Last updated: January 12, 2024
Place
Bear Creek Picnic Area, Milepost 313
NPS Photo: J Farmer
Quick Facts
Location:
Milepost 313 on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Alabama.
Significance:
A picnic area on a large creek in the Chickasaw homeland.
Amenities
7 listed
Accessible Sites, Fish-Cleaning Station, Grill, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Picnic Table, Scenic View/Photo Spot
Bear Creek Picnic Area is a great place to pull off the main road to sit in the shade and listen to the gentle rhythms of the flowing water. The site is shaded and on the creek. There are seven well spaced tables, four with grills.
If you decide at the last minute you want to have a picnic, and you are not carrying food, you might be able to find something to satisfy your hunger at about a 15-minute drive from the picnic area. Cherokee, Alabama to the north (population 1038) and Tishomingo, Mississippi (population 339) to the south, have a few food resources. The picnic area has no restrooms and the closest Parkway facilities are to the north at Colbert Ferry milepost 327.
Bear Creek is within what is the homeland of the Chickasaw people. The Cherokee lived near-by to the east. Bear Creek is a large creek that flows from Tishomingo County, Mississippi, northward to the Tennessee River and has likely been used as a travel route for centuries. The creek teams with mussels, fish and other aquatic species, although the fauna composition has lost diversity in the lower 17 miles of the creek impounded by Pickwick Dam.
After heavy rains, the site is frequently closed due to flooding.
If you decide at the last minute you want to have a picnic, and you are not carrying food, you might be able to find something to satisfy your hunger at about a 15-minute drive from the picnic area. Cherokee, Alabama to the north (population 1038) and Tishomingo, Mississippi (population 339) to the south, have a few food resources. The picnic area has no restrooms and the closest Parkway facilities are to the north at Colbert Ferry milepost 327.
Bear Creek is within what is the homeland of the Chickasaw people. The Cherokee lived near-by to the east. Bear Creek is a large creek that flows from Tishomingo County, Mississippi, northward to the Tennessee River and has likely been used as a travel route for centuries. The creek teams with mussels, fish and other aquatic species, although the fauna composition has lost diversity in the lower 17 miles of the creek impounded by Pickwick Dam.
After heavy rains, the site is frequently closed due to flooding.