The Trace Stops Short Of The Double Arch Bridge This Fall, So Leiper's Fork's Foliage Drive Heads South

The Natchez Trace Parkway has been closed between the Highway 96 off-ramp at milepost 437 and Big Tree Overlook at milepost 440 since April 15, 2026. The Double Arch Bridge sits inside that gap and stays closed to cars, cyclists and pedestrians until spring 2027. The Park Service's current road status page still lists the end date as May 2027. That page was last updated August 14, 2026, and shows no change to the schedule.

From the Highway 46 ramp near Leiper's Fork, at about milepost 428, the parkway now runs only nine miles north before it puts you on state highways. To the south, the open road runs past waterfalls, overlooks and old roadbed. Every Tennessee fall color stop the Park Service names on its fall colors page lies south of that ramp. This fall, the closure points the village's Trace drive in the direction the leaves were already pointing.

What the closure actually leaves open to the north

The bridge work replaces the temporary barrier with a permanent pedestrian safety barrier and includes preventive maintenance, including repainting. NPS calls the bypass a 7.5-mile detour. Northbound, you exit at milepost 437, turn left onto Highway 96 West for 3.5 miles, then turn right onto Highway 100 East for 3.5 miles to the Northern Terminus. Southbound, you run the same route in reverse, taking Highway 100 West under the terminus and then Highway 96 East back to the parkway ramp.

The northern three miles past the bridge still exist as a dead end. NPS allows an in-and-out visit from the Northern Terminus to Big Tree Overlook at milepost 440 and back. For cyclists, the agency recommends parking at the Highway 96 off-ramp lot and riding south of milepost 437 for long day rides. For a short ride, it suggests starting at the northernmost lot at milepost 442 and riding to Big Tree Overlook and back.

The Park Service's cycling advice amounts to a description of where long rides go this year. A ride that starts at the Highway 96 lot and heads south passes the Highway 46 ramp within about nine miles, and everything past it stays open.

NewsChannel 5 said the closure would affect commuters, recreational visitors and cyclists, and told drivers to plan ahead for delays. Its report did not put a number on either. No public notice puts a closure or construction zone at the Highway 46 access itself.

The color is late, and the forecasts disagree on how late

The weekly NPS fall reports explain why the timing matters more than usual this year. For the week of September 20, the Park Service said the Trace was still very green. It blamed dry weather in central Tennessee, where warm nights and dry soils were delaying color and causing early leaf drop in stressed trees. By the week of September 27, the North District report had turned. Cooler days were bringing the first real signs of autumn in Tennessee, with tulip poplars and black tupelos drifting into soft reds. Oaks, meanwhile, were going quickly from green to dry brown while many leaves held on.

Two published forecasts give different peak dates for Middle Tennessee:

The forecasts are about nine days apart, and both put the best color in November, which is deep inside the bridge closure. A late, dry season also makes the timing uneven: the reds on poplars and tupelos come early, and the browned oaks can shorten the show. That makes a parkway stretch you can drive several times over a few weeks more useful than one long trip. The southern run from Highway 46 is that stretch.

Southbound from Highway 46, stop by stop

Mileposts count down as you drive south. Each stop below is listed with the Park Service's own description, from the closest to the farthest. The last stop, at milepost 401.4, is about 27 miles from the Highway 46 ramp.

1. Garrison Creek, milepost 427.6. This picnic and pavilion area doubles as a trailhead for hikers and horseback riders on the Highland Rim Trail. NPS names it as a starting point for a fall color day hike on the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail.
2. War of 1812 Memorial, milepost 426.3. A two-mile section of the Old Trace and Highland Rim trail starts here and runs down toward Garrison Creek. The fall colors page lists this Old Trace Trailhead as its other close-up hiking option in Tennessee.
3. Burns Branch, milepost 425.4. This is a Highland Rim trailhead and picnic stop you can drive to. It has a hitching post but no staging for horse trailers.
4. Tennessee Valley Divide, milepost 423.9. The ridge here separates streams that drain toward the Duck and Tennessee rivers from those that drain toward the Cumberland. The trailhead is for hikers only.
5. Fly Trailhead, milepost 416. You reach this one from Highway 7. It has a small parking area and access to the Highland Rim trail.
6. Water Valley Overlook, milepost 411.8. A pull-off with a view over rural Tennessee.
7. Highland Rim southern trailhead and Totty Lane, near milepost 408. The southern end of the trail section is off TN 50 and Totty Lane and has horse trailer parking. The Totty Lane bicycle camp nearby has picnic tables and fire grates.
8. Gordon House Historic Site, milepost 407.7. This 1818 brick house is tied to a Duck River ferry and to services for travelers on the Trace. It is closed inside for safety reasons. Restrooms and water for the bike camp are here.
9. Baker Bluff Overlook, milepost 405.1. It offers a wide view over rural Tennessee. Of all the Tennessee overlooks on the NPS fall colors list, this is the closest to Leiper's Fork.
10. Jackson Falls, milepost 404.7. A steep, 900-foot concrete path leads down to the pool at the base of the falls.
11. Old Trace, milepost 403.7. About 2,000 feet of the original road survives on a ridge above the Duck River.
12. Tobacco Barn and Old Trace Drive, milepost 401.4. The barn dates to 1959 and was built from timber cut on the farm, which had grown tobacco since 1932. The two-mile, one-way Old Trace Drive starts here and follows the historic route. Buses and RVs are not allowed. A D.A.R. marker at the same stop commemorates the old Trace.

Farther south, the fall colors page adds Fall Hollow at milepost 391.9, Meriwether Lewis at 385.9, Metal Ford at 382.8 and a separate Old Trace Drive at 375.8. NPS calls that last stretch a great place for color in mid to late October. All of these are on the open side of the closure. Not one of the Park Service's Tennessee fall picks needed the Double Arch Bridge to begin with.

Ending the drive back in the village

The southern loop brings you back up Highway 46 to Old Hillsboro Road. Fox & Locke, at 4142 Old Hillsboro Road, has a full October calendar that lines up with the first color in the Tennessean forecast:

• October 7, 7 to 9 p.m.: The Bandana Brothers
• October 9, 8 to 10 p.m.: Kent Blazy & His Incredible Band
• October 10, 7 to 10 p.m.: The Deltaz featuring Randy Bachman
• October 14, 7 to 9 p.m.: Olivia Faye, Jackson Nance and Johnny Mac
• October 16, 8 to 10 p.m.: Chris Jones and the Night Drivers
• October 23, 8 to 10 p.m.: Jack Williams, Don Poythress, Tony Arata and Keith Stegall

Leiper's Fork Distillery still lists hours and tours at its site on Southall Road. Its Nashville Yards venue at 21 Platform Way S is still marked "Opening Fall 2026," with hours listed as TBA. Next door at 4144 Old Hillsboro Road, Leiper's Creek Gallery held its 25th anniversary celebration on October 3.

If peak color arrives near November 11, as the Tennessean expects, the bridge will still have about six months of closure left. The reopening date to keep an eye on is the Park Service's current May 2027 estimate.

At Greg Sanford, we follow the Highway 46 and Old Hillsboro Road corridor closely, including the parkway's access points, the acreage along it, and how changes like this bridge closure affect the land around the Trace. If you own property near the parkway or are weighing a purchase in Leiper's Fork, request a private consultation.