Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to introduce readers to the variety of hiking opportunities in the Nashville area. In many hiking guides the hike descriptions are generally point-to-point narratives, getting you safely from the trailhead to the trail’s end and back again. However, including information on area flora, fauna, history, and geology adds a great deal of interest to many hikers, including families with young children.

Determining the best easy day hikes near Nashville was a combination of personal judgment about what level of hiker the hike was geared for and information from park staff and other hikers. Four of my favorite hikes are the varied trails at Long Hunter State Park, the interconnecting loops in Cedars of Lebanon State Park, the Greenways of Murfreesboro, and Henry Horton State Park trails. Hiking city and county trails offers a different experience from hiking in state parks and on backcountry trails. Most of the city trails are multipurpose and paved; a few are lighted at night, creating an entirely new hiking experience. Hiking these trails can also offer a distraction from the city itself, with its busy streets, buildings, and commerce. Surprisingly, many of the trails are in wooded areas, providing an unexpected degree of solitude.

The Nashville Parks and Recreation Department’s trail system spans more than 60 miles. Enjoy the experience of hiking in middle Tennessee. The great ecological diversity of the territory, along with the flora, fauna, and karst geology, allows you to fashion trips that are much more than just “hikes in the woods.” Some of the city hikes (trails) take place on sidewalks, some of which have been widened from the conventional 4 feet to as much as 13 feet. This allows many different people to use them—and some have been designed as “traffic lanes” (still called “trails”) to accommodate commuters walking and biking to work as well as recreational hikers.

The Nature of Nashville

Hiking around Nashville is more than walking along rivers. Trails can be found in woods, forests, nature sanctuaries, downtown, or along an Army Corps of Engineers lake. Some are busy with hikers, joggers, and cyclists; others are secluded and far from downtown.

Weather

The Nashville climate is humid, with hot summers and cool winters. The area can experience snowfall, but the white stuff is usually gone the next morning. March signals the start of spring, with warmer weather and colorful displays of flowering trees and shrubs. From March until mid-May, temperatures average between 45 and 70 degrees. Summer brings warmer weather accompanied by high humidity. The relative humidity in Nashville is 83% in the morning and 60% in the afternoon. Mid- to late October has cooler temperatures that encourage brilliant fall colors. The average low temperature (37 degrees) occurs in January, and the average high (80 degrees) in July. The average yearly rainfall is 48.1 inches. The wettest month is May, averaging 5 inches. The driest month is October, with 2.87 inches of rain. Except for high temperatures in July and August and possible showers in May, the weather for hiking in Nashville is great.

Critters

You’ll encounter mostly benign, sweet creatures on these trails, including deer, squirrels, rabbits, wild turkeys, and a variety of songbirds and shorebirds. More rarely seen (during daylight hours especially) are coyotes, raccoons, and opossums. Deer in some of the parks are remarkably tame and may linger on or close to the trail as you approach.

Nashville’s parklands also are habitat for copperheads, water moccasins, and rattlesnakes, all venomous snakes. Encounters are infrequent, but you should be prepared to react properly if you run across a dangerous snake. Snakes generally only strike if they are threatened. You are too big to be dinner, so they typically avoid contact with humans. Keep your distance and they will keep theirs.

Safety and Preparation

Hiking in the Nashville area is generally safe. Still, hikers should be prepared, whether out for a short stroll along the Cumberland River waterfront or venturing into the forested Natchez Trace trails. Here is some specific advice:

Know the basics of first aid, including how to treat bleeding, bites and stings, and fractures, strains, and sprains. Pack a first-aid kit each time you head out for an excursion.

Familiarize yourself with the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Heat exhaustion symptoms include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, headache, dizziness, and fainting. Should you or anyone in your hiking party exhibit any of these symptoms, cool the person down immediately by rehydrating and getting him or her to an air-conditioned location. Cold showers also help reduce body temperature. Heatstroke is much more serious: The person may lose consciousness, and the skin is hot and dry to the touch. Call 911 immediately.

Regardless of the weather, the body needs a lot of water while hiking. A full thirty-two-ounce bottle is the minimum for these short hikes, but more is always better. Bring a full water bottle, whether water is available along the trail or not.

Don’t drink from streams, rivers, creeks, or lakes without treating or filtering the water first. Waterways and bodies of water may host a variety of contaminants, including giardia, which can cause serious intestinal unrest.

Prepare for extremes of both heat and cold by dressing in layers.

Carry a backpack stocked with extra clothing, ample drinking water and food, and whatever goodies—like guidebooks, cameras, and binoculars—you might want.

Some area trails have cell phone coverage. Bring your device, but make sure you turn it off or set it on vibrate or silent while hiking. There is nothing like a “wake the dead”–loud ring to startle every creature, including fellow hikers.

Keep children under careful watch. The bigger rivers have dangerous currents and are not safe for swimming. Hazards along some of the trails include poison oak, uneven footing, and steep drop-offs. Make sure children don’t stray from the designated route. Children should carry a plastic whistle; instruct them that if they become lost, they should stay in one place and blow the whistle to summon help.

Be prepared. Bring or wear clothes to protect you from cold, heat, or rain. Use maps to navigate (and do not rely solely on the maps included in this book).

Leave No Trace

Trails in the Nashville area and neighboring foothills are heavily used year-round. We, as trail users and advocates, must be especially vigilant to make sure our passage leaves no lasting mark. Here are some basic guidelines for preserving trails in the region:

Remain on the established route to avoid damaging trailside soils and plants. This is also a good rule of thumb to avoid trailside irritants like poison ivy.

Pack out all your trash, including biodegradable items like orange peels, and pack out garbage left by less considerate hikers too. Use portable toilets at trailheads or along the trail and keep water sources clean.

Don’t pick wildflowers or gather rocks, antlers, feathers, or other treasures along the trail. Removing these items takes away from the next hiker’s experience.

Be careful with fire. Use a camp stove for cooking. Be sure it’s OK to build a campfire in the area you’re visiting. Use an existing fire ring and keep your fire small. Use sticks from the ground as kindling. Burn all the wood to ash, and be sure the fire is completely out and cold before leaving.

Don’t approach or feed wild creatures—the ground squirrel eyeing your snack food is best able to survive if it remains self-reliant. Control pets at all times.

Be kind to other visitors. Be courteous by not making loud noises while hiking, and be aware that you share the trail with others. Yield to other trail users when appropriate.

For more information about Leave No Trace, visit www.lnt.org.