Drivers are urged to avoid the Natchez Trace Parkway in Tennessee as dangerous winter conditions have forced closures along the northern portion of the route.
The National Park Service says the parkway is impassable north of Hohenwald, with gates closed and locked from Tennessee Highway 46 at milepost 429 to the northern terminus at milepost 442. Officials cited ice-covered roadways, below-freezing temperatures and high winds, with no melting expected.
Park officials also warned that ice-laden trees pose a risk of falling debris in the area.
The Meriwether Lewis Campground and Visitor Contact Station and the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center remain closed.
While much of the Natchez Trace Parkway remains open through central Mississippi, motorists are advised not to attempt travel north into Tennessee until conditions improve.
The National Park Service says updates will be provided as conditions change.
Jim Gilbert
February 2, 2026 at 7:39 AMThe ice storm aftermath still lingers. Hard times for North Mississippi and the Delta. The Natchez Parkway has had another problem that make it dangerous to travel. The National Park Service has not attended to the thousands of trees that were killed by the pine beetles. The very close proximity of the trees to the parkway create a real danger of rotting trees falling onto the road. This is happening every day! The National Park Service is responsible for the right of way as well as the roadway. Last march a man was killed when a rotten tree fell on his vehicle at highway 43. How many will have to die before this problem is attended? As of now the workers are only cleaning the roadway just to the white line after a tree falls. The very thing that makes the Natchez Trace a national treasure is also making it dangerous. I love the Natchez Trace and have lived along it all of my life. Every time I use the Trace I make a conscious decision, weighing the possibility that it may kill me. Millions of drivers that visit The Natchez Trace are at risk. Many will not remember when the Parkway only had a painted center line. There were no edge of pavement lines. People were running off the road and dying after dark when you couldn’t determine the edge of the road. The people of Kosciusko and Attala County started a petition to have the lines painted and it happened. We can make this happen too. Contact the Park Service.