Best time to go
Milepost 232.4, with a parking area at the site. Plan on 10 to 20 minutes, longer if you read every panel closely. Daylight matters here, since reading the exhibits and picking out the shape of the mounds is the point of the stop.
Overview
About Bynum Mounds
Why stop
- Two rebuilt Middle Woodland mounds with deep cultural context
- Short paved loop makes a quick history stop easy to fit into a drive
Heads up
- Brief interpretive stop with little scenery beyond low grassy earthworks
This is the oldest mound site along the parkway, built during the Middle Woodland Period, roughly 100 BCE to 100 CE. Six mounds originally stood here. Five were excavated in the 1940s and the two largest were rebuilt, which is what you see today. Heights across the site range from 5 to 14 feet.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stopMap
Where it is
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Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Best time to go
4 active Natchez Trace alerts
- ClosureParkway sections closed for bridge and road constructionTwo Natchez Trace Parkway sections are closed to through traffic; follow the signed detours.Official details
- ClosureMount Locust historic stand closedThe historic stand at Mount Locust Inn & Plantation (MP 15.5) is closed because of structural concerns.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Natchez Trace Tour Guide
Your drive to Bynum Mounds, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Natchez Trace Parkway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Bynum Mounds0:00 / 0:30
“You're approaching Bynum Mounds, the oldest mound site along the Parkway.”
Plays as you drive up to Bynum Mounds in the Parkwolf Natchez Trace Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Witch Dance Picnic Area
- Goldenrod Takes the Blame
- Two Lives on One Tree
- The Brown Cardinal's Song
- 272 audio storiesacross Natchez Trace’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor American Alligator, White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, and 9 more
- Works offlinemaps, 26 trails, 62 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Bynum Mounds
What you actually see and doA paved 200-foot path loops from the parking area around the site, beside the forest, and…
A paved 200-foot path loops from the parking area around the site, beside the forest, and through an interpretive shelter with exhibits on who built the mounds and what the excavations revealed. The mounds read as low earthen rises rather than anything dramatic, so the exhibits carry much of the story. Audio description is available and the path is wheelchair accessible.
What makes it differentThe excavations turned up exotic trade goods, evidence that people here were tied into a broad…
The excavations turned up exotic trade goods, evidence that people here were tied into a broad Southeast trade network using materials sourced from well outside Mississippi. Some specimens from this work are held at the visitor center near Tupelo rather than displayed on site, so treat the shelter panels as your main interpretation here.
Respect the siteThese mounds remain sacred places, and visitors are asked to remember that.
These mounds remain sacred places, and visitors are asked to remember that. Descendants of the mound builders, including Chickasaw people, return here to reconnect with their culture and ancestors. Stay on the paved path and do not climb or walk on the mounds.
Honest drawbacksThis is a quick history pullout, not a hike or a scenic overlook.
This is a quick history pullout, not a hike or a scenic overlook. Restrooms, water, and picnic facilities are not confirmed here, so plan for those elsewhere. If low earthen mounds and interpretive panels do not interest you, you can skip it without missing scenery.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Natchez Trace
39 sightingsAmerican AlligatorMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
35 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
53 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
28 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
29 sightingsRed-headed WoodpeckerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
32 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Natchez Trace. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
