Ranging 43.6 miles (70.2 km) in the right-of-way of the Ripley and New Albany Railroad, it is the longest rail-trail in the state.

It runs through three counties (Chickasaw, Pontotoc, and Union) and is located within the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area.

A portion (the Pontotoc to New Albany section) of the route's origin goes back to the Chippewa, who later called it the "King's Highway".

[2] It was also used by explorers such as Hernando de Soto and Meriwether Lewis and was part of the original Natchez Trace.

[3][4] The section then became part of William Clark Falkner's Gulf and Ship Island Railroad (G&SI) in the late 1800s.

Garnering inspiration from Hattiesburg's Longleaf Trace, officials for the communities the rail serviced expressed interest to convert this now-abandoned railway.

In August 2008, the Mississippi Department of Transportation awarded a $5.1 million grant for the development of the trail.

The four whistlestops on the trail, located in New Houlka, Algoma, Ecru, and Ingomar, have bathroom facilities.

Wildlife such as deer, rabbits, and squirrels are common throughout the trail, and even loose goats and sheep from nearby farms can be spotted.