Recreational Trails

Bicycle Touring in Mississippi The Natchez Trace: www.nps.gov/natr

The oldest and best known touring route in Mississippi is the Natchez Trace Parkway. Over 300 miles of the 444 mile-long Natchez Trace are in Mississippi. In association with the speed limit of 50 mph and numerous signs instructing cars to share the road with bicyclists, the Trace is a remarkable bicycle route.

The Longleaf Trace: www.longleaftrace.orgThe Longleaf Trace is over 40 miles of 10-foot-wide as-

phalt. A designated National Recreation Trail, the Trace starts on the campus of The University of Southern Mis-sissippi in the City of Hattiesburg and stretches through the cities of Sumrall, Bassfield, and Carson before reach-ing the final point in the City of Prentiss. Much of the trail is well-shaded with amazing natural landscaping. The Tanglefoot Trail:

The Tanglefoot Trail is a 44.5 mile-long, 10-foot-wide sur-faced path for walkers, bicyclists, and horseback riders. The Trail will pass through 3 counties in rural northeastern Missis-sippi (Chickasaw, Pontotoc, and Union) and unite several towns on its journey from New Albany to Houston, Mississippi. The trail covers an abandoned railroad and suggests satisfying sights of woodlands and fields, as well as access to historic locations. The Mississippi River Trail: www.mississippirivertrail.org

The Mississippi River Trail progresses along the Missis-sippi River from Minnesota to Louisiana. Approximately 300 miles are situated in Mississippi. The trail uses existing roads to take bicyclists through unique small towns, punctu-ated with rolling hills that pass through fields and forests. Adventure Cycling Routes: www.adventurecycling.org

Three of the routes on the Adventure Cycling Association’s National Bicycle Route Network cross Mississippi. Map 6 of the Southern Tier crosses the southern part of Missis-sippi. Maps 2 & 3 of the Great River Route bring bicyclists through Mississippi on the Natchez Trace from the Tennes-see border to Natchez. Maps 1 & 2 of the Underground Railroad cross the east side of Mississippi going through Co-lumbus, Fulton, and Burnsville before it reaches Tennessee. Vicksburg Military Park: www.nps.gov/vick

The Vicksburg National Military Park has 15 miles of roads on the historic bluff of Vicksburg. The Park charms bicyclists with the 15 MPH speed limit and the challenging hills.

Miss i s s ipp i

B icycling Guide2013 - 2014

Collectively, with its transitional scenery and excep-tionally navigated routes, Mississippi has a multi-tude of distinction to offer enthusiastic bicyclists.

With its broad, flat landscapes, authentic natural hills, and moderate climate, Mississippi is ideal for year-round cycling.

As the bicycle culture increases in Mississippi, there is more focus on the importance of bicycle safety. Although, riding a bicycle as a recreational cyclist or as an avid sports rider, every occupied bicycle on or near a Mississippi highway is recognized as a transportation vehicle. Intended for the bicyclists traveling in Mississippi, the rider should understand they share all entitlements and accountabilities of a motor vehicle handler. This includes riding on the right side of the road with the movement of traffic, exercising hand signals, and conforming to stop signs.

Individuals who want to bicycle for either transporta-tion or recreation can find first-rate county and city maps as well as data on traffic volumes in the Map section of www.GoMDOT.com.

Most of the local bicycle clubs exhibit their favored routes and have them published on their web sites. The route maps utilized in combination with the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) maps should provide cyclists with the finest information to establish the best courses for traveling to their endpoint.

Local Clubs:Gulf Coast Bicycle Club: www.gulfcoastbicycleclub.com Jackson Metro Cyclists: www.jmc.clubexpress.com Oxford Bike Club: www.oxfordcycling.org Hub City Cyclists (Hattiesburg): www.pinebeltpacers.org/HCC/NewHCCPage.html Natchez Bicycle Club: www.natchezbike.orgJackson Bike Advocates: www.jacksonbikeadvocates.orgStarkville in Motion: www.starkvilleinmotion.org Hernando Bicycle Club: www.hernandobike.com Tri County Mountain Bike Association: www.tricountymtb.org

Mississippi Groups:Bike Walk Mississippi: www.bikewalkmississippi.org Mississippi Blue’s Trail: www.msbluestrail.org

National Groups:League of American Bicyclists: www.bikeleague.org Adventure Cycling Association: www.adventurecycling.orgNational Center for Bicycling & Walking: www.bikewalk.org Bikes Belong: www.bikesbelong.org

State Parks and Lakes: www.mdwfp.com

USDA Forest Service: www.fs.usda.gov/activity/mississippi/recreation/bicycling/?recid=28787&actid=24

1 2 3 4 5NAT

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Mississippi ContactsBicycle/Pedestrian CoordinatorState Planning EngineerP.O. Box 1850Jackson, MS 39215-1850Ph: (601)359-7685www.mdot.ms.gov/portal/planning.aspx

Mississippi Development AuthorityDivision of Tourism DevelopmentP.O. Box 849Jackson, MS 39205Ph: (601) 359-32971-866-SEE-MISS (1-866-733-6477)www.visitmississippi.org/biking.aspx

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks1505 Eastover DriveJackson, MS 39211-6374Ph: (601) 432-2400www.mdwfp.com

National Forests in Mississippi200 S. Lamar StreetJackson, MS 39201Ph: (601) 965-1600www.fs.usda.gov/mississippi

Photo courtesy of :Allen Richard, Natchez Bicycle Club

©2013 Mississippi Department of Transportation. Printed in-house by the MDOT Central Services Division printing office.

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