Harpeth River - East Flank Park to Rizer Point

Harpeth River - East Flank Park to Rizer Point

Estimated Length: 5.2 Miles                     

Discharge Day of Paddle: 91 cfs
Date: June 17, 2015
Weather: Sunny and in the low 90's
Time on the River: 2 1/2 hours
Put-In: East Flank Park Canoe Access
Take-Out: Rizer Point Canoe Access

Lex and I took off mid-week to see how the Harpeth was running through Franklin. Middle Tennessee had not had any rain lately so we were curious to find out if we would be bottoming out with the kayaks on the paddle.  We had also heard a rumor that a tree was laying across the width of the river somewhere between East Flank Park and The Williamson County Rec center. Our paddle could turn into a bit of a downer if we were not prepared.

When we got to the take-in at East Flank, sure enough another paddler had written on the map kiosk about the downed tree located after Pinkerton Park. We were ready to tackle it with whatever necessary to make it down river. So we went ahead and launched our kayaks.

The access point at East Flank Park is becoming more and more popular as families use it to bring their kids to play in the water. But once we got on the river, traffic was at minimum. Even with the river flowing at 91 cfs we did not have to get out and drag our kayaks. I did notice that in some spots the river smells were a lot stronger than when we did this same run about a month earlier. Not sure if that is because the river water levels are lower or that the air/water temperatures has risen.  We did sight three different deer on this trip and one had her baby with her.

We did find the downed tree, but enough of it had been removed so we did not have to portage. If we had been in the Old Town Canoe it would have been a different story. The take-out at Rizer Point is great but the distance to the car gets a little long after a couple hours on the river. In all it was a great mid-week diversion.