Mountain Bike Trails

Bicycle Touring in MississippiThe 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. This historic roadway has a speed limit of 50 MPH; trucks are not allowed.

The Longleaf Trace: www.mylongleaftrace.orgThe Longleaf Trace is Mississippi’s longest rail trail with

over 40 miles of 10-foot wide asphalt. The trace starts on the campus of The University of Southern Mississippi in Hat-tiesburg and goes through Sumrall, Bassfield, and Carson before reaching the final point in Prentiss.

The Tanglefoot Trail: www.tanglefoottrail.org/index.htmlThe Tanglefoot Trail is a proposed 40+ mile rail-to-trail

conversion to be developed along the abandoned rail corridor that runs from New Albany to Houston, Mississippi in the northeastern part of the state.

The Mississippi River Trail: www.mississippirivertrail.orgThe newly developed Mississippi River Trail which goes

from Minnesota to Louisiana has approximately 300 miles located in Mississippi. This route uses existing roads to take cyclists through the Mississippi Delta and down a part of the Natchez Trace.

Adventure Cycling Routes: www.adventurecycling.orgThree 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 Mississippi. Maps 2 & 3 of the Great River Route bring cyclists through Mississippi on the Natchez Trace from the Tennessee border to Natchez. Maps 1 & 2 of the Underground Railroad crosses the east side of Mississippi going through Columbus, Fulton, and Burnsville before it reaches Tennessee.

Vicksburg Military Park: www.nps.gov/vickThe Vicksburg National Military Park has 15 miles of roads

on the historic bluff of Vicksburg. The Park attracts cyclists with the 15 MPH speed limit and the challenging hills.

Photo courtesy of :Allen Richard, Natchez Bicycle Club

©2010 Mississippi Department of Transportation. Printed in-house by the MDOT General Services Division printing office.

B i c y c l i n g G u i d e

2010 - 2011

With its ever-changing terrain and easily navigated routes, Mississippi has a wealth of variety to offer bicyclists. Ranging from

the broad, flat landscapes of the delta to the gently roll-ing hills, Mississippi’s temperate climate is favorable for cycling year-round.

The bicycle, one of the oldest forms of transportation, is recognized as a vehicle by the State of Mississippi. Ev-ery person riding a bicycle upon a highway has all of the rights and responsibilities of a driver of a motor vehicle. This includes riding on the right side of the road with the flow of traffic, using hand signals, and obeying stop signs.

Those who wish to bicycle for either transportation or recreation can find excellent county and city maps as well as information on traffic volumes in the “Online Maps” section of GoMDOT.com. Most of the local bicycle clubs have their preferred routes posted to their web sites. These route maps used in conjunction with MDOT maps should provide cyclists with enough information to determine the best routes for traveling to their destination.

Local Clubs:Gulf Coast Bicycle Club (Biloxi): www.gulfcoastbicycleclub.com Jackson Metro Cyclists: www.jmc.clubexpress.com Oxford Bike Club: www.oxfordbikeclub.org Hub City Cyclists (Hattiesburg): www.pinebeltpacers.org/HCC/HCC.html Natchez Bicycle Club: www.natchezbike.org

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

National Non-Profit Groups:League of American Bicyclists: www.bikeleague.org Adventure Cycling Association: www.adventurecycling.org

Photo by Ken Lund http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenlund/3931094397/

State Parks and Lakes: www.mdwfp.comTrace State Park - 35 mile multi-use trails • 662-489-2958 Lake Lowndes - 5 mile biking trail • 662-328-2110Clarkco State Park • 601-776-6651Elvis Presley Lake - 9 mile biking trail • 662-840-5172

National Forests: www.fs.fed.us/r8/miss/Homochitto National Forest • 601-384-5876 Clear Springs TrailTombigbee National Forest • 662-285-3264 Noxubee Crest Bike TrailDesoto National Forest • 601-528-6160 Bethel ATV Trail Delta National Forest • 662-873-6256 50 + miles of multi-use trails

OthersBonita Lakes • 601-485-1920

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Mississippi ContactsBicycle/Pedestrian CoordinatorState Planning EngineerP.O. Box 1850Jackson, MS 39215-1850Ph: (601)359-7685www.gomdot.com/Home/Travel/Bicycling/Home.aspx

Mississippi Development AuthorityDivision of Tourism DevelopmentP.O. Box 849Jackson, MS 39205Ph: (601) 359-3297 • Fax: (601) 359-57571-866-SEE-MISS (1-866-733-6477)www.visitmississippi.orgwww.visitmississippi.org/outdoor_rec/outdoor_biking.asp

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

National Forests in Mississippi100 West Capitol Street, Suite 1141Jackson, MS 39269Ph: (601) 965-1600www.fs.fed.us/r8/miss/