I rode out on the Natchez Trace Parkway today to see if the leaves had started changing colors yet.

The answer: Yep!

As you can see, the leaves are just now starting to change colors...

Better hurry. Here's what things will look like in a few short weeks!

It's springtime on the Natchez Trace Parkway -- as evidenced by all the colorful budding trees on either side of the roadway.

Enjoy the colors...

A frequent occurrence around here...

Watching the sun set over (and under) the Natchez Trace bridge.

In fact, the sunsets are so amazing along this parkway, that people generally flock to the Trace just to see what they can capture -- especially around this bridge. You'll find cars parked on both sides of the road when it's an especially colorful sunset!

View the photo in its full size below...

Around here, we refer to wild turkeys as Tennessee yard birds.

It's practically guaranteed...
Every time you take a drive in the country, you will see a Tennessee turkey. Usually more than one.

It gets really weird when you're camping or you're in the woods and you start to hear footsteps crackling the leaves and it seems to be getting louder... and closer.

This happened to us once when we were taking a break from offroading & just sitting in the woods. And we weren't sure what to think... Some black bears? Deer? Raccoons?

Nope... just a bunch of wild turkeys!

Check out my turkey photo exposé...

There are no commercial vehicles are allowed on the parkway. In fact, violation is a federal offense!

The maximum speed limit on the Trace is 50 mph most of the way.

As the exception, rather than the rule, the speed limit dips down to 40 mph at the northernmost tip (from Leiper's Fork at milepost 427 to the Natchez Trace Bridge near milepost 444).

Jim and I have driven the entire length of the Natchez Trace Parkway -- from Tupelo Mississippi to Nashville Tennessee -- several times. (We have a friend who lives in Starkeville, Mississippi... enough said.)

In total, the Natchez Trace Parkway covers 101 miles in the state of Tennessee, and passes through 7 Tennessee counties: Davidson, Williamson, Maury, Hickman, Lewis, Lawrence, and Wayne (from north to south, respectively). It spans from mileposts 341 to 444.

Plus, I've biked the northernmost end of the Trace more times than I can count. Mostly I ride from the Garrison Creek parking area just past the Leiper's Fork exit (Hwy 46) -- all the way to the very end of the Parkway at Highway 100 in Nashville (near the Lovelace Cafe).

That's my favorite out & back biking route along the Natchez Trace -- roughly, from mileposts 427 to 440.

Did you know?... The Natchez Trace Parkway is rated one of the Top 10 Biking Routes in the country!

Mostly, these days we like to hop in the Jeep and ride. We turn around whenever the mood strikes us. And we stop & see whatever we feel like stopping and seeing. It's such a relaxing and leisurely drive.

Here are my tips if you want to see the Natchez Trace, but you only have a very short time to do so...

This year, I can definitely say: "I saw Tennessee's peak colors!"

As evidenced by the pictures I took of Fall colors along the Natchez Trace last weekend, I was one of the lucky ones to see firsthand Tennessee's natural beauty ...at its peak!

But what a difference a day makes. Just check out this photo of a tree I photographed last Saturday, then again the very next day:

This rapid loss of foliage was due to a very windy night -- one which stripped many of Tennessee's trees of their colorful leaves in a matter of hours.

So, I decided to hop in my Jeep

...with dog in tow.

I wanted to see how the colorful landscapes had changed along the Natchez Trace

...overnight.