Best of Natchez Trace Bicycle Tour - PRIVATE

March 29 - April 5, 2025

Enjoy the southern charm of Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee while cycling the Natchez Trace Parkway and connecting rural roads. BIKEternity tour guides will provide a one-of-a-kind bicycle adventure and access to the best of the Trace and surrounding towns. The easy to moderate riding will leave you with plenty of energy to explore the deep history of this area and indulge in all the southern cuisine you will encounter along the way. 

• Description
• Itinerary
• Planning

• This 8-Day tour explores the deep history of the Natchez Trace and the pre-Civil War era known as the Antebellum South. The Trace has long been a vital conduit for Southern Pride and offers outstanding cycling opportunities with its rolling hills, incredible scenery, and ample stretches of road with light motorized traffic. Experience 350 miles of this cycling paradise. Each day you’ll enjoy cuisine of the region and the unique culture of the American South. This area is also a favorite of both US Civil War and antebellum home enthusiasts with an abundance of history from the early days of Native American and European influences along the Trace and Mississippi River.

  Whether you are a new or veteran cyclist, this region and tour is ideal for you. Our fully supported tour will provide a one-of-a kind bicycle adventure and access to all the best parts of this area.

  What to Expect:

  The Natchez Trace is known for its flatter terrain. The areas around Vicksburg and Port Gibson are dotted with rolling hills, especially inside the Vicksburg National Military Park. Daily mileages range from 35 – 55 miles, with shorter options available. Bike rentals are available. Temperatures in the area range from the low 50’s in the evening to the upper 70’s to lower 80's during the day.

  What’s Included:

  • Welcome reception and orientation
  • 7 nights in Hotels
  • 22 meals – 7 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 7 dinners
  • Van support during the course of the trip
  • Professional guide services by two BIKEternity trip leaders
  • Daily route directions and maps, including GPX files for your GPS
  • Several sightseeing and cultural activities may be included depending on group interest, including:
  • Guided bicycle tour of the Vicksburg National Military Park
  • Walking tour of Vicksburg
  • Tour of the USS Cairo Museum
  • Visits to Windsor Ruins and Alcorn University
  • Elvis Presley Birthplace
  • Helen Keller Birthplace
  • Grand Village of the Natchez Indians
  • Guided tour of one antebellum home in Natchez
  • French Camp Historic Village
  • Native American Burial Mounds
  • Gordon Historic House
  • Mississippi Craft Center
  • Muscle Shoals Sound Studio

  
  

  Not Included:

  • Airfare is not included in the cost of the tour.
  • Travel to and from our start point is the responsibility of each individual.
  • Airport transfers.
  • Insurance of any kind.
  • Alcoholic beverages.
  • Items of a personal nature.

  Airport Information

  Start: Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport(JAN)

  End: Nashville International Airport (BNA)
  

   

• Day 1: Ridgeland Meetup and Transfer

  Miles: 10
  Transfer: 2 hours to Natchez, MS
  Terrain: Paved with a few small hills

  Meet group morning of March 29 at our startpoint meetup hotel in Ridgeland, MS 8-9 AM to load up and shuttle to Natchez, MS. We will do a cycling tour of Natchez, MS including a tour of an Antebellum home and the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. We will check into our accommodations. Orientation will be before dinner and we will dine in a local establishment.

  Day 2: Natchez Trace/Port Gison/Vicksburg

  Miles: 45
  Terrain: Flat with a few small hills

  After breakfast at the hotel, we will begin our journey North on the Natchez Trace toward Port Gibson. We will visit Emerald Mound, Loess Bluff, Mount Locust, Alcorn State University (first black land grant college in the US), and Windsor Ruins before arriving in Port Gibson, MS. Depending on group size, we will stay overnight in a local B&B or shuttle to Vicksburg, MS.

   

  Day 3: Natchez Trace/Ridgeland

  Miles: 40
  Terrain: A few rolling hills

  After breakfast, we will shuttle back to Port Gibson as needed to continue riding the Trace visiting the Sunken Trace (due to centuries of use), Mangum Mound, and Rocky Springs town site (abandoned). We may optionally include a cycling tour of the Vicksburg Battlefield site (15 mile guided tour by a docent) before we make our way to the Mississippi Craft Center (local artisans) and an overnight in Ridgeland.

