Why Bike the Natchez Trace Parkway? No stop signs or stop lights.

The 444 mile long Natchez Trace Parkway stretches from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee. Why bike the Natchez Trace Parkway?

Reason #5: No stop signs or stop lights. Access on and off the Trace is via on/off ramps which means no need to worry about cross traffic.

You could bike the entire length of the Trace without ever stopping! What is most important about the absence of stop signs and stop lights is there is no cross traffic. Cyclists don't have to watch for cars driving across the Trace at high speeds. The picture above shows a typical off ramp.

Access to the Trace from highways and major roads is provided by an on ramp that intersects with the Trace at a 90 degree angle. Cars entering the Trace must stop before turning onto the Trace (i.e. no merging ramps where the car enters the Trace at a high rate of speed).

There are some very lightly traveled back roads that don't have on/off ramps onto the Trace. The back road has a stop sign at the Trace intersection.

If you are looking for a highway or road that accesses the Natchez Trace Parkway go to NatchezTraceTravel.com at the following links:

• Tennessee Natchez Trace Parkway Access / Exit Highways 
• Alabama Natchez Trace Parkway Access / Exit Highways 
• Mississippi Natchez Trace Parkway Access / Exit Highways 

There you will find, for each highway, the parkway's milepost number, nearby towns and cities and a map of the highway/Trace intersection and nearby attractions, towns and bed and breakfasts.

This is just one of 10 reasons why the Natchez Trace Parkway is an excellent bike route:

1. National Park Service designates the entire parkway as a bike route. Numerous signs instruct cars to share the road with bicycles.
2. Commercial traffic is prohibited.
3. Maximum speed limit for cars is 50 mph.
4. Motorized traffic is generally very light except around Tupelo and Jackson.
5. No stop signs or stop lights. Access on and off the Trace is via on/off ramps which means no need to worry about cross traffic.
6. Scenery is awesome. Instead of utility poles and buildings, the Trace is lined with forests, farmland, creeks and beautiful vistas.
7. All along the Trace through Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, historical and nature attractions offer interesting breaks and rest stops.
8. Restroom facilities on the Trace are available about every twenty miles.
9. Numerous side trails take you past antebellum and victorian homes, sunken roads, civil war battlefields and southern towns.
10. There are many "cycling friendly" bed and breakfasts located along and near the Trace.