# Faulkner, Elvis and Shiloh: north Mississippi hill country

> 3-day road trip of about 396 km (246 mi) with 8 stops, from Memphis to Corinth. About 4 h 24 min of driving in total.

Source: https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b19-north-mississippi-shiloh/

**At a glance:** 3-day road trip of about 396 km (246 mi) with 8 stops, from Memphis to Corinth. About 4 h 24 min of driving in total. From Memphis to Faulkner’s Oxford, Elvis’s birthplace in Tupelo, the rock gorges of Tishomingo and the Civil War battlefield of Shiloh.

| | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 396 km (246 mi) |
| Driving | 4 h 24 min |
| Suggested days | 3 |
| Stops | 8 |
| Route | Memphis → Corinth |
| States | TN, MS |
| Updated | May 6, 2026 |

## Route description

Leave Memphis south on I-55 and turn east on MS-6 at Batesville to reach Oxford in about 1 hour 30 minutes. The town square, with its courthouse and bookstore, is the heart of Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County. Rowan Oak, the writer’s home, is a short walk south of the square through the Bailey’s Woods trail from the University of Mississippi Museum.

From Oxford take MS-6 east to Pontotoc and on to Tupelo, about 1 hour. The Elvis Presley Birthplace lies on the east side of town, with the tiny house, his childhood church and a museum. Tupelo is also the headquarters of the Natchez Trace Parkway, and the visitor center at milepost 266 is a good place to pick up maps.

Drive north-east on the Natchez Trace Parkway for about 60 km to Tishomingo State Park, where Bear Creek cuts through sandstone outcrops. The parkway is closed to commercial vehicles and has no fuel stations, but it is easy driving for RVs. The park has cabins, a campground and canoe trips on Bear Creek in spring and summer.

From Tishomingo take MS-25 north to Iuka and TN-57 and TN-22 into Tennessee to Shiloh National Military Park, about an hour away. Drive the tour road around the battlefield and walk to the Shiloh Indian Mounds on the bluff above the Tennessee River. Finish in Corinth, about 35 km south-west, where the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center explains the fight for this key railroad junction.

## Stop-by-stop itinerary

1. **Memphis** (TN)
2. **Oxford** (MS)
3. **Rowan Oak** (Oxford, MS): William Faulkner’s home for more than 30 years, with the plot outline of A Fable still written on his study wall. Owned by the University of Mississippi; the grounds are open, the house on tours.
4. **Tupelo** (MS)
5. **Elvis Presley Birthplace** (Tupelo, MS): The two-room shotgun house built by Elvis’s father in 1934, along with his childhood church, a museum and a statue of Elvis at 13. Allow about two hours.
6. **Tishomingo State Park** (Tishomingo, MS): Rock outcrops and ferny canyons in the Appalachian foothills, with a swinging bridge over Bear Creek and CCC stone buildings. It lies right on the Natchez Trace Parkway at milepost 304.
7. **Shiloh National Military Park** (Shiloh, TN): Site of the bloody two-day battle of April 1862, with a tour road, a national cemetery on the Tennessee River bluff and prehistoric Shiloh Indian Mounds. The visitor center film is worth watching first.
8. **Corinth** (MS)

## FAQs

**How long is Faulkner, Elvis and Shiloh: north Mississippi hill country?**
3-day road trip of about 396 km (246 mi) with 8 stops, from Memphis to Corinth. About 4 h 24 min of driving in total.

**How many days do you need for Faulkner, Elvis and Shiloh: north Mississippi hill country?**
We suggest 3 days: about 4 h 24 min of driving, which leaves time for the stops.

**Where does Faulkner, Elvis and Shiloh: north Mississippi hill country start and end?**
It starts in Memphis and ends in Corinth.

**Which states does Faulkner, Elvis and Shiloh: north Mississippi hill country pass through?**
Tennessee and Mississippi.