wildwoodstream: Warner Woods Trail

Spur of the moment, the family unit hopped in my truck, and off we went to Percy Warner Park, the idea being to try out Warner Woods Trail for the first time. During our hike, E insisted, "I a big girl"—a proclamation indicating she has progressed beyond the Kelty child carrier and will be doing her own hiking from now on. I was worried that the two-and-a-half-mile, "moderate" trail might be too much, but E hung in there and only asked me to carry her on a couple of the final inclines. By herself, she covered over two miles, yelling "¡Salta!" each time she jumped over a root or rock. It's a Dora thing.

Warner Woods Trail is wide, well-marked, and surrounded by lush old woodlands. Honeysuckle is in bloom, and large swaths of the fragrant vines were hanging trailside in a number of spots. Aside from a few squirrels, three deer, and a couple of snails, we didn't spot a lot of wildlife, but we did see quite a few downed trees, including a big maple blocking passage around the second-mile mark. We had to scramble to get past it, and I imagine Metro Parks will have to get out there soon to do some clearing. In terms of difficulty, the trail doesn't feature near as much elevation as nearby Mossy Ridge, and it looks to be a popular spot for trail runners, who zipped past us with fair regularity.

After peering at trail maps, I realize that C and I have now hiked all the main trails that Warner Parks have to offer. At Percy Warner, that means Mossy Ridge and Warner Woods. And at Edwin Warner, the only trail of any note/length is the Harpeth Woods Trail, which we've hiked a couple of times.