   

  Day 4: Natchez Trace/French Camp

  Miles: 45
  Terrain: Gently rolling hills

  Beginning near the Mississippi Craft Center, we will ride one of the most beautiful parts of the Trace past Ross Barnett Reservoir and the Cypress Swamp. Depending on the temperature you may see a few alligators as you walk the boardwalk through the swamp. We will continue up the trace with a potential shuttle to Kosciusko Center before we finish riding to French Camp Historic Village and our overnight accommodations

  Day 5: Natchez Trace/Tupelo

  Miles: 42
  Terrain: Rolling hills, major road

  After breakfast we shuttle to Bynum Mounds(233) and ride through Tombigbee National Forest toward Tupelo. We can stop at the Tupelo National Battlefield if desired, the Parkway Visitor Center and end our ride at the Dogwood Valley (yes, should be in full bloom) before we transfer to the Elvis Presley Birthplace home for a tour before we settle into a hotel in Tupelo.

  Day 6: Natchez Trace/Muscle Shoals/Tuscumbia, AL/Florence, TN

  Miles: 52
  Terrain: A few steep climbs followed by rolling hills

  Our longest day of the tour begins after an early breakfast and a shuttle to the Pharr Mounds Exhibit Shelter (MP286). The Pharr Mounds is an archaeological site near Tupelo; a complex of earthwork burial mounds that are dome shaped. We will ride across the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway, the Alabama state line, and the Tennessee River after leaving Colbert Ferry. At the end our ride at MP338 and Tom’s Wall, a memorial to the Trail of Tears. A quick shuttle into Muscle Shoals/Tuscumbia, AL or Florence, TN will allow us to tour the Helen Keller Birthplace in Tuscumbia, AL or the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio (home to Rock-n-Roll).

  Day 7: Natchez Trace/Columbia, TN

  Miles: 38
  Terrain: More rolling hills a few long climbs

  After breakfast, we will shuttle to the Trail of Tears Exhibit (MP370) after crossing the Tennessee state line to start our ride for the day visiting Meriwether Lewis (leader of the Lewis & Clark Expedition) State Park and the location where Meriwether Lewis died; mysterious and conflicting stories abound., Devils Backbone State Natural Area, Jackson Falls, and finally the Gordon House Historic Site. Once we gather, we will shuttle to Columbia, TN for our last overnight together and a scrumptious meal. We may move the Helen Keller Birthplace visit to the beginning of this day.

  Day 8: Natchez Trace/Nashville, TN

  Miles: 36 Miles
  Terrain: Large rolling hills

  After breakfast, we will shuttle from Columbia, TN to the Gordon House Historic House (MP408) and ride the remaining Trace to MP444 seeing the War of 1812 memorial, Garrison Creek, the double arch bridge and the trace terminus, group pictures will occur and will ride another mile to the Loveless Cafe for a celebratory midday to late afternoon lunch. We will take shipped bikes to Trace Bikes to ship home and drop guests off at a downtown hotel and/or airport hotel as needed.

   

• Tour Leaders: Arlen Hall and TBD

  Bike Shipping: We will provide a local bike shop in Ridgeland, MS to accept and build-up your bike. We will do the same in Nashville, TN at the end of the tour. We can handle bike pickups and dropoffs but the guest is responsible for any payment arrangements with the bike shop. We can also provide a shop in Nashville, TN for quality bike rentals. We can handle bike pickups and dropoffs for the tour but the guest is responsible for payment arrangements in advance. Pickups will be on March 28 and drop offs on April 5 which may result in an extra day(s) rental.

  Early Arrivals: For those arriving early the day(s) before the tour, we would recommend the following museums:
  

  • Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Jackson, MS, T-S 9-5, S 11-5, closed Monday
  • Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Historic Place, Jackson, MS, T-S 9-4, closed Sunday and Monday

  
  

  Gear List: TBD

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