Natchez Trace Bicycle Itinerary - North to South, 5 Days
On this Natchez Trace Parkway Bicycle Itinerary cyclists will bike North to South for 5 days from the Northern Terminus (milepost 442 - Nashville, TN) to the Southern Terminus (milepost 0 - Natchez, MS).
Ride Stats for entire 5-day itinerary.
- Does not include miles to/from Parkway for lodging.
- Currently, there is a 17.5-mile-long closure on the Parkway with a detour. For details on how to bike or drive around the closure, see Day 3 below.
17.5 miles of Parkway closed - current status:
- Total Miles on Parkway, Multi-Use Path and Road Detour: 451.2
Average miles per day: 90.2 - Total Elevation Gain:
15,971 feet (avg. 35.4 feet/mile) - Total Elevation Loss:
16,499 feet (avg. 36.6 feet/mile)
0 miles of Parkway closed (no detour):
- Total Miles on Parkway and Multi-Use Path: 446
Average miles per day: 89.2 - Total Elevation Gain:
15,751 feet (avg. 35.3 feet/mile) - Total Elevation Loss:
16,281 feet (avg. 36.5 feet/mile)
Day 1 - Nashville, TN (Northern Terminus at milepost 442) to Collinwood, TN (milepost 355)
Ride Stats for Day 1
- Miles on Parkway: 87.9
- Elevation Gain:
5,397 feet (avg. 61.4 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 8.9% - Elevation Loss:
5,026 feet (avg. 57.2 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -8.1%
- Route Overview Map for Day 1 (Route along the Parkway and Routes to/from Lodging at start and end of the Day)
- Restrooms, Top 30 Favorite Sites, and Exits with Services Nearby Along the Way from Milepost 442 to Milepost 355
- Lodging, Featured Points of Interest and Food at the end of the Day near the Parkway at Milepost 355
Day 2 - Collinwood, TN (milepost 355) to the Tupelo, MS area (milepost 276 or 266 or 262)
Ride Stats for Day 2
milepost 355 to milepost 276:
- Miles on Parkway: 79.9
- Elevation Gain:
2,774 feet (avg. 34.7 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 5.9% - Elevation Loss:
3,415 feet (avg. 42.7 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -6.4%
milepost 355 to milepost 266:
- Miles on Parkway: 89.9
- Elevation Gain:
3,019 feet (avg. 33.6 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 5.9% - Elevation Loss:
3,756 feet (avg. 41.8 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -6.5%
milepost 355 to milepost 262:
- Miles on Parkway: 93.4
- Elevation Gain:
3,115 feet (avg. 33.4 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 6.0% - Elevation Loss:
3,836 feet (avg. 41.1 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -6.5%
- Route Overview Map for Day 2 (Route along the Parkway and Routes to/from Lodging at start and end of the Day)
- Restrooms, Top 30 Favorite Sites, and Exits with Services Nearby Along the Way from Milepost 355 to Milepost 262
- Lodging, Featured Points of Interest and Food at the end of the Day near the Parkway at Milepost 262
Day 3 - Tupelo, MS area (milepost 276 or 262 or 256) to French Camp, MS (milepost 181)
Currently (starting on August 16, 2023), there is a 17.5-mile closure on the Natchez Trace Parkway just south of Tupelo.
- These 17.5 miles between milepost 256.7 and milepost 239.2 are projected to be closed thru the spring of 2024.
- Below are 3 different options (2 different detour options and 1 no detour route after the closed area reopens) for Day 3 based on the status of the road project/closure/detour.
If you have a support vehicle – we highly recommend driving around the closure on the park service's Marked Detour Route.
NatchezTraceTravel.com has created an Alternative Bicycle Detour Route that is 23.7-miles-long around the 17.5-mile-long closure:
- 21.3 of the bicycle detour miles are on lightly traveled county roads. 2.4 miles at the very southern end are on MS Hwy 32 which has a lot of car and truck traffic and not much shoulder.
- A 1,500-foot section of County Road 101 is gravel. Fortunately, CR 101, like most of the bicycle detour route is fairly flat.
- Dogs also like lightly traveled country roads – several have been reported. You might want to take an air horn to scare dogs away.
- A few street signs at intersections are missing – follow our directions and RideWithGPS cues. There are no detour road signs for the bicycle route.
- If you don’t have a support vehicle – AND
if you don’t feel comfortable biking in traffic for 2.4 miles - OR
encountering dogs along the way - OR
are directionally challenged you should consider:
- Obtaining a ride around the closure. Check with the Tupelo Cycling club: Tupelo Cycling Facebook page.
OR
- We have another detour that goes around this 17.5-mile-long closure AND goes around all of Tupelo - avoids biking on the Parkway between milepost 266 and 230. This detour takes cyclists off the Parkway to the popular Tanglefoot Trail® , down to Houston, MS, back to the Parkway at milepost 230 and then south to French Camp, MS. - For more information about the closure, Marked Detour Route, Alternate Bicycle Detour Route including a map, click here.
