Natchez Trace State Park in western Tennessee near Wildersville takes its name from the historic Natchez Trace, a long-used travel route that connected Natchez, Mississippi, and Nashville and had earlier been used for centuries by American Indians, with a western spur crossing part of the present park. Created during the New Deal on eroded farmland acquired from local residents, the park grew into a major outdoor destination. Its core area covers 10,154 acres within a wider park of more than 48,000 acres, featuring woodland, four lakes, extensive camping and lodging facilities, hiking, archery and shooting ranges, and about 250 miles of horseback riding trails.