Parking
Enter Tishomingo State Park from the Natchez Trace Parkway at milepost 304 and follow the Trace Access Road to County Road 90. Inside the park, follow signs to Saddle Back Ridge Trailhead, the shared start for this trail.
Overview
About Natchez Trace Trail
Why go
- A short link from Saddle Back Ridge to Bear Creek Trail.
Heads up
- It is not a loop; you retrace the same corridor to return.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Natchez Trace map
Full mapElevation502–591 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 Natchez Trace 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
Tishomingo State Park Trails0:00 / 0:29
“You're approaching the access road for Tishomingo State Park; the trails and swinging bridge are farther inside.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Natchez Trace Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Heron That Uses Bait
- The Creek Below the Bluffs
- The Mound Rebuilt from Its Edges
- The Rocks Beyond the Bridge
- 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 Natchez Trace Trail
Is this the right walk?The Natchez Trace Trail is a 1.
The Natchez Trace Trail is a 1.3-mile out-and-back from Saddle Back Ridge Trailhead to the Bear Creek Trail junction, then back the way you came. It’s a good short option if you want a walk in Tishomingo State Park without committing to a longer trail. Allow 30 to 60 minutes at an easy pace.
Between the road and Bear CreekFrom the shared Saddle Back Ridge start, the trail angles away from the park road and threads…
From the shared Saddle Back Ridge start, the trail angles away from the park road and threads between it and Bear Creek. It passes beneath the Natchez Trace Parkway before meeting the Bear Creek Trail. The short corridor gives you a way to add a little walking to another park outing.
There’s no loop here: turn around at the Bear Creek Trail junction unless you mean to continue onto that separate trail. The mapped line follows the physical corridor once; the 1.3-mile figure is the full return walk.
Getting thereEnter Tishomingo State Park from the Parkway at milepost 304.
Enter Tishomingo State Park from the Parkway at milepost 304. Follow the Trace Access Road for about half a mile to County Road 90, then follow park signs to the Saddle Back Ridge trailhead, the shared start for this route. The park address is 105 County Road 90.
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.
