The best road cycling routes in Itawamba County

The Witch Dance Picnic Area and Trailhead have a few campsites, vault toilets, and plenty of parking. The trails are sometimes hard to follow once you leave the trailhead, but there is a nice trail information kiosk at the start. Horseback riders are definitely more popular than hikers on these trails, but these horse trails also offer a wilderness feeling that some of the other nearby hiking options can't offer.

Tupelo has a history going back centuries. From the Chickasaw and Choctaw and their ancestors, to Civil War Battles in the 1860s, a famous bank heist by Prohibition Era Outlaw Machine Gun Kelly, and most famously, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. History is everywhere you look around here, even in the name! Tupelo comes from the Creek language and combines the words ito 'tree' and opilwa 'swamp'. With a population of nearly 40,000 Tupelo is a full service town and those passing through on the Natchez Trace Parkway will be able to find anything they need to continue on their journey. Just as travelers have done here for countless generations.

Tupelo, Mississippi sits on land that was once home to a Chickasaw fort and village, a key site for the Chickasaw people up through the 1700s. Today, visitors to the Chickasaw Village Site can explore the area through interpretive signs and artist renderings that bring the village’s past to life. There are a few great hiking options here, including a short half-mile interpretive loop that highlights native plants and their traditional uses, as well as the longer Blackland Prairie Trail, a 6-mile stretch of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail that connects the site to the Old Town Overlook and the Parkway Visitor Center. Be aware that parts of the route share the road with vehicles for some creek crossings. It’s a peaceful spot to reflect on history while getting in a good walk.

On opposite sides of the Parkway you'll find the bike only campground and the main Natchez Trace Visitor Center. The campground is free and first come first served. At the campground you'll find picnic tables, fire rings with grills, water (April through October), and pit toilets. The Visitor Center is open daily from 9:00-4:30, and is a great resource for anyone traveling along the Parkway.

The Pharr Mounds were constructed around 2,000 years ago by Hopewellian Native people. This a striking cluster of eight dome-shaped mounds spread across 90 acres in northeastern Mississippi was once part of a thriving village. Sitting at the heart of an ancient trade network that stretched from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes, the city drew in copper, mica, greenstone, and shell through a well maintained network of trails. Locals and travelers alike came here to trade and take part in ceremonies, making the site both a cultural hub and a sacred space. These carefully crafted mounds have stood the test of time, serving as powerful symbols of community, spirituality, and resilience. For the modern Chickasaw Nation, Pharr Mounds remains a sacred place and many still visit today as a pilgrimage to reconnect with their ancestral homeland.

Situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains this park is considered by many to be the most beautiful in Mississippi. It is named after one of the last great Chickasaw leaders, Chief Tishu Miko. Chickasaw people still visit to the park to visit the areas where the famous Chief was known to fish and hunt. For those wishing to explore the area in detail you can stay at the campsite, or rent one of the rustic CCC era cabins.

This area is named after Chickasaw leader, George Colbert who ran a ferry across the Tennessee River from 1800-1899. There is a bike only campground here with picnic tables, fire pits, and toilets.

This is where mom Gladys bought her son Elvis Presley's first guitar. That was in 1946. Address: 114 West Main Street, Tupelo