Harpeth River - Pinkerton Park Access Point

The Pinkerton Park Access Point to the Harpeth River is one of the best marked. It has a brown canoe sign on Highway 96 letting paddlers know where to turn into the park. Then another sign is located on the park road indicating where to turn for the river access. To get to Pinkerton Park take I-65 South from Nashville and exit at # 65 Franklin/TN-96 and Murfreesboro Rd. Turn right onto TN-96 and go 2.2 miles. Then turn right into Pinkerton Park and a left down to the river bank. The left-hand turn will be on to a gravel road, it is not paved. 

There is no parking lot at this location but rather an open field. Parking on the grass is allowed, just don’t get stuck after a heavy rain. One of the great things about this access point is that there are all kinds of amenities, that includes restrooms, playground, picnic tables and hiking trails. It even has a historical site, Ft. Granger. Once your vehicle is parked it is a short gravel walkway about 20 yards to the 28 steps down to the river. During periods of high water, boats will have to be launched from the steps. Otherwise there is enough room at the river’s edge to beach boats while getting all the gear packed up. 

Pinkerton Park access point is at river mile marker 88.1.  It is 1.4 miles downriver from the Eastern Flank access point. There are no outfitters that currently service this part of the Harpeth, so river traffic is light. The next planned access point is at Bicentennial Park in downtown Franklin, 1.2 miles downriver. Harlinsdale Park is the current next access point and it is 2.2 miles from Pinkerton Park.

Looking Up River                          Looking Down River

Two resources for maps are the following links:

https://tnstateparks.com/assets/pdf/additional-content/park-maps/harpeth-river-trailandaccess-map.pdf

http://www.harpethconservancy.org/programs/recreation/sm_files/Watershed%20Map%20PDF.pdf

Play Ground at Pinkerton Park

Harpeth Fun Fact: There are four rivers that have the name Harpeth in their name: The Little Harpeth River, The South Harpeth River, The West Harpeth River, and The Harpeth River.

Harpeth River - Eastern Flank Access Point

Eastern Flank access point at river mile marker 89.3, is one of the older spots for paddlers to access the Harpeth. It has received a face lift the past few years with new signs, a paved parking lot, and handrails on the steps leading down to the river. It is 6.4 miles downstream from the Ladd Farm input. To find it take I-65 south from Nashville, exit at Franklin/TN-96 and Murfreesboro Rd. Turn right onto TN-96 and go .2 miles. Turn left onto S Royal Oaks Blvd. and go 1.2 miles. Turn left onto Mack C Hatcher Memorial Pkwy. for .7 miles. Next, turn right onto Lewisburg Pike and go .9 miles. The river will be on the right, with a sign indicating where to turn into the parking lot.

Parking Lot

The parking lot is paved and will hold about 12 -15 vehicles. This location does not have restrooms or other amenities. There are 3 gravel long tread low riser steps leading to the river.  Followed by 11 steps to a platform and an additional 15 steps to reach the river. A handrail has been provided along the steeper steps. In total the distance is about 40 yards from the parking lot to the river. 

Long Tread Low Rise Steps                                Steep Steps to River 

Watson Branch Tributary Entering the Harpeth

Depending on water levels there is a nice gravel bar at the bottom of the steps that make in-put and take-out easy. The Watson Branch Creek ends its flow into the Harpeth across from the steps. Also, the remains of a lowhead dam can be seen upriver from this location.  Even though the dam has been removed there is a slight drop-off at this location, so paddler beware!  The next access point is at Pinkerton Park, 1.2 miles down river. 

View Up River                                                 View Down River

                   

Two resources for maps are the following links:

https://tnstateparks.com/assets/pdf/additional-content/park-maps/harpeth-river-trailandaccess-map.pdf

http://www.harpethconservancy.org/programs/recreation/sm_files/Watershed%20Map%20PDF.pdf

Harpeth River Fun Fact: The Harpeth is one of the few rivers in Tennessee that is entirely free-flowing. 

Harpeth River - Ladd Farms Access Point

Informational Sign

To get to the Ladd Farms access point from Nashville head south on I-65 and exit at TN-248 N/Goose Creek Bypass/ Peytonsville Rd., exit 61. Make a left onto TN-248/Peytonsville Rd and go .3 miles. Turn left onto Long Lane W and go 1.5 miles. Next, turn left again on to Carothers Parkway and continue for .8 miles. At the entrance of the Enderly subdivision turn right into the subdivision and then make an immediate left onto Ryecroft. The Harpeth River access point is at the end of the road, under the Carothers Parkway bridge.

