Witch Dance Picnic Area

Overview

About Witch Dance Picnic Area

Why stop

Shaded tables and grills
Horse-trail access

Heads up

Unpaved horse trail can be muddy
Modest stop rather than a scenic overlook

Map

Where it is

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Full map

Picnic areaWitch Dance Picnic Area33.91221, -88.93943

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Plan your stop

Before you go

Best time to go

Come in daylight so you can read the interpretive information and see the trailhead clearly, and aim for the cooler parts of the day if you plan to eat outside or start walking. Dry conditions make the unpaved trail far more pleasant.

Trailhead access

Two trailheads near the horse-trail picnic area lead into Tombigbee National Forest, connecting to a horse camp and roughly 15 miles of loops and crossover trails maintained by the Forest Service. The Witch Dance Horse Trail runs through pine and hardwood stands and crosses meandering streams, and is open to hikers and horseback riders only, generally year-round, with no use fee.

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

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A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Natchez Trace Tour Guide

Your drive to Witch Dance Picnic Area, 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

Witch Dance Picnic Area

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“You're coming up on Witch Dance Picnic Area, a shaded place to eat with tables, grills, and a short paved loop. A local legend says witches danced here and the grass withered wherever their feet touched the ground.”

Plays as you drive up to Witch Dance Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Natchez Trace Tour Guide.

More about Witch Dance Picnic Area

What you'll findAt milepost 233.2, this is a genuine picnic stop with two shaded areas.

At milepost 233.2, this is a genuine picnic stop with two shaded areas. The lower one sits beside the horse-trailer parking and has five tables. About 150 yards farther up, a second area holds nine tables and grills arranged around a shady 250-yard paved loop, with car and RV parking; horses are not allowed in this upper section. Interpretive information on site explains the place and its name.

The legend behind the nameLocal folklore holds that witchcraft and rituals once took place here, and that grass withered…

Local folklore holds that witchcraft and rituals once took place here, and that grass withered wherever the witches' feet touched the ground. Treat it as a story rather than history, but it gives an otherwise ordinary roadside pull-off a memorable identity and makes the sign worth a photo.

Practical detailsAccessible flush restrooms, kept clean and well maintained

Accessible flush restrooms, kept clean and well maintained
Picnic tables and grills, including an accessible picnic spot, plus benches and trash receptacles
Hitching posts and large parking suited to trucks and horse trailers, with auto and bus/RV spaces
Information kiosk and maps at the trailhead

Honest drawbacksThis is a practical, modest stop with shade and tables rather than a sweeping viewpoint, so set…

This is a practical, modest stop with shade and tables rather than a sweeping viewpoint, so set expectations accordingly. The horse trail is unpaved, can be muddy, and not accessible, and it suits riders better than casual walkers in wet spells. Restrooms, tables and the paved loop are the parts most visitors will actually use.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Natchez Trace

All Natchez Trace wildlife maps

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 map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Natchez Trace. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.