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 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.

           

Narrows on the Harpeth                            

Estimated Length: 5.3 Miles

Date: March 11, 2014

Weather: Sunny and in the 70's

Time on the River: 2 hours

River Condition: Class 1

Close by: Kingston Springs

Put-In: Harpeth River State Park

Take-Out: Harpeth River State Park

Six months after Lex’s quadruple heart bypass surgery we are back on the river! On Sept. 16 Lex had a scary but also a very successful operation.  We then spent all our time over the next 3 months on the recovery process. By the first of the year it was back to work. So now it was time to make sure our river skills had not left us. The most important skill….. could we get the canoe on top of our Expedition?  We did it!!!

Turtles enjoying the sun

            The first canoe trip of the year is always the Narrows at the Harpeth and it didn't disappoint us this year. The weather was great, no crowds and the water was flowing. You could not ask for a better day. Lots of turtles out enjoying the sun. We even saw some otters but they were way too quick for me to snap their picture.

            I can’t wait for the trees to start budding and flowers to bloom. I am looking forward to great paddling season!

Looking good for 6 months after heart surgery!