Road to Access Point

Ladd Farms is the first public access point on the Harpeth River. It as at the river mile maker; 95.7. The mileage for the river starts at where the river ends, at the Cumberland River and the mileage markers go up from there.  There is currently no signage for this access point but once you come to the end of the Ryecroft street keep going onto the smaller paved road and it will take you very close to the rivers edge. There is no parking lot but many people pullover under the Carothers bridge and parking on the grass is also an option.  The gravel path is roughly 50 yards and leads to a set of 24 steps down to the Harpeth River. 

Path to River                        Steps to River

Pathway Looking Towards the Parking Lot

There is a nice gravel bar at the bottom of the steps but in high water levels it could be washed out. Overall this is a very easy access point. The only way to improve it would be to add a canoe slide to assist with getting the boats down to the water. There are no bathrooms at this location or any other amenities. Currently, no outfitters are using the access point, so you may have the place to yourself. 

Looking Up River at Access Point             Looking Down River at Access Point

The next access point is at Eastern Flank, which is 6.4 miles downriver.  There are 3 more access points in the plans between Ladd Farms and Eastern Flank: Carothers/Helm Property, Waters Edge and Nicholas Bend. Two resources for maps are the following links:

https://tnstateparks.com/assets/pdf/additional-content/park-maps/harpeth-river-trailandaccess-map.pdf

http://www.harpethconservancy.org/programs/recreation/sm_files/Watershed%20Map%20PDF.pdf

Harpeth River Fun Fact: The Harpeth River starts in Rutherford Count at Eagleville. Various little creek come together north of Highway 99, and flow under Highway 41A and together these creeks and stream become the Harpeth River.  

Harpeth River Access Points

Starting this week, I will be posting a series called “Access Points On the Harpeth River”. The city of Franklin and the state of Tennessee have been doing an amazing job of constructing new access points for its citizens and visitors who enjoy paddling and fishing. The Harpeth River is over 125 miles and has 1,000 miles of tributaries. It truly is one of our state’s great resources.

Fifteen miles of the Harpeth river flows through the city of Franklin, with numerous access points along the way. The Tennessee State Park’s Department has made another 40 miles of the Harpeth River a linear park with most of it being part of the State Scenic Waterway. It also has many access points.

As I describe each access point I will give you details on each of the following:

Availability of parking at the access point.

Distance to the river.

Number of Steps from the river bank to the water.

Is it easy to access the water from the bank?

How busy is the access point (do local outfitters use the access?)

Are public restrooms and other amenities available at the location?

When planning a paddle trip, it is nice to have all the available information you can gather. It can be a struggle to get to a take-out location and to find out you must hike 200-yards with all your gear to the river’s edge. I will include lots of pictures, so the paddlers can get a feel for the location. Please note that locations change over time, so I will try my best to keep up. 

Currently the Harpeth River has 16 access points between Franklin and Cheatham County. There are an additional 10 that are in the process of being built or in the plans. Flooding and other natural occurrences can play havoc with wood structure, so remember the way it looked last year may not be the same this year. Two resources for maps are the following links:

https://tnstateparks.com/assets/pdf/additional-content/park-maps/harpeth-river-trailandaccess-map.pdf

http://www.harpethconservancy.org/programs/recreation/sm_files/Watershed%20Map%20PDF.pdf

New Website !!! Check it Out Tennesee Valley Water Trails

http://tnvalleywatertrails.org/

I recently found a new website that got me once again all excited about canoeing and kayaking in Tennessee. Sometimes you find yourself in a rut and do not know where to turn to find a new place to paddle. Look no more.... this website will re-spark your interest in paddling Tennessee and even into some of our boarder states. The interactive map is easy to use, even for me a non techy person.

I first went to the rivers that I paddle the most, the Duck and the Harpeth, and the information given was right on. Then I started looking at all the options and came up with another dozen places I want to try out. It looks like it might be still a work in progress but what a great place to start.

Check It Out!!!

