Enjoy cycling the Natchez Trace, a National Park-administered historic Mississippi paved road, with delicious food and highlights along the way. You'll visit Vicksburg, mansions, and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. All this served with famous Southern hospitality. The tour starts and ends in Jackson, MS, spans 6 days, with an average group size of 12 people and a difficulty level of 3. It is 100% paved. The Natchez Trace Parkway is a restricted-access road with no commercial traffic built by the U.S. Park Service in the 1930s to honor this historic trail and road. The Trace figures prominently as a pathway in local American Indian history — from the mound-building societies beginning as early as the first century A.D. to the shrinking territories of the Chickasaw and Creek tribes prior to the Trail of Tears. In the early 1800s, boatmen floated goods down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to Natchez, Mississippi, where their boats were sold for lumber. Then they made an over 400-mile trek back to the Ohio Valley on the Natchez Trace. This corridor has been preserved, and now it’s one of the premier cycling destinations in the U.S. You cycle most of the southern one-third of this 444-mile parkway — and visit fascinating rural historical plantations and ruins. Enjoy two nights in Natchez, MS, and one at an inn situated in a wildlife refuge. The final two nights are in Jackson, MS, where you ride more of the Natchez Trace and visit the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. You experience rural life, delicious southern cooking and historical landmarks on this iconic bicycle tour. Day 1: Arrival Day. Ride the Natchez Trace Parkway, visit the Clinton visitor center museum, witness the historic location of the Battle of Raymond, pedal through Dean's Stand (General Grant's headquarters), and see Red Bluff Stand. Finish with a walk to Rocky Springs, an abandoned town. Shuttle to Natchez. Biking: 30.2 miles, Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,035 ft ascent, 1,221 ft descent. Terrain: Easier. Day 2: Natchez Trace Parkway Ride. Explore Natchez and surroundings, visit Melrose Estate (one of the first plantation-style estates built inside a southern city), and the Natchez Museum of African-American History and Culture. Optional out-and-back ride for longer miles. Accommodation: Monmouth Inn, Natchez. Meals: Breakfast. Optional Biking: 25.3 miles, Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,673 ft ascent, 1,671 ft descent. Terrain: Easier. Day 3: Emerald Mound & Windsor Ruins. Ride north on the Natchez Trace and rural side roads. Visit Emerald Mound (second largest Indian mound site), ride past Alcorn State University. Lunch at the Old Country Store. Visit Windsor Ruins (mid-1850s plantation ruins). Accommodation: Canemount Plantation Inn, Lorman. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Biking: 47.5 miles, Elevation Gain/Loss: 2,047 ft ascent, 1,980 ft descent. Terrain: Easier. Day 4: Sunken Trace. Ride north along the Natchez Trace toward Jackson. Visit Port Gibson, enjoy quiet scenery. Visit the Sunken Trace (preserved section of original route). Picnic lunch included. Shuttle to an elegant Inn in Jackson. Dinner on your own. Accommodation: Fairview Inn, Jackson. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch. Biking: 53 miles, Elevation Gain/Loss: 2,184 ft ascent, 2,252 ft descent. Terrain: Easier. Day 5: Historic Vicksburg. Shuttle to Vicksburg for a private tour focusing on the Civil War battle. Visit the USS Cairo Museum (first American ironclad warship). Explore historic Vicksburg's walking paths, museums, and the Vicksburg Bridge. Shuttle back to Jackson for a final celebration dinner. Accommodation: Fairview Inn, Jackson. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Day 6: Departure Day. Visit the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. Optional out-and-back ride north on the Trace. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch. Optional Biking: 17.3 miles, Elevation Gain/Loss: 421 ft ascent, 448 ft descent. Terrain: Easier. Accommodations include Canemount Plantation Inn (historic 1850s house and grounds), Natchez Grand Hotel (atop bluffs overlooking Mississippi River), and Fairview Inn (boutique hotel in Jackson with elegance and charm). The tour includes 5 nights' accommodation, 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 3 dinners. Supported by experienced guides and leaders with an industry-leading Guest-to-Guide ratio (averaging 6:1). All activities, delicious snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, and necessary equipment are provided. Includes a branded t-shirt and bag. Bike options: Gravel bikes with drop handlebars, Hybrid with flat-bar handlebars, or E-Bikes. All bikes are equipped with a front handlebar bag or rear carrier, branded water bottle, mirror, and flat pedals. Ride with GPS navigation, detailed maps, and itineraries. Transportation in air-conditioned vans. Customer Care Team support before and during the trip. FAQs: Tour starts at SpringHill Suites by Marriott Ridgeland at 8 am. Tour ends with drop-off at Fairview Inn at 2 pm or SpringHill Suites by Marriott Ridgeland at 2:15 pm. Recommended arrival day before tour, departure from Jackson-Evers International Airport (JAN) after 6 pm. Parking arrangements to be made by guests. Accommodations may differ but will be hand-picked. Final accommodation list sent a month before the tour.
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