For six more months, the Natchez Trace Parkway at Leiper's Fork works like a road with one good direction. The National Park Service's road-status page, updated October 28, 2026, still lists mileposts 437 through 440 as closed for bridge construction, with a timeframe of April 2026 to May 2027. Cars, pedestrians and cyclists are all kept off that stretch.
From the Highway 46 and Pinewood Road entrance at milepost 428, the math is simple. Heading north, you get 9 miles of Parkway before the exit at milepost 437 sends you onto state highways. Heading south, you get more than 23 miles to Jackson Falls without leaving the Trace, and the first trailhead is less than half a mile away. So from now until spring, the northbound Trace is mostly a way to get somewhere else, and the southbound Trace is where the outings happen.
What Is Happening at Milepost 438
The National Park Service announced in April that the Double Arch Bridge would close April 15 so crews could install a permanent pedestrian safety barrier, with the work running into spring 2027. The Williamson Herald reported the same window, through May 2027.
The bridge sits about 8 miles west of Franklin and carries the Parkway 155 feet above Birdsong Hollow and Tennessee Route 96. When it was finished in 1994, it was the first segmentally constructed concrete arch bridge in the United States. It is also the one link between Leiper's Fork and the Parkway's Northern Terminus at Highway 100. With it out, the only northbound option on the Parkway is an in-and-out drive from the Northern Terminus to Big Tree Overlook at milepost 440.
The Park Service posts a 7.5-mile detour for anyone headed north toward Nashville:
- Exit the Parkway at milepost 437. The ramp is on the right.
- Turn left onto Highway 96 West and go 3.5 miles.
- Turn right onto Highway 100 East and go 3.5 miles to the Northern Terminus.
Coming south, the order flips: Highway 100 West from beneath the Northern Terminus for 3.5 miles, left onto Highway 96 East for 3.5 miles, then right onto the Parkway ramp.
The detour adds state highway driving to a trip that used to stay on the Parkway the whole way. As of the October 28 update, it is also the only closure the Park Service lists on the Tennessee section, and no trails or campgrounds are listed as closed. The southern miles are fully open.
The Southbound Mile Markers
Everything in this table is south of the Highway 46 entrance and reachable without a detour. The distances count from milepost 428.
| Milepost | Stop | Distance from MP 428 | What is there |
|---|---|---|---|
| 427.6 | Garrison Creek | Under half a mile | Northern start of the Highland Rim trail; horse-trailer parking, picnic tables, hitching posts, restrooms, water |
| 425.4 | Burns Branch | About 2.6 miles | Highland Rim trailhead with parking, a hitching post and a picnic table; not a horse-trailer staging area |
| 423.9 | Tennessee Valley Divide | About 4 miles | Hiker-only trailhead with Parkway views and fall color |
| 411.8 | Water Valley Overlook | About 16 miles | Overlook across rural Tennessee farmland |
| 407.7 | Gordon House Historic Site | About 20 miles | Brick Gordon family home; trail toward Fattybread Branch and the Duck River |
| 405.1 | Baker Bluff Overlook | About 23 miles | Wide rural vista; 2,100-foot trail linking toward Jackson Falls |
| 404.7 | Jackson Falls | About 23 miles | Steep, paved 900-foot path down to a pool below the falls |
| 403.7 | Old Trace | About 24 miles | A 2,000-foot section of the original route |
A few details on the Park Service pages are worth knowing before you go. The Gordon House interior is not open to visitors, so plan on the grounds and the trail. At Jackson Falls, the Park Service warns visitors not to climb on the falls because the rock is slick, and the paved path down is steep. Baker Bluff and Jackson Falls sit only four-tenths of a mile apart and are linked by a short trail, so one stop covers both.
For an evening drive, the Park Service names three places to watch the sunset on the Parkway: Water Valley Overlook at milepost 411.8, Baker Bluff at 405.1 and Swan Valley Overlook at 392.5. All three are south of Leiper's Fork. Even before the bridge closed, the Park Service's own sunset picks pointed this way.
Garrison Creek Is the Trailhead at Your Doorstep
Garrison Creek is the stop that matters most, because the trail starts there. Its Park Service page, updated October 5, 2026, lists it as the northern end of the Highland Rim section of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail. The Highland Rim section runs about 20 miles south to Tennessee Highway 50 near the Gordon House at milepost 408, and it is open to hikers and horseback riders. That means the trail and the Parkway run side by side over most of the southbound stretch in the table, from the village entrance to the historic home.
Riders should note that the Park Service's horseback riding rules do not allow horses on Parkway roadways. It directs them to the Scenic Trail and designated trailheads. Garrison Creek has the horse-trailer parking. Burns Branch, 2 miles farther south, has a hitching post but no trailer staging.
For cyclists, the closure guidance from the Park Service fits this stretch. Long-distance riders are told to park at the Highway 96 off-ramp lot and ride south of milepost 437. Riders starting from Leiper's Fork are already south of the closure. The Harpeth Bike Club lists Hillsboro School at 5412 Pinewood Road as a common start for its Leiper's Fork rides, along with a 29-mile loop south of the village that uses the Trace. Its route notes point riders to Garrison Creek for bathrooms and water.
Saturday, November 7, at Garrison Creek
The busiest morning of the season at Garrison Creek comes this weekend. The Natchez Trace Trail Run leaves the trailhead on Saturday, November 7, 2026, with four distances: 50 miles, a marathon, a half marathon and a 13-mile ruck. The organizer, Hardwin Adventures, caps the field at 180 and says the race sells out every year.
The course follows roughly 25 miles of singletrack on the Highland Rim section, along the ridges above the old road bed, with creek crossings and a handful of road crossings. The race page says it is held on the first Saturday of November and that peak fall color usually lands on race weekend.
If you plan to use Garrison Creek that day for a ride, a hike or a horse trailer, expect the lot to be full of runners. Tennessee Valley Divide at milepost 423.9 is the nearest hiker-only alternative, and its Park Service page mentions fall color along the trail.
Starting and Finishing in the Village
The southbound outing still starts and ends on Old Hillsboro Road. Here are the stops along the way:
- Fox & Locke, 4142 Old Hillsboro Road, opens at 8 a.m. Friday through Sunday. It is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, closed Monday and Tuesday, and closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Visit Franklin describes it as the former Puckett's Grocery, with Southern food, live music and a Thursday open mic.
- Leiper's Fork Market, 4348 Old Hillsboro Road, has a lunch counter, local beer and gas, so you can fuel up before heading south.
- Country Boy Restaurant is the breakfast stop known for biscuits and gravy. Since 2024, its cellar has been a cocktail bar called the Tornado Room.
- Leiper's Fork Distillery, 3381 Southall Road, offers tours and whiskey tastings in a restored log-home tasting room. It held its 10-year celebration there on October 17, 2026, with live music, food trucks and the release of "A Decade of Distilling: Grain to Glass."
Hours at Fox & Locke and the other stops can change by season, so check before you plan a morning around them.
The Park Service's current timeline keeps the Double Arch Bridge closed through May 2027. Until then, Garrison Creek is less than half a mile south of the Highway 46 entrance, Jackson Falls is about 23 miles down the road, and Fox & Locke opens at 8 on Saturday.
Davey Hackett grew up in Middle Tennessee and knows how much of life in Leiper's Fork happens on these back roads and trails. If you are thinking about how land, trail access or your Parkway routine fit into a future move around the Trace, Hackett Homes would be glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
