Mill and overlay asphalt repair work continues on the ramps to I-55 resulting in nightly closures from 6:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. Closures move as work progresses. Crews are also working from milepost 101 to 102.5 during daylight hours. More
3/19/2025 Closure update for Chisha Foka Multi-Use trail rehabilitation
All of the trail north of Old Canton Road is open. The Choctaw Agency parking lot is closed and contractors are working on the sections of trail adjacent to it. More
Mount Locust Inn/Stand and Visitor Center Closed - Grounds Open Wednesday-Sunday
Due to storm damage, the visitor center is closed. The historic inn/stand is also closed due to serious structural concerns. The grounds are open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM. You can still view the stand but cannot enter.
Trails in the North/Central Section of the Parkway
Trail
Milepost
Distance
Description
Cave Spring Trail
308.4
250 ft
Short walk to the cave
Freedom Hills Overlook Trail
317
2200 ft (up and back)
Steep, paved trail to scenic overlook with excellent views
Buzzard Roost Trail
320.3
500 ft
Trail to a spring, the source of water for the Colbert house and travelers on the Old Trace
Colbert Ferry Trail
327.3
1200 ft
Trail to the site of the ferry stand, taking you along the Old Trace to the bluff overlook and back. Trail starts across the parking lot from the restrooms.
Rock Spring
330.2
2200 ft
Loop trail with stepping-stone stream crossing and interpretive stops about the succession from meadow to bottom land to hillside
Rock Spring - a nature trail offers you an opportunity to explore a small natural spring as it bubbles forth from the ground. Small fish dart about in the deep pools created as the stream wanders through the rich bottomland soil and limestone rock. Vegetation and trees change as you move through an abandoned field past the stream into a rocky hillside. After completing the 20 minute walk you may decide to pull off your shoes and dangle your feet in the swift cool water.
George Colbert used to live atop this ridge overlooking the Tennessee River. As one of the many inns that dotted the Trace between Nashville and Natchez, it provided travelers with food and lodging. At this site you can take a short walk up to the ridge where the home once sat. An additional 20-minute stroll will take you along the Old Trace to the bluff overlook of the river.
Near the bubbling waters of Buzzard Roost Spring, Levi Colbert (Itawamba Minko, "Bench Chief") built one of the many inns, called stands, along the Natchez Trace. Trace travelers no doubt talked about Levi's stand. It was nicer than most, and offered respite from the miles of footsteps that defined a Trace journey.
It was a solution. Water dissolved the limestone. It was a solution. The Cave Spring provided shelter from the weather. It was a solution. The water quenched parched travelers.
800 305-7417
The Parkway Visitor Center near Tupelo, MS, is open 9am-4:30pm seven days a week. The visitor center is closed Thanksgiving, December 25th and January 1st.
