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Natchez Trace Bike Tour Road
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Ruin Site
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Vicksburg national park
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Mississippi River
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Discovery Van

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6-Day Natchez Trace Parkway Historical Bike Tour

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.

Start - End: Jackson - Jackson

Total trip: 6 days

Average group size: 12 people

from USD 3,299/pp including taxes and fees

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Trip Inquiry - 6-Day Natchez Trace Parkway Historical Bike Tour

Natchez Trace Bike Tour Road
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Ruin Site
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Vicksburg national park
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Mississippi River
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Discovery Van
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Road
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Ruin Site
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Vicksburg national park
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Mississippi River
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Discovery Van
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Road with fall colors
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Dessert
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Riders on top of the Indian mound
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Guests Cycling
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Armadillo
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Fairview Inn
Natchez Trace Bike Tour Parkway
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Trip Inquiry - 6-Day Natchez Trace Parkway Historical Bike Tour

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Pedal the Natchez Trace Parkway on a 6-day historical bike tour. Smooth riding, Southern scenery, and fascinating stops along this iconic route.

Our Natchez Trace bike tour is a perfect late-season or early-season cycling destination on quiet Mississippi roads — with added bonuses for history buffs (including a tour of Vicksburg). Enjoy famous southern hospitality, trees festooned with Spanish moss, and views of the mighty Mississippi River. 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.


Surfaces for this tour: 100% Paved.

Trip Highlights

Day by day on your bike tour

Check out the map below for the scenic route you'll take on this bike tour.

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We'll meet and head out on the Natchez Trace Parkway for your first ride. As you pass through Clinton, stop by the visitor center museum highlighting the history of the Trace and of Clinton. As you continue south, you see the historic location of the Battle of Raymond, where General Ulysses S. Grant’s troops clashed with the confederate brigade of General John Gregg on May 8, 1863. Pedal through history at Dean’s Stand where General Grant made his headquarters after the Battle of Raymond. And see Red Bluff Stand, which previously served as the boundary between the Choctaw tribe and three different nations: France, Spain, and the U.S. A picnic lunch is included.

Finish the day with a walk to Rocky Springs, an abandoned town from the late 1800s. Then shuttle to Natchez for your first night in this state's oldest town. 
Accommodation: Monmouth Inn, Natchez
Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Biking: 30.2 miles (48.6 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,035 feet (315 meters) ascent, 1,221 feet (372 meters) descent
Terrain: Easier

Today you explore Natchez and the surrounding countryside, and cycle to sites preserved by the National Park Service and others — including the Melrose Estate, which was one of the first plantation-style estates built inside a southern city.

You also have a special guided tour through Natchez and a visit to the Natchez Museum of African-American History and Culture. 

If you’re looking for longer miles, you can also do an out-and-back ride on the southern end of the Trace. This is the Deep South! Spanish moss hangs from the trees, and the scenery varies from hardwood forest to open pastures and cotton fields. Dinner tonight is on your own, with a wide variety of restaurants to choose from in Natchez.
Accommodation: Monmouth Inn, Natchez
Meals: Breakfast

Optional Biking: 25.3 miles (40.7 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,673 feet (510 meters) ascent, 1,671 feet (509 meters) descent
Terrain: Easier

Head north this morning on the Natchez Trace and then onto rural side roads. Explore some of the historical artifacts along the Trace, including Emerald Mound — the second largest Indian mound site in the U.S. Ride past Alcorn State University, founded in 1871 by the Reconstruction-era legislature to provide higher education to freedmen.

Lunch is included at the historic Old Country Store in Lorman. Along the route, visit the Windsor Ruins — built in the mid-1850s — a plantation that once sprawled over 2,600 acres, which now appears like a Roman ruin, thanks to the 23 still-standing columns.

Your home for the night is the Canemount Plantation Inn, a historic 1850s house and grounds that have recently been converted into a B&B. Dinner is at the inn.
Accommodation: Canemount Plantation Inn, Lorman
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Biking: 47.5 miles (76.4 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 2,047 feet (624 meters) ascent, 1,980 feet (603 meters) descent
Terrain: Easier

The riding today brings you farther north along the Natchez Trace back toward Jackson. See the charming town of Port Gibson and enjoy the quiet scenery on the way back to Rocky Springs. You also visit the Sunken Trace, a preserved section of the original route, where you can easily imagine a lone horseman appearing around the bend on his arduous wilderness journey. A picnic lunch is included.

