Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Natchez State Park: Mile 10.3
SH 553 crosses the Trace; the eastern branch goes to Natchez State Park, while the western
portion goes to Emerald Mound. SH 553 crosses US 61 after 0.75 mile and then continues
on to the park. After a short distance, the road forks with the campground to the right and the
lake and picnic area to the left. Reaching the lake requires passing over a narrow, old bridge
that cannot handle heavier vehicles. The lake has some hardwoods around it, and the pic-
nic area is in a pecan orchard. Eastern kingbird, eastern pewee, common nighthawk, rough-
winged swallow, and eastern bluebird can be found here. The birding here has not been very
good for me, but it is worth a try during spring migration.
Emerald Mound: Mile 10.3
Located about a mile west of the Trace, Emerald Mound is the second largest Indian
mound still in existence. Taking up almost eight acres, the mound is a large, grassy platform
upon which one can look into the canopies of the surrounding forest and over the trees; a
short trail leads to the top of the mound and to the top of a secondary, temple mound on top of
the larger one. This is a good place to watch for passing hawks, kites, egrets, and herons that
may be headed to or from the nearby Mississippi River to the west. At any rate, this mound
is an impressive sight.
Rocky Springs: Mile 54.8
A major campsite and stopping area on the Trace, Rocky Springs contains over 0.5 mile of
the original Trace along which one can walk through mature woodland. There is also a trail
alongside Little Sand Creek, and together, these trails give you good chances to see woodland
birds and to experience part of what it was like to walk the original Trace.
Sunken Trace: Mile 104.5
Although there are a number of places along the Trace where you can see portions of the
old, original trail, this stop has been the most productive for birds, in my experience. A small
field borders some woods that contain part of the original Trace; it is a trail eroded into the
ground by the many feet that passed this way long ago. The trees here are quite large, and
I have seen in these trees more than one hundred warblers and vireos at once during early
April. Most were yellow-rumped warblers, yellow-throated warblers, white-eyed vireos, and
yellow-throated vireos, but their numbers and their height up in the trees kept me from identi-
fying many of them. Perhaps by chance, I have found more birds available in spring and sum-
mer here than I have at other similarly sized areas on the Trace.
