Little Mountain Trail

Little Mountain Trail is a wooded route linking Jeff Busby Overlook with the campground. From the north end of the overlook parking lot, follow the path about 0.85 mile downhill to the campground, then return the same way for 1.7 miles round trip. Allow about an hour for the walk and time at the overlook. A separate loop beside the overlook is much shorter: about 0.5 mile and roughly 30 minutes.

The trail leaves the hilltop and drops into a shady hollow before meeting the campground connector. A trail map marks the junction: follow the campground branch rather than staying on the short loop. The connector is wide, smooth gravel, descending gradually before flattening near the campground. This is a hilly wooded walk, not a string of open viewpoints; the return brings the same climb back to the overlook.

The overlook is the payoff. From one of Mississippi's highest points, the Parkway runs through the surrounding forest below. The shelter beside the parking area has an exhibit on the area's natural and human history. The site honors Thomas Jefferson Busby, the Mississippi congressman whose 1934 bill authorized a survey of the Old Natchez Trace; four years later, the historic road became a National Park System unit. For a photo, leave part of the Parkway low in the frame so the wooded view has scale.

Use the Jeff Busby Overlook parking area at milepost 193.1; the trailhead is at the north edge of the lot. There are picnic tables and a shelter at the overlook, and restrooms at the campground near the turnaround. Pets are allowed on trails on a leash no longer than six feet. The shorter overlook loop has stairs on one side and a footbridge on the other.