From Downtown to Just Outside Town, Nashville Offers Great Walking Trails
Sitting in the middle of an extensive state and local park system, outdoor enthusiasts have a lot of walking trails to choose from in Nashville, Tennessee. But the task at hand is to give you five of the best; how can it be done?Let's start with a one-mile loop in the heart of Nashville that will take you past a lake where you are certain to see some folks, young and old, trying their angling luck. And if you need more than the lake to keep your visual interest up, you'll see an antique locomotive, jet fighter, great gardens, stately trees, and one of Nashville's iconic buildings: a full size replica of The Parthenon. And, oh yeah, you might very well come across a free concert.
The mile loop at Centennial Park, just a few minutes from Nashville tourist draws such as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, is a prime walking trail in the heart of the city. You will find people cruising the loop from the early morning hours until the park closes at 11 p.m. There are no hills and the walking is easy.
In the summer, my wife and I often head to the park in the early evening as the air begins to cool and the fireflies start putting on their show.
If your legs are itching for a longer walk, but you still want to stay close to the downtown area, one of the two main loops at Shelby Bottoms Nature Park should fill the bill.
The park sits on the banks of the Cumberland River. You'll find some paved trail here—part of a greenway project—as well as primitive trails. Your walk will take you along the Cumberland River, through grasslands, fields, and woods.
The two main choices for this Nashville trail system are the east and west loops. Both are flat and easy walking. But there isn't a lot of shade along the way, so in the warm months be prepared with hats and plenty of water. If you do the entire east loop you can stretch your hike to 5.2 miles. But don't worry, there are a couple of places where you can make a turn and shorten the overall hike.
The west loop comes in at 1.8 miles. The terrain is similar to the east loop and again, there is a shortcut if you want to lop off a little of the distance.
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