Parkway from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee, but a new job screwed up my Friday departure so I had to leave on a Saturday. Instead of riding the entire Parkway, starting from Natchez, Mississippi, I decided to cut it in half and just start at the Parkway visitor center in Tupelo and head north to Nashville instead. I’ll just have to come back and do the second part later. This “work” thing consistently screws up my ride plans…🤨
I left Chattanooga on a brisk Saturday morning and took Georgia 72 down through Huntsville and Decatur, which turned out to be a fantastic ride. The fall colors were really out and the foliage showed reds, oranges, yellows, greens and browns. Just spectacular the entire way. I passed through a few small towns, but traffic moved along nicely, and I never really slowed down at all.
A highlight of the ride from Chattanooga to Mississippi was a 40 mile stretch of Alabama 24 to the Mississippi state line called the Tammy Wynette Highway…and it’s just magnificent. The road continuing on in Mississippi is equally scenic.
It took me about four hours to reach Tupelo. Since this ride took place in the middle of a government shutdown, the visitor center was not open, although I did see a few park Rangers on the roads. After a quick break and some photos, I got back on the Parkway and headed toward Muscle Shoals, my stop for the night, just a couple hours away. The speed limit was 45 or 50 and that was just perfect. I took in the fall colors and miles and miles of cotton fields. I saw some especially vibrant foliage near Tishomingo. I saw several marked Indian mounds off the side of the Parkway, but I didn’t stop. Most of the pull-offs labeled as “overlooks” really aren’t overlooks as the elevation isn’t much more than 300 to 600 feet. The temperatures were in the mid 60’s when I left Tennessee and never got above 75 the entire first day.
I had breakfast and coffee and I was on the road the next morning by 7:30. It was a brisk 51° but I like riding when it’s chilly and I had my cold weather gear so that was no problem. I thought…
I rode over to the famous Fame Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals, just a few blocks from my hotel, but it was closed so I snapped some photos and kept moving. What a place that was back in the day.
I was back on the Trace before 8 AM. The temperatures were dropping and it was 48° before I knew it. There was no wind so it felt
comfortable.
The trace was just as nice as it was the day before so I set my cruise control at 50 miles an hour and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Falling leaves had almost covered the 2-lane road and it appeared that no one else had been there that morning. As a matter of fact, I saw a very little traffic at all.
In less than 10 minutes, I crossed into Tennessee. I only stopped at a couple different places along the way… and those were very interesting.
The Old Trace Drive is a one-lane road that goes through some pretty forest. The old paving is potholed and worn and is not a great road for nice cars. But I was on an adventure bike so it was perfect. The one-way trail goes 2 1/2 miles and exits back on the Trace. I saw some deer but no sign that there had been people there for a while. Definitely not for RVs or larger vehicles.
A few miles further up the Trace, I stopped at the place where Meriwether Lewis died and was buried in 1809. There is a cabin where Grinder’s Stand used to be and that is where Lewis apparently killed himself. Just outside is a large memorial to his life. The story is fascinating. In September 1809, Lewis was living in St. Louis as the appointed Governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory. He left St. Louis for Washington, DC, on September 4, 1809, for two main reasons: To document the Lewis and Clark expedition (he carried his journals from the Corps of Discovery) and to protest the War Department’s denial of payment vouchers that he had submitted for reimbursement. Lewis traveled to Fort Pickering (modern-day Memphis, Tennessee) by boat and intended to proceed down the Mississippi River to New Orleans and then travel by ship to Washington, DC, though he later decided to travel overland to the nation’s capital. Lewis arrived at the cabin on the evening of October 10, 1809. In the middle of the night Mrs. Grinder heard two gun shots and found Lewis bleeding from wounds to his chest and head. By sunrise Lewis was dead. Historical accounts of Lewis’ depression support the probability of suicide.
The temperature had dropped to the mid-40’s and I was starting to feel it. Heated grips can only do so much! Continuing up the Trace for another 50 or so miles brought me to the Northern Terminus of the Parkway. There’s a nice sign and a parking area, but otherwise a fairly humble end to a fabulous ride.
I got on the freeway and headed home, shivering the entire way.
Prologue: The Natchez Trace Parkway is a world class motorcycle ride through some very pretty country. I rode it in the Fall, but I would think it would be a nice 3-season ride. I’ve ridden the Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive and the Cherohala Skyway…and this ride definitely compares to those places. I highly recommend the NTP, either as a solo ride or with others.
