The Double Arch Bridge Is Closed This Fall, So Leiper's Fork's Trace Drive Heads South

The Natchez Trace Parkway closed the Double Arch Bridge on April 15, 2026, and it will stay closed to cars, pedestrians and cyclists into spring 2027. The closure runs from Big Tree Overlook at milepost 440 to the Highway 96 off-ramp at milepost 437. Apart from a short in-and-out stub at the Northern Terminus, the open Parkway in Williamson County this fall is south of that ramp. Leiper's Fork sits on that open side. The Highway 46 interchange and the Garrison Creek trailhead at milepost 427.6 are about nine miles south of the barrier.

So for this one season, the village is the natural starting point for a fall drive on the Trace. The leaves are also turning later than usual this year. That pushes the best southbound weekends into late October and early November, which is when the galleries and stages along Old Hillsboro Road have their busiest stretch.

What the closure actually covers

The National Park Service is replacing a temporary barrier on the bridge with a permanent pedestrian safety barrier. The crews are also doing preventive maintenance, including repainting the bridge. The structure is worth the care. Completed in 1994, the bridge is 1,572 feet long and stands roughly 155 feet above Birdsong Hollow. It was the first segmentally constructed concrete arch bridge in the United States, and it won the 1995 Presidential Award for Design Excellence.

The NPS road-status page, last updated August 14, 2026, lists the project's timeframe as April 2026 through May 2027. The detour is 7.5 miles. Northbound drivers leave the Parkway 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 drivers do the same route in reverse. The northernmost few miles are still open, but only as an in-and-out drive from the Northern Terminus to Big Tree Overlook and back.

The closure matters most to cyclists. NPS advises long-distance riders to park at the Highway 96 off-ramp lot and ride south of milepost 437. For shorter rides, it suggests parking at the northernmost lot at milepost 442 and riding to Big Tree Overlook and back. A long ride that once went out over Birdsong Hollow now starts at that ramp and heads south past the village.

The open Trace, milepost by milepost

From Garrison Creek to Jackson Falls is about 23 miles of open Parkway. The stops along it vary more than a single leaf-peeping drive usually takes in. This is the order you reach them heading south from the Highway 46 interchange:

1. Garrison Creek, milepost 427.6. It has a picnic pavilion and tables, restrooms, drinking water, hitching posts and horse-trailer parking. It is also the northern terminus of the Highland Rim section of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail. That section runs 20 miles one way to the Highway 50 and Shady Grove area and is open to hikers and horses. Bicycles and camping are not allowed.
2. War of 1812 Memorial, milepost 426.3. A memorial with a shaded walk on the Old Trace back toward Garrison Creek. NPS's own fall-color page names Garrison Creek and the Old Trace Trailhead at 426.3 as day-hike starting points for seeing the color up close.
3. Burns Branch, milepost 425.4. A Highland Rim trailhead with car parking, a hitching post and a picnic table. It has no horse-trailer parking.
4. Tennessee Valley Divide, milepost 423.9. An interpretive stop with hiker-only parking. NPS notes that the trail here gives fall views of the Parkway.
5. Water Valley Overlook, milepost 411.8. A pull-off with a view over rural Tennessee and the best photo stop on this stretch.
6. Gordon House Historic Site, milepost 407.7. A brick home from 1818 at a former Duck River ferry crossing, with a picnic shelter and restrooms. Visitors cannot go inside the house for safety reasons. A 0.64-mile trail continues past the house and crosses Fattybread Branch. NPS says not to cross when the water is deep or fast.
7. Baker Bluff Overlook, milepost 405.1. A wide view across the countryside, reached by the 2,100-foot Baker Bluff Trail from the Jackson Falls rest area. NPS lists it among its recommended Tennessee fall-color stops.
8. Jackson Falls, milepost 404.7. A steep, paved 900-foot walk down to a waterfall and pool. The rest area has a picnic shelter, restroom and grill. NPS warns visitors not to climb on the falls because the rock is slick.
9. Old Trace, milepost 403.7. A 2,000-foot section of the original Trace above the Duck River that takes 10 to 15 minutes to walk.

