Cypress Swamp Loop Trail on the Natchez Trace Parkway
Length: .4-mile loop
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Begin the Cypress Swamp Loop Trail by descending into the swamp via a staircase next to a large information sign. The best views of the swamp are right at the beginning of the hike, particularly when you cross the footbridge at the bottom of the staircase.
Footbridge across the swamp
Cypress Swamp
After a short distance you will come to an intersection. The trail you are on continues straight, but to the right is a bridge that looks rather enticing. This is actually a shortcut, but who needs that on a .4-mile trail? Crossing the bridge would cut off a visit to a nice pond a little farther down the trail. I was there when the flowers were blooming and was greeted by a sea of yellow.
Flowers blooming on the pond at Cypress Swamp
When you continue past the pond you will find that the trail loops back around to the bridge. Once you cross it you will begin making a gradual ascent back up to the parking lot and will come out on the opposite side from where you started.
Other than the stairs at the start and the gradual slope when you exit, the Cypress Swamp Loop Trail is flat and easy to hike.
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Last updated on December 8, 2021
