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.