End the day at the edge of Jackson, with a short shuttle to the most elegant Inn in town. Relax and enjoy the privacy of this small, stately inn or explore town in late afternoon and visit sites such as the Eudora Welty Museum. Dinner tonight is on your own in Jackson, with many choices available.
Accommodation: Fairview Inn, Jackson
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Biking: 53 miles (85.3 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 2,184 feet (666 meters) ascent, 2,252 feet (686 meters) descent
Terrain: Easier

Today’s route begins with a shuttle to the famous town of Vicksburg, nicknamed the Key to the South ... as it was the location of a critical Civil War battle. You travel through history on a private tour to hear about this important area. Next, you visit the USS Cairo Museum and learn about the first American ironclad warship — built at the beginning of the U.S. Civil War.

After lunch, you can enjoy historic walking paths through town while visiting museums, such as where Coca-Cola bottling first started ... or enjoy the beautiful Vicksburg Bridge over the Mississippi River and explore the funky shops there. At the end of the afternoon’s activities, shuttle back to Jackson, where you have a final celebration dinner at the Fairview Inn.
Accommodation: Fairview Inn, Jackson
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Your final morning features a visit to the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum — two new interconnected museums that take you through the sweep of Mississippi history and the state’s role as ground zero in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. These museums help put your visit to Mississippi into a more recent historical context.

If you prefer to ride, your last day of cycling features an out-and-back ride north on the Trace, where you’ll have one more chance to enjoy the quiet and scenic beauty of riding on the Parkway. 
Accommodation: Not applicable
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Optional Biking: 17.3 miles (27.8 kilometers)
Elevation Gain/Loss: 421 feet (128 meters) ascent, 448 feet (137 meters) descent
Terrain: Easier

Inns

Canemount Plantation Inn on our Natchez Trace bike tour

Canemount Plantation Inn

The Canemount Plantation Inn is situated on a historic property with the main house constructed in 1855. Enjoy the wraparound gallery porch and the bubbling fountain. Stay in one of the beautiful suites in the carriage house, built in 1829, and enjoy this secluded 40-acre property surrounded by a 3,500-acre wildlife area.

Natchez Grand Hotel on our Natchez Trace bike tour

Natchez Grand Hotel

Standing atop the bluffs that look out over the beautiful Mississippi River, The Natchez Grand Hotel is located in the heart of historic downtown and a couple of blocks away from the nearest restaurants and shops.

Fairview Inn

This inn's boutique hotel accommodations in Jackson, MS, are one of the most stunning in town. Discover a world of elegance and charm in the beautifully appointed guest rooms with spacious living areas. Feel right at home with the modern and cozy amenities of a boutique hotel.

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FAQs

From questions about fitness for this tour to what the accommodations are like, please have a read through of our Frequently Asked Questions.

On the first morning of the tour please meet at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott Ridgeland at 8am. You are welcome to book your pre-tour stay at this hotel directly or any other hotel in Ridgeland/Jackson, though you must make your own way to the pick-up point at the pre-designated time.

Your tour ends with a drop-off at either the Fairview Inn at 2pm or the SpringHill Suites by Marriott Ridgeland at 2:15pm.

Arrival: We recommend arriving in Ridgeland at least the day before your tour starts. Many guests like to arrive a day or two early to accommodate potential flight delays and/or explore the city prior to your tour start.

Departure: Flying out on the last day of the tour, we recommend departing from Jackson-Evers International Airport, after 6pm. Earlier flight times will require a separate transfer booked at your own expense.

If you plan to drive to the tour’s pick-up location, please ensure you arrange parking for the duration of your tour. If the pick-up point is a hotel, we recommend contacting them directly to inquire about parking availability. Keep in mind some hotels do not permit non-guests to park on-site, so you may need to find alternative parking options.

You’ll be fully supported throughout the tour with two experienced tour leaders — one riding alongside the group and another following in a support vehicle. The support van travels with you on all riding days, stocked with snacks and tools, and ready to help with repairs or provide a lift whenever needed.

Your tour leaders are there for more than just the cycling. They’re happy to assist with logistics, help arrange transport, and share local insights and recommendations to help you make the most of each stop along the way.

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What's included

  • 5 nights’ accommodation
  • 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 3 dinners
  • You’re supported from start to finish by our highly experienced guides and leaders
  • Industry leading Guest-to-Guide ratio (averaging 6:1)
  • All activities outlined in the itinerary
  • Delicious snacks and non-alcoholic drinks to keep you fueled
  • All necessary equipment (well-maintained and safe) for activities
  • Branded t-shirt and bag
  • Gravel bikes with drop handlebars, Hybrid with flat-bar handlebars, or E-Bikes - equipped with a front handlebar bag or rear carrier, branded water bottle, mirror, and flat pedals
  • Ride with GPS for navigation along with the detailed maps and itineraries
  • Transportation in our air-conditioned vans - safe, clean, modern, and comfortable!
  • Your queries answered by our knowledgeable Customer Care Team - only a call, chat, or email away
  • You’re “trip ready” with our Customer Care Team’s calls prior to your trip
  • “My Account” - your own online space with everything required for your adventure

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