Natchez Trace from Jackson, Mississippi to Canton, Mississippi

This 33 mile section of the Natchez Trace Parkway starts at milepost 102 at the northern end of Jackson, Mississippi and goes northeast past Canton, Mississippi to milepost 135. For several miles the Trace follows the western shoreline of beautiful Ross Barnett Reservoir.

Traveling south to north you will encounter several sites that are part of the Natchez Trace Parkway and are overseen by the National Park Service:

• Brashear's Stand and Old Trace
  Two portions of the Old Natchez Trace, are preserved here. In 1806 the stand was advertised as "a house of entertainment in the wilderness."
• Reservoir Overlook
  From this overlook you can see much of the 50 square mile reservoir.
  
• Boyd Mounds
  In this 100 foot long mound, archaeologists found the remains of 41 burials.
  
• West Florida Boundary
  In 1764, Great Britain moved the boundary of West Florida north to this location (32 degrees, 28 minutes) into the land of the Choctaws and Creeks. This Trace stop is a trailhead to the Ridgeland, MS section of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail, a walking and horse trail.
  
• Cypress Swamp
  A 20 minute self-guided trail takes you through a water tupelo and bald cypress swamp.
  
• River Bend
  In 1698, the French Explorer, Pierre LeMoyne Sieur d'Iberville, sailed into the mouth of this river and found pearls. He named it 'River of Pearls'.
  
• Upper Choctaw Boundary
  A line of trees crossing the Natchez Trace Parkway at this location, marked a section of the boundary accepted by the Choctaw Indians and the American Commission under Andrew Jackson in the treaty of Doaks Stand, October 20, 1820. As part of this treaty the Choctaw reluctantly ceded 5.5 million acres of land west of this line. 

For additional pictures, information and interactive maps of the Jackson - Canton, Mississippi section of the Trace please see NatchezTraceTravel.com.

Also, just off the Trace you will find:

• Mississippi Crafts Center
  Located near the Natchez Trace Parkway since 1975, the Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi is a non-profit organization of craftsmen and others to preserve and promote folk, traditional and contemporary crafts.
• Canton, Mississippi
  Canton is located eight miles west of the Natchez Trace Parkway. Canton's historic County Courthouse Square and the town's many Victorian and Antebellum homes have been the backdrop for several movies, including "A Time to Kill", "My Dog Skip" and parts of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?".

There are two Canton bed and breakfasts to choose from - both located a short walk from the Courthouse Square.

Next section north on the Trace: Kosciusko
Next section south on the Trace: Raymond to Jackson