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• Thursday, May 21, 2020
• Posted By Admin

The Natchez Trace Parkway and National Scenic Trail commemorate the historic Natchez Trace, an ancient path that began as a wildlife and Native American trail. Its history is rich and its lineage can be traced back to its use by explorers; "Kaintuck" boatmen, post riders, and military men. It also contains some challenging bike paths that many traverse every year. Finally, it is - like our Erie Canal ride - one of the several bike vacations we offer our customers. Let's take a look at some interesting facts about this legendary trail.

Fact 1: Meriwether Lewis of the exploratory team of Lewis and Clark died from gunshot wounds on the Trace. The story is that he was on his way to Washington, D.C. when he died here. (To this day, however, historians still debate whether it was suicide or murder that ultimately ended his life.)

Fact 2: It's believed the Trace was originally formed by roaming bison. It's hard to believe that bison once covered the plains of North America and that when they moved, whole states shook. However, historians believe that thousands of years ago the Trace was formed by herds of bison and other large animals as they traveled from water hole to water hole.

Fact 3: The Pharr Mounds - located at milepost 286.7 - is a complex of eight ancient burial mounds that was once a trading hub and that was very active during its time. Today, the Pharr Mounds also are an archaeological site located near Tupelo in parts of Itawamba and Prentiss counties in northern Mississippi.

Fact 4: There are no commercial vehicles allowed on this trail. In order to preserve the pristine quality of this area and because parts of it are of archeological and historical significance, no commercial vehicles are allowed here.

Fact 5: The entire Trace is designated as a bike route. Of great significance to our clients is the fact that the entire Parkway is technically one large bike route. It provides some of the most beautiful and bike-friendly roads ever.

Fact 6: Some of the historical sites on the Trace are thousands of years old. Long before the United States was ever formed, Native American tribes used the Natchez trace. Tupelo itself was home to the Chickasaw tribe. Finally, the Pharr Mounds themselves are believed to have been made between the years 1-200 A.D.

If this is your first long distance tour, we welcome you as we provide the best biking vacations of any site online. Our bike tour vacations allow you to improve your health level while at the same time they let you explore parts of the country and world that would otherwise go unseen by plane, bus, ship or car.