Engineers designed the Natchez Trace Parkway to provide access to and protect historic sites.

The Natchez Trace is 450 miles long, and follows a historic land route from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. It began as a beaten animal path, then was an Native American trail. The Trace was a passageway for explorers, traders and homesteaders and by the early 1800s, was economically, politically, and militarily the most important road in the region.

Congress authorized a measure that would begin construction of The Natchez Trace Parkway in 1938. After the authorization by Congress, the President signed the measure and created the Natchez Trace Parkway with the provision that it be administered by the National Park Service. Unlike a typical highway, the engineers that designed the Parkway were required to protect, yet make accessible, the scenic and historic attractions along the route.

More Information about the Natchez Trace Parkway