WayneF
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Joined: 02/05/2008
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We will depart Chicago mid Oct. headed South then West to Phoenix and wondered if driving the Natchez Trace Pkwy from Nashville to Natchez is worth the drive. Or would you suggest bypassing it and heading toward Dallas/Ft Worth, NM, then to Phoenix? We enjoy scenery, history, and taking quality photos. Is gasoline now availble in Nashville?
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Scottiemom
South Dakota/Indiana
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It is an incredible drive. Slower paced, relaxing, and if you're lucky, you will see wildlife. Plenty of history with remnants of the Trace, Indian mounds, mines, etc. Go here for info: Natchez Trace
We drive portions of it twice a year and have driven the entire length a couple times. A beautiful drive and much history to explore. Beautiful scenery at the Tennessee River where you can have lunch close to the water. Be sure to stop at the points of interest and the Meriweather Lewis monument. There are special events which are listed on the web site.
Enjoy!
Dale
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JUrban
Delaware
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Last I checked, Flying J was not reporting any shortages in Tennessee, so it looks like that's going OK now.
We drove the Trace from Natchez to north of Tupelo this spring. We found there was a detour someplace north of Florence, AL, but don't know how far it extended or what it was for. The ride on the Trace is great. Limited speed and no shoulders on a two lane road appears restrictive, but the No Trucks rule and no stop signs or signals makes it a very pleasant drive. In fact, DW drove it for a while and enjoyed it. There are a lot of turnouts for historical points along the road, although you need to keep your eyes peeled for No Turnaround signs on a few unless you can do a 3 point turn. We got off the Trace for fuel as the prices on it were a lot higher than off. We also tried the one campground on the Trace and found it full and very crowded. We just pulled off in a turnout and spent the night undisturbed, even though we saw a number of Park Law Enforcement vehicles pass us.
Beautiful scenery and a very interesting drive, but it won't save you time because of the speed limit. We'd definitely do it again.
John
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jrtgirls
Garner, NC USA
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Joined: 08/04/2003
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Simply put -- YES
jrtgirls
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Dutch Oven Man
Tennessee
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I live right off the trace and it is beautiful. The leaves will be in peak color by the time you leave. There are several campgrounds along the way that are a few miles off the trace, but worth the 15 minute detour. David Crocket State park in Lawrencburg TN is a nice park only 15 minutes from the trace, and there are several nice COE campgrounds within a few minutes as you go through Mississippi. Two words of caution, the speed limit is 55 and the State Troopers/Park Rangers are serious about enforcing it. Also, deer season just started here and there are tons of deer along the trace. With deer season underway, the deer are more than likely to be wandering and cross the road.
Gas is plentiful the futher south you go from Nashville. Running about 3.79 a gallon, 4.09 for diesel.
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johnna
Southwest, Utah
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Joined: 07/28/2003
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We have driven it twice and would do it again if we ever get back to that area.
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Scottiemom
South Dakota/Indiana
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Uh, the speed limit is 50, not 55. At the extreme northern part, it is 45.
Dale
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Robert McNabb
Sunny San Diego
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For me, it's the most incredible journey that I've ever driven...twice, and I'd like to return, tho we've given up motorhoming because of age. The distance of roughly 400 miles was, on one trip, cut into 3 sections so it took us 3 days to cover. It's a joy to take it in easy, lazy spurts of driving. Where can one find, in all of America, a road without commercial trucks, without signboards, without even a suggestion that we're living in 2008? There are some very distant reminders that a farm is nearby but there's no constant reminder that industry is florishing a mile away from the wood stake fences that border portions of the road.
We found great campsites when we left the Trace for the evening.
Good luck on a fantastic journey.
Bob & Annie in sunny San Diego
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ronfisherman
SE Michigan
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Joined: 06/05/2006
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We drove over 200 miles of the Trace in January. Plan to pick it up near Nashville to Jackson. We were not able to get a map of the Trace. This limited finding many of the sites. Try to get a map or print out info from the site linked above.
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RRUGG
Newaygo, MI,USA
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There are three free campgrounds on the Trace (no hookups) and many state parks and RV parks not far off.
RRUGG
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