Riding the Natchez Trace - seeking info

[dduelin]

I'm thinking of riding the Trace from Jackson, MS to the Nashville end in mid-July. The Park Service maps make the lower sections look fairly straight with the curvy part on the north end. For those of you have have done it, what is the speed limit and would I want to do those 340-odd miles in two days or one?Are there curves along most of it? At this time I like to keep the day's ride at about 550 miles or less so on the face of it 340 is one day, but I do want to take in the scenery and if the limit is 35 or something than that would make me want to break it up. I'm used to heat and humidity being a native Floridian but is there any weather info I should be aware of during that time? Daily showers full of lightning bolts?

I would ride Jacksonville Fl to Jackson, up the Trace to Nashville, then across TN to the Robbinsville, NC area for a couple of days on the Cherohala and other roads around there, then back to FL. I have 5 days to work with.

Thanks for any info.

[Bobby Lee]

Speed on the trace is 50, and it is enforced rather strictly. There are no services available on the trace whatsoever, you must get off into the small towns along the way for fuel, food, etc. As for twisties, there are none, the trace is pretty much straight, but the scenery is good if you like rural scenery with very little traffic.

[sherob]

As mentioned above... alot of critters too ;) It is a slow 2 lane road... 50mph or 55mph, don't speed ;) There are picnic area's every once in a while... restrooms are nasty :eek:

[jnsgardner]

The Trace is not for fast travel. There are historical markers and scenic walks every 10 to 15 miles or so. It used to be in two sections, but I believe that gap has been filled in by now. After Nashville, head over to Great Smokies National Park for some really pretty scenery. After that,
head to Ashville NC for a real treat. Ashville is an ordinary town with one exception....the Biltmore. A young Vanderbilt built a fantastic chateau in the '20s and bought all the land he could see from the chateau. You'll think you've entered a time warp and landed in France. It's not something you'd expect in rural NC and can easily be passed by if you didn't know it was there.

John

PS. Antebellum homes in Natchez and the Vicksburg battlefield are well worth a look-see, but you probably don't have time.

[Mac]

Occasionally there will be those who decide 50 mph is way too slow and blow through the trace at well above the limit. Pacing them is realtively easy, just speed carefully, those trace cops are VERY serious! There are curves, generally high speed sweepers that would be great fun around 80mph. Closer to Nashville the curves get tighter, but nothing too bad.

Services are non-existant on the trace, but it does go through several towns of varing sizes along the way where food and fuel are available.


It is a very scenic ride, but also very sedate. There are many historical landmarks along the way, so stopping and picture taking is recommended.


Weatherwise, July is fairly dry, with occasional thunderstorms and/or tornados. It will be hot, dam hot. 95-100 or so deg F with 85-100% humidity. The later in the month the hotter it will be. Also there will be many, many insects, especially at dusk, so be prepaired to clean your face shield alot.