Ride Stats for Day 3
(17.5 miles of Parkway closed - current status - 23.7-mile-long Detour around Closure):
milepost 276 to milepost 181:
- Miles on Parkway (78 miles) and Road Detour (23.7 miles): 101.7
- Elevation Gain:
3,275 feet (avg. 32.2 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 5.0% - Elevation Loss:
3,292 feet (avg. 32.4 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -4.9%
milepost 262 to milepost 181:
- Miles on Parkway (64.6 miles) and Road Detour (23.7 miles): 88.3
- Elevation Gain:
2,885 feet (avg. 32.7 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 5.0% - Elevation Loss:
2,821 feet (avg. 31.9 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -4.8%
milepost 256 to milepost 181:
- Miles on Parkway (58.6 miles) and Road Detour (23.7 miles): 82.3
- Elevation Gain:
2,739 feet (avg. 33.3 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 5.0% - Elevation Loss:
2,677 feet (avg. 32.5 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -4.8%
Click Here to View Day 3 (including 23.7-mile-long Detour around the 17.5-mile-long Closure):
- Route Overview Map for Day 3 (Route along the Parkway/Detour and Routes to/from Lodging at start and end of the Day)
- Restrooms, Top 30 Favorite Sites, and Exits with Services Nearby Along the Way from Milepost 276 to Milepost 181
- Lodging, Featured Points of Interest and Food at the end of the Day near the Parkway at Milepost 181
Ride Stats for Day 3
(17.5 miles of Parkway closed - current status - Detour around Tupelo on the Tanglefoot Trail®):
milepost 276 to milepost 181:
- Miles on Parkway (63.7 miles) and Road Detour (69.7 miles): 133.4
- Elevation Gain:
4,139 feet (avg. 31.0 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 5.6% - Elevation Loss:
4,156 feet (avg. 31.2 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -4.9%
milepost 266 to milepost 181:
- Miles on Parkway (53.8 miles) and Road Detour (69.7 miles): 123.5
- Elevation Gain:
3,860 feet (avg. 31.3 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 5.5% - Elevation Loss:
3,780 feet (avg. 30.6 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -4.9%
Click Here to View Day 3 (including Detour around Tupelo on the Tanglefoot Trail®):
- Route Overview Map for Day 3 (Route along the Parkway/Detour and Routes to/from Lodging at start and end of the Day)
- Restrooms, Top 30 Favorite Sites, and Exits with Services Nearby Along the Way from Milepost 276 to Milepost 181
- Lodging, Featured Points of Interest and Food at the end of the Day near Milepost 181
- Lodging options along the route in case you want to split this longer (net 22 more miles compared to other detour option and net 38 more miles compared to Parkway route with no detour) route into two days
Ride Stats for Day 3
milepost 276 to milepost 181:
- Miles on Parkway: 95.6
- Elevation Gain:
2,911 feet (avg. 30.5 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 5.0% - Elevation Loss:
2,928 feet (avg. 30.6 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -4.8%
milepost 262 to milepost 181:
- Miles on Parkway: 82.0
- Elevation Gain:
2,538 feet (avg. 31.0 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 4.9% - Elevation Loss:
2,459 feet (avg. 30.0 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -4.7%
milepost 256 to milepost 181:
- Miles on Parkway: 74.6
- Elevation Gain:
2,386 feet (avg. 32.0 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 4.9% - Elevation Loss:
2,277 feet (avg. 30.5 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -4.7%
Click Here to View Day 3 (no detour!):
- Route Overview Map for Day 3 (Route along the Parkway and Routes to/from Lodging at start and end of the Day)
- Restrooms, Top 30 Favorite Sites, and Exits with Services Nearby Along the Way from Milepost 262 to Milepost 181
- Lodging, Featured Points of Interest and Food at the end of the Day near the Parkway at Milepost 181
Day 4 - French Camp, MS (milepost 181) to Raymond, MS (milepost 79 or 76)
Ride Stats for Day 4
milepost 181 to milepost 79:
- Miles on Parkway and Multi-Use Path: 103.5
- Elevation Gain:
2,323 feet (avg. 22.4 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 3.8% - Elevation Loss:
2,442 feet (avg. 23.6 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -2.4%
milepost 181 to milepost 76.3:
- Miles on Parkway and Multi-Use Path: 106.1
- Elevation Gain:
2,376 feet (avg. 22.4 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 3.8% - Elevation Loss:
2,537 feet (avg. 23.9 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -2.4%
- Route Overview Map for Day 4 (Route along the Parkway and Routes to/from Lodging at start and end of the Day)
- Restrooms, Top 30 Favorite Sites, and Exits with Services Nearby Along the Way from Milepost 181 to Milepost 79 or 76
- Lodging, Featured Points of Interest and Food at the end of the Day near the Parkway at Milepost 79 and 76
Day 5 - Raymond, MS (milepost 79 or 76) to Natchez, MS (Southern Terminus at milepost 0)
Ride Stats for Day 5
milepost 79 to milepost 0:
- Miles on Parkway: 79.4
- Elevation Gain:
3,047 feet (avg. 38.4 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 5.3% - Elevation Loss:
3,197 feet (avg. 40.3 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -3.4%
milepost 76.3 to milepost 0:
- Miles on Parkway: 76.7
- Elevation Gain:
2,981 feet (avg. 38.9 feet/mile)
Maximum Grade: 5.3% - Elevation Loss:
3,091 feet (avg. 40.3 feet/mile)
Minimum Grade: -3.3%
- Route Overview Map for Day 5 (Route along the Parkway and Routes to/from Lodging at start and end of the Day)
- Restrooms, Top 30 Favorite Sites, and Exits with Services Nearby Along the Way from Milepost 76 or 79 to Milepost 0
- Lodging, Featured Points of Interest and Food at the end of the Day near the Parkway at Milepost 0
Do you appreciate this information and advice?
Natchez Trace Travel Planner
Parkway Map, Top 30 Favorite Sites and Nearby Lodging Map, Lodging Flyer
I/We "Bicycled the Natchez Trace" Merchandise