Duck River - Leftwich Bride to Howard Bridge

Duck River Leftwich Bride to

Howard Bridge

• Date: May 20, 2018                       
• Distance: 5.6 Miles
• Weather: Sunny and in the 80's
• Time on the River: 4 Hours
• River Conditions: Class 1
• Distance from Nashville: 45 Minutes
• Close By: I-65 and Spring Hill, TN
• Put-In: Leftwich Bridge 
• Take-Out: Howard Bridge 
• Outfitter: Higher Pursuits 931-840-8575

Five adults, three toddlers and one dog took a 5.6 mile trip down the Duck on this beautiful Sunday in May. With the help of Higher Pursuits, canoe and kayak outfitters, all of us got on the river with no mishaps. It as a great day to be on the river. We had perfect weather and the river was flowing very nicely. The Jackson Riviera sit-on-tops that we rented where perfect for both the 3 and 4 years old to share with their parents. They could sit/lay in the front and play around in the water as Mom and Dad paddled. The "boys" showed no fear of the water and enjoyed floating downriver so Granddad could catch them.

Higher Pursuits give us a very professional orientation and told us exactly what to expect as we  floated down the river. The shuttle they provided was great and made for a very stress-free trip. This was a wonderful family activity and a great way to spend the day. Even Toby, the dog had a good time.

Carpenters Bridge to Leftwich Bridge

Estimated Length:  8.5 Miles                                                     

Date: May 14, 2017

Weather:  Sunny and the temperature in the 80's

Time on River: 4 hours            

River Conditions:  Class I

Distance from Nashville: 45 minutes

Close By: Less than 10 minutes from I-65 Exit 46 has all kinds of fast food

Put-In: Carpenters Bridge 

Take-Out: Leftwich Bridge

Beautiful Scenery on tbe Duck

Sunday was family day on the river and it was a wonderful way to spend Mother’s Day.  The weather was gorgeous, the river was flowing and the company was the best. We did this 8.5 mile stretch of the Duck in about 4 hours and basically had it to ourselves.

With the river running a bit high, I was worried that there would not be any places to pull over to play in the water. But as my sons say “no worries”, we had ample opportunities to eat, drink and play.
         

Boys Playing in the River

We not only had our children on the river with us but also 2 of our grandchildren, ages 2 and 3. Some paddlers think we are nuts for taking kids this young on the river but they had a blast and the 3 year old is starting to learn the basic of paddling. I might need to purchase a small paddle for him to experiment with on the river. The 2 year old wore himself out and could not wait till he got home for his nap.

Tired Little Boy

Overall it was a perfect trip and I can’t wait till we get back on the river. 

Harpeth River - The Narrows

Estimated Length: 5.3

Date: April 9, 2017

Weather: Sunny

Time on River: 2 hour

Put-In: Narrows of the Harpeth

Closest City: Kingston Springs

Take-Out: Narrows of the Harpeth

Outfitter: Canoe Music City, Foggy Bottom, Tip-A-Canoe, Adventures on the
Harpeth

   Our first canoe trip of the year was Sunday and of course it was the Narrows of the Harpeth. Got to the put-in at 10am and the park was already busy with both hikers and paddlers. I noticed that the park now has signs for over flow parking so the amount of people enjoying this great little park must be on the rise.

   
Lex and I started paddling about 6 years ago and it has been amazing to see the growth of this sport/activity in Middle TN. There are 4 big outfitters that I know of that service this section of Harpeth and probably some smaller ones that I don’t know about. One of the reasons for the growth of paddling is due to organizations such as the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association (TSAR) and the Harpeth River Watershed Association (HRWA). Both associations have joined forces to create the Harpeth River Blueway Project which has a mission ”to promote recreational opportunities, safety and the preservation of natural cultural features along the Harpeth River through the provision/kayak access sites and accompanying signage”. If you go the following website: http://www.harpethriver.org/programs/recreation/  it will give you great information about current and proposed recreational access points along the Harpeth.  This is a great map to have on hand when planning any trip down the Harpeth.

   The weather was beautiful for this paddle. There was a breeze which kept things cool but did make paddling a bit difficult in places. The river was moving at a good clip which made up for having to fight the headwinds. Vegetation along the river is starting to sprout making everything feel alive. The turtles where out in full force and I was able to capture a few of them sunning.

   My advice to anyone wanting to take this paddle is get out early in the morning to beat the traffic from the outfitters or make it a weekday trip. 

Harpeth River East Flank Park to Williamson County Rec. Ctr.

