Visit the Welcome Center in Collinwood just off mile 355 of the Natchez Trace Parkway. Meet the wonderful volunteers and learn about our beautiful area!

Wayne County, Tennessee

Wayne County is located on the extreme western side of the Highland Rim, with its northwest corner extending into the Tennessee River basin. It is made up of ridges and hollows and is on a plateau of about eight hundred feet in elevation in the southwest corner of the Middle Tennessee division. Heavily wooded, the county contains deposits of iron that were still being worked into the early twentieth century.

Wayne County is an undiscovered paradise for sportsmen. People from all over the country come here to hunt, camp and fish. However, hunting and fishing areas are not crowded. We have plenty of room for you to find the right place. More than 10,000 acres of privately owned and managed land plus a local wildlife management area of over 22,000 acres make for excellent hunting, camping and fishing.

Natchez Trace Parkway

Stretching from the Mississippi River in Natchez through the Shoals area in Alabama and across the Tennessee Valley to Nashville, the Old Trace was first trod by buffalo, then American Indians. In the early 1800's, it was the main return route for Ohio Valley traders who, rather than fight the Mississippi currents, sold their flatboats for the value of their timber in Natchez and walked home via the Old Trace. By the mid-1820's, steamboats made the dangerous trek unnecessary, and the Old Trace disappeared into the trees.

Today, the 444-mile National Scenic Byway and All-American Road has emerged as one of America's most important examples of our nation's natural and cultural heritage. Administered by the National Park Service, the road's non-commercial environment coupled with a wide variety of historic sites, wayside exhibits and beautiful venues make it a memorable destination for an unhurried trip that both reveals and explains a unique time in our country's history.

Visitors today will discover richly scenic areas, numerous hiking trails, picnic sites, campgrounds and water recreation areas. Hiking on the Parkway presents both challenges and rewards. Over 60 miles of National Scenic Trail and 28 different hiking and self-guiding trails are open year-round. RVing on the parkway offers a great ride, and motorcycling and biking are popular with hundreds of miles of scenic, winding road between Natchez and Nashville.