America's Best Cycling Road

The land surrounding the Natchez Trace and the well-traveled trail that bears its name have been significant to human history for nearly as long as people have lived in North America. The Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natchez Indians were among its earliest inhabitants. Later came the Spaniards and other European explorers, soldiers, traders, and African slaves and freemen.

By the early 1800s the Trace was the road home for over 10,000 Kaintucks each year. These boatmen would float their goods down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Once their goods and boat’s lumber had been sold in the markets of Natchez and New Orleans, these men would trek home by foot or horseback along the trodden path.

Around the same period, Merriweather Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition died under mysterious circumstances in a log cabin just off the Natchez Trace Parkway. Today a museum and monument can be found in the area where the indefatigable explorer came to his untimely demise. Other notable characters hail from the land that the trace connects: Helen Keller, the well-known author and overcomer, is not the least amongst them.

As the land surrounding the Trace became more populated, American music was born and cut its teeth in this region. Genres as diverse as Blues, Soul, Jazz, Country, Gospel, and Rock & Roll were all heavily influenced by the life experiences of the artists and regional socioeconomic forces.

In 1934, the 73 RD US Congress acknowledged the significance that the Natchez Trace played in American history by commissioning a special parkway project that roughly followed the original Trace. Today a 444-mile linear National Park is available for those seeking to explore the region’s natural beauty and to discover snippets of our nation’s past and present. The original path is viewable in frequent intervals along the parkway. Nowhere else in this country can a cyclist find this volume of open road with a smooth blacktop, reserved for recreational traffic, a 50MPH max speed limit, and NO stop signs or traffic lights!

Ends Cycling’s Southwest to Northeast two-wheeled trek of the parkway will start amongst Antebellum homes on both sides of the mighty Mississippi River and finish in modern suburbia just to the west of Nashville, TN. When all is said and done, you will have bragging rights to roughly 500 miles on your bike’s odometer, have rolled through FOUR states, and have partaken in a blast from the past and a look into the future while traversing a significant American roadway.

Cyclists will be grouped into groups with those of similar cycling speed preferences and SAG support will be available for those who may prefer to tick off some of the miles in a vehicle with a motor. However, this tour will be a worthy athletic endeavor for all who take part! Two Century days will be interspersed with days in the 60 miles range. While the early days will mostly roll across lightly undulating terrain with some flat stretches, the hills of Tennessee will make a proper introduction on the tour’s final day. On a helpful note, the prevailing winds will likely provide a frequent tailwind to encourage you on your way.

If you’re willing to put in the training miles, we would be delighted to facilitate a week on two wheels that you’ll never forget! Moreover, you’ll have the opportunity to support meaningful ministry for the youth of Ukraine and those displaced by the current regional conflict.