The Natchez Trace Parkway is a national park without a wow factor – no big geological wonder, no significant historic moment – just a long skinny road that leads you from the hustle and bustle of the present to the slower and quieter past without you even being aware of what’s happening. The Parkway is 444 miles long, starting in Natchez, Mississippi and ending just outside Nashville, Tennessee. While the length is very precise, the width varies but averages a little over 400’ on either side of the road. The present Parkway does not follow the exact path of the Old Trace(s) – for there were more than one. First there was a trail followed by animals as they trekked about searching for food and water then local tribes of Choctaw and Chickasaw literally followed in their footsteps. For a time, the Trace served as a one-way route for boatmen who’d taken their wares downstream to Natchez, sold everything including the boats and then walked or ridden back home in the north, utilizing the segments of the trail worn by earlier travelers. In time, there was a need to move mail along the route and post riders made the trail even more distinct.
As a National Park, the Trace is closed to commercial traffic and there is a maximum speed limit of 50 mph, even less in some segments. The road is well-maintained but it is only two lanes wide, there are no shoulders and plenty of gentle curves and small hills. We found that radio reception is skimpy, CB chatter from truckers on unseen highways which run beside the Trace was scant and there is very little traffic except near the larger cities. Trees make up the majority of what might be called scenery. They hug the road in some areas, making for long tree tunnels and stand back a reasonable distance in others. Farm fields, pastures and meadows are sometimes visible. Rarely can you glimpse a house or barn. There are plenty of roads with access to the Trace and those lead to cities and towns, again unseen from the Trace. You are never far from civilization but you just can’t be sure.
A trip down the Trace is not to be rushed. You’ve fallen down the rabbit hole and you might as well enjoy the trip. It’s best to stop frequently, take the time to read the signage at various spots, breathe deeply and enjoy the quiet solitude. There are things to watch out for, of course; poison ivy, ticks and chiggers, a variety of poisonous snakes. We spotted several groups of white-tailed deer, a goodly number of flocks of wild turkeys, squirrels and one snake who’d picked a bad time to cross the road. The Trace has it’s mysterious side and one of the most significant sagas of the early Trace involved Meriwether Lewis. In 1809, he was shot at Grinder’s Stand (Milepost 385.9) and died of his wounds. It has never been determined if he was murdered or if he committed suicide; it’s ironic that he survived the enormous hardships of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and then died in a relatively civilized place like the Trace.
Speaking of mysteries, Nevada Barr has used The Trace as settings for two of her Anna Pigeon novels, “Deep South” and “Hunting Season”. I read “Deep South” just before we traveled The Trace the first time and some of the shadowy areas seemed very sinister. For this trip, sunshine predominated.
This being our second visit to the Trace we didn’t take the time to do a lot of sightseeing. And we didn’t take many photos. We thought about including archived photos from the earlier trip but decided that wasn’t quite kosher. But we did make several stops along the route, the first being in Hohenwald, Tennessee. Our campground was an interesting (odd, actually) combination of KOA and membership park. The instructions on how to locate the campground included a warning about a low bridge just at the exit from the Parkway but we couldn’t quite figure out what we were supposed to do about it. However, as soon as we reached the bridge, it became obvious; there’s a dirt path several feet lower than the road which allows taller rigs to slip (but just barely) under the bridge. It is not a graceful transition and resulted in a lot of funny noises coming from the coach as she crept over the rough edges. Once inside the campground, we found a huge flat area but with nary a sign of any RVs. The campsites were at the top of a hill reached by a road that needed some serious repairs. It was fine for an over-night but we were left wondering why they weren’t utilizing all that nice flat area at the bottom of the hill for their campsites.
As we were preparing to leave on Saturday morning, we spotted a deer walking along the shoreline. She popped into the lake and began to swim across. Although there was a fair amount of boat traffic, she didn’t seem the least upset about it and continued on her way. I didn’t know deer would enter the water voluntarily much less swim.
On the advice of some folks we met back in Monticello, we made reservations at Timberline on the Ross Barnett Reservoir just outside Jackson, Mississippi. We’d thoroughly explored Jackson on a previous trip to Mississippi so we took this two-day opportunity to just kick back and relax. After exiting The Trace at Natchez, we crossed the Mississippi and spent two days at a riverside campground in Vidalia, Louisiana. It was our second stop at this park and we won’t be doing that again. Not only were the daily rates excessive but there was an additional $5.00 a day for 50 amp service although we can live just fine on 30 amps. Because of the size of the rig we were not allowed to opt out on the 50 amps. So for that price they should at least keep the lawns mowed.
So that ends our tracing of The Trace. Now it’s on to a round robin of eating and dancing here in Cajun Country.
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