Indytriumph

I have less than a week off from work coming up in May. I am thinking the Natchez Trace Parkway would be a nice and easy short tour. I plan on camping the whole way and hotel only if I have to. I just cant decide which direction to ride it, South to North or North to South. It doesn't look like it would make difference either way. I was wondering if any of you have done this route, which way did you go? I am leaning towards South to North for logistic reasons. Any advice? Also, is anyone else going by chance?

Tom

kstephens

Been reading alot about this lately. I am just a couple hours from nashville. I am thinking I may do a northbound ride to increase the odds of a nice tailwind this time of year (but that is a gamble). That and i've ridden part of the north section before - it is pretty hilly. Seems like I remember reading there is a chunk in the middle that may be detoured away from trace and may need vehicle support - not 100% sure that is still going on. But being so close to nashville - it would be easier for my wife to come pick me up at the end, rather than to time out a finish 10 hours away.

Tusk

Road from North to South in Oct last year as part of a two man relay - https://www.raceacrossoregon.com/nt444.html. IIRC there was construction southbound at Tupelo, MS. We had to SAG around. National Park Service is pretty good with information, Check out here - https://www.nps.gov/natr/planyourvisit/conditions.htm.

The north end of the Trace is pretty hilly, the middle not so much, and then the last 50 or so miles gets a little tiresome. But that was at the end of 440 miles straight. The grades never get extreme though, so I would not hesitate to ride either direction. The Trace gets a lot of traffic in Jackson, MS but there is a parallel MUP to consider.

Great ride, nice road.

Indytriumph

I am from Indiana and having my wife pick me up at the North end makes more sense. If I rent a car and drive to the southern end. There is construction going on and the detour is bicycle friendly. No vehicle support needed. More info can be found here on natcheztracetravel.com/alerts.html

Tom

TiHabanero

Long ago in 1977 a group of us from school rode it north to south. Very memorable. At that time us kids had long hair, cut off jeans and no shirts. Made for some excitement with the locals! Gotta say the Southern Belles had a charm I had never experienced before. They stole my heart. Great ride, not hilly from what I recall. There was a campground that was at the top of a mile long hill climb, but that was the worst of it.

pdlamb

I'd suggest riding south to north, you'll have a few days to enjoy the flatter section before you hit the Tennessee hills.

Wind is a gamble. This time of year, you'll usually have strong winds out of the south for a day or two before a front comes through. When the front hits, if it's strong, try to spend the night in a solid structure, so you don't have to worry about trees blowing down on top of your tent. The following day and a half, you have strong winds out of the north. Be prepared and flexible enough to stretch or extend a day's mileage if needed. Say you're planning on 65 miles a day. If you're riding north and get one of those wonderful tailwinds, shoot for a century that day, and find a motel or B&B to hunker down overnight. The next day you'll probably be facing a nasty headwind, and you'll be lucky to finish 40 miles.

Indytriumph

Thank you pdlamb, that sounds like a solid plan!