Baker Bluff and Jackson Falls share a rest area, so one parking stop covers the overlook, the waterfall and the walk back up. Gordon House is the only stop south of Garrison Creek on this list with both restrooms and a picnic shelter, a good place to break for lunch on the way down. As of the August 14 update, NPS listed no trail or campground closures on the Parkway.

Why the color is running late

NPS posts fall-color reports for the Parkway every Friday. The North District report for the week of September 27 said Tennessee was only beginning to turn:

"In Tennessee, cooler days have finally broken summer's grip, encouraging the first true signs of autumn. Tulip Poplars and Black Tupelos are beginning to drift into soft red tones, while oaks are shifting quickly from green to dry brown."

The week before, the same page blamed dry soils and warm nights in the northern and central districts for slowing the change and causing some stressed trees to drop leaves early.

The forecasts for Middle Tennessee don't agree with each other. The Tennessee State Parks 2026 graphic puts the regional peak around the week of November 2. The Tennessean's September 16 forecast is later. It expects real color to start around October 13, moderate color by October 25, peak around November 11 and past-peak conditions around November 17, and it calls the expected quality poor. Put together, the window is late October through mid-November. On a stretch where oaks are already browning early, the poplars and tupelos will carry most of the red.

Where the late color meets the village calendar

That late October to mid-November window is also when Leiper's Fork's own fall calendar is busiest. A southbound drive in the morning and an afternoon back in the village works on each of these dates:

• Sunday, October 18. Leigh Ann Hurst's Fall Trunk Show runs noon to 3 p.m. at The Copper Fox Gallery, 4136 Old Hillsboro Road.
• Saturday, October 24. The gallery's 3rd Annual Pottery Weekend runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with local potters demonstrating slab work and wheel throwing. A children's hand-building table is new this year.
• Sunday, October 25. Fork Fest returns to the Lawnchair Theatre with music, food trucks and local eateries, according to Tennessee Tourism's fall release. That is also the Tennessean's date for moderate color.
• Sunday, November 8. Kristi Hyde's Winter Trunk Show runs noon to 3 p.m. at The Copper Fox Gallery. That falls between the State Parks peak estimate and the Tennessean's.
• Sunday, November 15. Anthony Martin's forge demonstration and a Spees Studios glassblowing demonstration both run noon to 3 p.m. at the gallery.

Fork Fest weekend is the best match. The pottery demonstrations on Saturday and the Lawnchair Theatre on Sunday both fall when the Tennessean expects moderate color. Gordon House and Baker Bluff are under 25 miles south of Garrison Creek, so a morning on the Parkway still gets you back to Old Hillsboro Road by early afternoon.

Evenings back on Old Hillsboro Road

Once the color peaks and the days get shorter, the Trace becomes a daytime outing, and Fox & Locke at 4146 Old Hillsboro Road covers the evenings. Its current schedule has evening shows on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, open mic on Thursday, and daytime music on Saturday and Sunday. Coming up in the next two weeks:

• The Bandana Brothers on Wednesday, October 7, from 7 to 9 p.m.
• Open mic on Thursday, October 8, which the venue lists as sold out.
• Kent Blazy & His Incredible Band on Friday, October 9, from 8 to 10 p.m.
• The Deltaz featuring Randy Bachman on Saturday, October 10, from 7 to 10 p.m., also listed as sold out.
• Olivia Faye, Jackson Nance and Johnny Mac on Wednesday, October 14, from 7 to 9 p.m.

A few doors up, Bubble Joy at 4208 Old Hillsboro Road, Suite 8, has more room this fall. Owners Jason and deMarco say they doubled the shop's size in 2026. They are also starting the Joy Market, a rotating weekend pop-up for local vendors. Vendor applications are open for upcoming weekends. Event listings, ticket status and Parkway conditions all change quickly, so check them before you go. NPS posts its next color report each Friday.

If you're spending this fall on the open stretch of the Trace and thinking about a place closer to Garrison Creek, or about getting your Old Hillsboro Road home ready to show while the color is out, the family at C&S Residential knows these roads and this village well. Get in touch, and we'll walk the ground with you.