Harpeth River in Franklin

Estimated Length: 4.7 Mile 
Date: July 10, 2016

Weather: Partly Sunny

Time on River: 2 hour

Put-In: East Flank Park

Closest City: Franklin

Take-Out: Williamson County Rec Center

Outfitter: None

    After the rains we had last week, Lex and I knew we had to take a Harpeth in town paddle and Sunday was the day. The river was running very nicely, but was the water ever muddy. With the rains the water level was high enough to wash out most of the gavel bars so getting out to play was not an option, so the muddy water did not bother us too much. We left our big red canoe at home and took our kayaks for their first trip of the year.

    The City of Franklin Parks Dept. has done a great job of getting new signs on the

Franklin Parks Dept. signs  on the River

Harpeth. On this stretch of river all the bridges have big blue signs that not only tell you the name of the road you are going under but also the river mile marker. Lex and I stopped by Bicentennial Park in Franklin on our way home to see the cool overlook that they are constructing. We had viewed it from the river but wanted to get a better perspective of the project. I think they also plan to put an access point at this location.

   Since last year the Parks Dept. has added two new access points; one at Pinkerton Park and the other at Harlinsdale Park. A new access point at Ladd Park subdivision is scheduled to open this summer. It’s great to see so many resources being spent on this section of the Harpeth. The Harpeth is one of the many gems of Williamson County!!!

Construction of new overlook at Bicentinnial Park in Franklin

Caney River - Center Hill Dam to Betty's Island

Date: July 3, 2016

Center Hill Dam is awesome to view from the river

Distance: Miles 8.9

Weather: Sunny and Hot

Time on the River: 4 hours

River Conditions: Slow

Distance from Nashville: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Close By: Nashville

Put-In: Center Hill Dam

Take-Out: Betty’s Island

Outfitter: Caney Fork Canoe, Big Rock

Note: Always check with TVA https://www.tva.gov/Environment/Lake-Levels/Center-Hill to get the water schedule for when the TVA is generating 2 or more generators, some of the outfitters may not be renting canoes/kayaks during this rime.

     I should have known better then to paddle the Caney Fork on a holiday weekend. The number of paddlers and fly fisherman on the river was staggering, it was like bumper cars on water. The river was moving slow and we had to get out and pull our canoe a few times, while trying to avoid hitting other boats.  The TVA opened up one of the generators about an hour after we got on the river and in retrospect we should have waited.

All the paddlers on the river

   What I do love about this river is the crystal clear water. Since this a dam fed river, the water is coming from the bottom of the lake which results in very clear water but does make it extremely chilly.  While there were a lot of places to pull over and play in the water, it was just too cold to spend any amount of time in it.

Clear, cool water of the Caney River

Rock croppings where otters like to play

Once we got past the first take out location at Happy Hollow Boat Ramp, the Caney was a lot quieter. We left behind more than half of the paddlers and we settled into a peaceful river trip. We even saw river otters! I had my son pull up to some rock cropping’s to take a picture and as he approached three otters started darting back and forth among the rocks. At times like this I wish I had better camera skills.

TWRA checking for life jackets

Lex and I have canoed the Caney in the past and had a great time, this was not one of them. The crowds made the trip noisy and stressful. The TRWA had Rangers on the river having the paddlers show their life jackets before they would let them continue down river. Maybe we need to stick to mid-week paddling on the Caney.

Harpeth River Gossett Tract to Harris Street Bridge

Date: June 26, 2016

Distance: 7.7 Miles

Weather: Sunny and Hot

Time on the River: 4 hours

River Conditions: easy

Distance from Nashville: 30 minutes

Close By: Nashville

Put-In: Gossett Tract

Take-Out: Harris Street Bridge

Outfitter: Music City Canoe, Tip-A-Canoe, Foggy Bottom

     The Harpeth was a popular destination today. There was a steady stream of paddlers on the river both young and old. We got to Gossett Tract about 9:30 in the morning and the outfitters were already loading people onto the river. But even with all the paddlers we found stretches of river that were quiet and calm.

     We took our time on this float, stopping to play in the water and talk to fellow paddlers. The piece of river between Gossett Track and the Narrows is lots fun with some nice Class I riffles.  The tunnel built by Montgomery Bell for his ironworks is always an impressive sight. The water was a bit muddy but flowing at a good clip.

Getting splashed by Granddad

Singing on the river

Motgomery Bell's ironworks Tunnel

The Harpeth is one of Nashville's greatest resources for those of us who like to get outside and explore. Please respect the river and follow the “Leave No Trace” principle.