Trail of Tears Bell Route on the Natchez Trace, Milepost 370
in Alabama · centroid 74 mi from Nashville
John Bell led one detachment from Cherokee Agency at Charleston, Tennessee, westward across the southern part of Tennessee to Memphis and then to Indian Territory. This route is now Highway 64 and crosses the Natchez Trace Parkway here at milepost 370. His party consisted of about 650-700 Cherokee who supported the removal treaty and opposed John Ross.
Bell’s detachment also differed from the Ross-allied parties in that it had a military escort. Lieutenant Edward Deas, who had earlier led a party by river, commanded the Bell’s detachment military escort. The Bell detachment took a more direct route than did the Ross-allied parties, and reached Indian Territory in January 1839.
The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail commemorates the forced removal of Cherokee from their homelands; the paths that 17 Cherokee detachments followed westward; and the revival of the Cherokee Nation. The trail passes through 9 different states including Alabama and Tennessee. The sites on the trail, stretching 5,043 miles, form a journey of compassion and understanding.
- States
- Alabama
- Trail type
- Parkway trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Nashville, TN · 74 mi · ~2.1 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 35.3195°, -87.5801°
About Natchez Trace Parkway
This trail is inside Natchez Trace Parkway, a parkway managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/trail-of-tears-bell-route-on-the-natchez-trace.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Trail of Tears Bell Route on the Natchez Trace, Milepost 370 and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Footsteps Through History Trail, Milepost 385.9
15 miles from this trail's centroid
Trail of Tears Benge Route on the Natchez Trace, Milepost 400.2
28 miles from this trail's centroid
Totty Lane bicycle camp, Milepost 408, southern terminus of Highland Rim - Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail
33 miles from this trail's centroid
Trail of Tears Water Route Overlook on the Natchez Trace, Milepost 328.7
38 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.