Mississippi
Mississippi’s Scenic Byways
Mississippi scenic byways are important for the state’s local economies as they attract visitors who look for unique ways to experience the state’s naturally beautiful and historically significant attractions. The Mississippi Scenic Byways Program is a grassroots program aimed at focusing attention on the state’s history and intrinsic resources. Identifying and designating highways, roads, and street corridors preserves, enhances, and protects Mississippi’s natural and economic resources for visitors and residents.
Key Points
- Mississippi is home to 13 scenic byways, including one All-American Road, one national scenic byway and 11 state scenic byways.
- In 2018, 6.4 million park visitors spent an estimated $157 million in local gateway regions while visiting the Natchez Trace Parkway.
- The NPS estimates that visitor spending helped support a total of 1,910 jobs, $57.6 million in labor income, $93.4 million in value added, and $162 million in economic output in local gateway economies surrounding the Natchez Trace Parkway.
Mississippi Byways
Map Key:
- All-American Roads
- National Scenic Byways
- Federal Agency Byways
- State Scenic Byways
All-American Roads
National Scenic Byways
State Scenic Byways
Byways Provide Access to Public Lands
Mississippi byways provide access to the state’s most spectacular public lands, including five national wildlife refuges, four national forests, three state parks, Tupelo National Battlefield, and Brices Crossroads National Battlefield.
About the National Scenic Byways Program
The National Scenic Byways Program, established by Congress in 1991, recognizes historic, scenic, and culturally important roads, all of which promote economic development and tourism in communities around the U.S. There are more than 1,200 byways in all 50 states.
All scenic byways exhibit one or more of six core intrinsic qualities — scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, archaeological, or natural. For a road to be named a national scenic byway, it must first be designated a state, tribal, or federal agency scenic byway. Once achieving that, a road may apply for national scenic byway designation, but its intrinsic quality must be of regional significance. All-American Roads are the very best of the national scenic byways, demonstrating at least two intrinsic qualities of national significance.