Old Trace segment at Mile Post 199 on the Natchez Trace Parkway
A very short segment of the original Natchez Trace has been cleared and preserved near Mile Post 199 on the Natchez Trace Parkway. You can walk to the end and back in less than 5 minutes. The Trace really resembles a road at this point, and it is not as “sunken” as are segments farther south. For those who haven’t seen a sunken segment, these are sections where so many people, horses, and wagons traveled over the sandy soil that a gully was worn into the ground, in some places as deep as ten feet. As you travel north, the soil becomes much firmer and less sandier, and therefore more impervious to erosion due to traffic. If you are driving up the Natchez Trace Parkway from the south, this is the first original Natchez Trace segment that is not sunken.
Original Natchez Trace segment
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Last updated on December 4, 2021
