danielowen.com

About a month ago I decided I wanted to start walking the trails that are available in Nashville In the past I have hiked a little and when I go on vacation I like to check out the nature trails but I would not say I have ever really consistently hiked per se. My eventual goal is to walk all of the hiking trails available in the Nashville and surrounding parks. That’s a bit of a stretch since we have a number of state and city parks within Nashville and the surrounding area. But is should certainly be fun and it gives me a reason to go ahead and hit every little trail I can find.

I started out by borrowing a copy of 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Nashville (1st Edition) from the library. I have since purchased the second edition. Honestly the difference between editions is minimal with I think five trails removed and five new ones added. This book is well worth purchasing.

One thing that I have noticed in picking trails is that there is not a great deal of information readily available on the web about some of these trails. For example I want to avoid getting myself into a trail that I can’t finish but I find that all the information I can find on many trails is a nebulous easy/moderate/strenuous rating that may mean anything. I can look at the length of a trail and decide whether I can do the distance. What I really want to know is whether I will be climbing steep grades, crossing creeks, going over unstable ground etc. If I look at an easy/moderate/strenuous rating I have no idea why a given trail was given that rating. At least for most of the trails I have walked the ratings seem to be based more on distance than any other variable. In general I think that most trails I have been on around Nashville (just a few so far) overestimate how strenuous they are but I discount length so I am sure that is a personal thing. In general I find rangers to be helpful if I stop and talk to them. The first time I want to Long Hunter State Park talking to a ranger about the Day Loop trail was enough to put my mind at ease about the trail just being longer than most of their other trails but an easy walk. In writing about the trails I will include my impressions on the day that I went in a hope of providing some of the information I have looked for and missed.

I have really enjoyed this new hobby so far and wish I had started sooner. Nashville has some beautiful parks and trails.

Daniel Owen
9/17/2009

Links to my commnets organized by park:

Radnor Lake

Longhunter State Park