Parking
Use the Cave Spring parking area at milepost 308.4. The trail starts across the lot from the restrooms.
Overview
About Cave Spring Trail
Why go
- A limestone cave and spring just off the Parkway
Heads up
- Very steep stairs down to the cave mouth
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Natchez Trace map
Full mapElevation448–453 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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 Cave Spring Trail, 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 trailhead
Cave Spring and Bear Creek Mound0:00 / 0:26
“Up ahead is Cave Spring, where a short walk and steep stairs lead to the mouth of a collapsed limestone cavern. People used this spring as a water source for thousands of years.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Natchez Trace Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Ceiling That Became the Entrance
- The Mound Rebuilt from Its Edges
- The Houses Beside the Mound
- Tishomingo State Park Trails
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Cave Spring Trail
A very short stopCave Spring Trail is a paved out-and-back, about 250 feet round trip, from the parking area to…
Cave Spring Trail is a paved out-and-back, about 250 feet round trip, from the parking area to a limestone cave mouth and back. It is a quick site visit rather than a longer hike: the payoff is the spring and cave shelter, not distance.
Down the stepsThe route descends a very steep stairway to the cave mouth.
The route descends a very steep stairway to the cave mouth. An underground limestone cavern collapsed to form the cave, and Paleo hunters who used nearby Bear Creek Mound probably drew water here. The cave is closed to entry and its spring water is unsafe to drink. A separate viewpoint is provided for visitors who cannot negotiate the stairs. From the rail, frame the dark opening with the steps leading toward it.
Getting thereStart at the Cave Spring parking area at milepost 308.
Start at the Cave Spring parking area at milepost 308.4; the trail begins across the lot from the restrooms. Allow about ten minutes for the short walk and a look around. If the stairs are not manageable, use the separate viewpoint. Pets are allowed on Parkway trails on a leash no longer than six feet.
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.
