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