Harpeth River - East Flank Park to Williamson County Rec Center

Estimated Length: 4.7 Miles

Discharge Day of Paddle: 86 cfs
Date: May 7, 2015
Weather: Sunny and in the low 80's
Time on the River: 2 1/2 hours
Put-In: East Flank Park Canoe Access
Take-Out: Williamson County Rec Center

Our Kayaks

Lex and I bought our second kayak this week and of course we had to try it out. Lex had never been in a kayak before and it was only my third time, so both of us had some learning to do. Our new kayak is an 10 foot Pelican that we got at Academy Sports for $150, what a deal. The Dagger which is the nicer of the two was given to us for free, even a better deal!

We decided on taking a paddle for a couple of reasons; first both of us had to work in the morning so drive time had to be at a minimum. Second we wanted a short trip since we did not really know how to handle the kayaks. Lastly, I have always wanted to try the Harpeth through downtown Franklin but was not sure our 16 foot Old Town Canoe would "fit" on this stretch of river. The kayaks were the perfect choice. 

For two "mature" paddlers and I mean age not experience, the trip was great. The getting in and out of the kayaks was a challenge. Everyone I have even seen makes it look so easy but we kinda plopped ourselves into the boats and then rolled ourselves out. There was some getting use to sitting that low in the water. Being able to "read" the river was more difficult but we were able to respond a lot quicker. Our Old Town Canoe would have been dragging the bottom, so our choice of kayaks was smart.

The river was cleaner then anticipated. The water had good visibility but there are still some tires in the river bed. The river banks had some debris, some of which looked new but a lot of it has been there for a long time. I was encouraged by how many people where on the river banks either fishing or playing in the water.

Great water visibility!

 With all the access points the State and Local Government is planning and the continuous effort to clean up the river, the Harpeth is a wonderful recreation destination. For those of us the that live and work in the area what a great resource and we need to help take care of it.

Duck River - Mill Town To River Rats

Estimated Length: 5 Miles
Discharge Day of Paddle: 382cfs
Date: May 3, 2015
Weather: sunny and in the mid 70's
Time on the River: 2 and 1/2 hours
Close by: Chapel Hill/ Columbia/ Henry Horton State Park
Put-In: Milltown Road
Take-Out: River Rats Outfitters

Just need the paddlers

For the first trip of 2015 Lex and I chose the Duck River. We wanted easy in and out access and the helpful and friendly staff of River Rats gave us what we wanted. For $15 they shuttled us to the put-in and we floated back to our car, perfect. We started our paddle around 9 am so we beat the crowds that River Rats was expecting.

They were really loud

It was a beautiful day to be on the river. We saw an otter and of course the camera was in the dry bag at the time. But we did get some pictures of  two Canadian geese that looked like they might have been protecting a nest.





With it being early in the season the tributaries to the Duck still had lots of water in them which made for some nice scenery.

Caney Creek 

        Lex and I did not get on the river as much as we would have liked in 2014. We were busy with work, checking up on elderly parents and having fun with grandchildren. So, our canoe trips took a back seat. But this year we promised ourselves more time on Tennessee Rivers and paddle excursions.

Xander is ready!

Xander and Granddad

We did take 4 trips last year; 2 on the Harpeth, one on the Duck and another on the Piney. The trip on the Duck was a quick one, between Hopkins Bridge and Henry Horton State Park, this was our Grandson’s first canoe trip. We decided he might need another year before we take him on another paddle. Xander’s biggest complaint was the life jacket but we managed to keep it on him the entire trip, not an easy feat!!!

Lunch on the river.

Crowds on the Piney

The trip on the Piney was in June and it was crowded. We managed to get away from the people for some of the paddle but it seemed the river was on overload.  The folks at Pinewood Canoe and Camp let us use their river accesses (for a small fee) for put-in and take-out which made it easy. Maybe next time we need to go during the week.

On to 2015 and more river time!!!!

Nice bluff on the Piney