View from the top of Little Mountain
At the end of the road that leads into the Natchez Trace Parkway’s Jeff Busby Park is an overlook at the top of Little Mountain with views on either side of the parking lot. However, trees have grown up over the years and have blocked much of the view, so don’t expect to see anything spectacular.
In addition to the view are four picnic tables (no grills) and a shelter with information panels and an attached restroom facility. The panels discuss the progression of the forest surrounding the mountain. It began as a pristine forest, but eventually became farmland. Once the National Park Service established the Natchez Trace Parkway and ended farming in the area, the forest once again reclaimed the land, and this second growth forest is now what you see around you.
It takes about five minutes to read the panels, all of which are very interesting. One panel discusses extinct species that once inhabited the area, including North America’s only parakeet, the Carolina Parakeet. Other species that could once be found are buffalo, Ivory Billed Woodpeckers, and Passenger Pigeons. Much of the extinctions are the result of habitat lose caused by the cutting of the forest. The east coast forest was once so dense that a squirrel could travel from Maine to Texas without touching the ground.
Shelter at the Little Mountain Overlook at Jeff Busby Park
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Last updated on December 5, 2021
