Bryant Grove Trail at Long Hunter

Years ago, when C still fit into our infant carrier pack, V and I hiked two miles of the Bryant Grove Trail, had a nice picnic, and then returned along the same route we'd come. Today, the weather was so pleasant that we decided to hike the entire trail as a family. Still four miles total, but this time, we took two vehicles so that we could do a point-to-point trek.

Bryant Grove connects two recreational areas in Long Hunter State Park. The northern trailhead is adjacent to Couchville Lake, and from there, the trail winds alongside Percy Priest Lake and emerges at the Bryant Grove Recreational area, which sits just next to the Jones Mill mountain bike trail. Below is my GPS capture of our trip.

Bryant Grove Trail


In my copy of 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Nashville, Bryant Grove is listed as a "moderate" hike in terms of difficulty. My guess is that the rating mostly stems from the rocky terrain. Overall, the hike features very little in the way of elevation change, and the trail itself is well kept and well marked.

Today, we stopped for a picnic at the same two-mile mark as before. E merrily munched on crackers while the rest of us had our sandwiches and chips. Afterwards, we all made our way down toward the point where C threw rocks into the water and E had great fun playing with rocks. For the first time, I'm proud to say, she made it through an entire hike without nodding off, but both she and C were getting tired by the time we exited the trail.

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Radnor South Lake Trail

The weather was so unseasonably nice today that C and I felt compelled to get in a hike at Radnor, and since we'd never hoofed the South Lake Trail, we decided to give it a go. This approximately one-mile trail runs close to Otter Creek Road and features some nice overlooks of the lake, especially in the winter when the lakeside trees lack their foliage. In spots, the trail was still muddy and slick from recent snow melts and rain, and we had to baby-step through a few sections, but we still managed a pleasant hike. About mid-way down the trail, I pointed out a deer in the distance, and I was proud when C spotted a second deer before I did. Later, as we drove out of the park, we saw nine more deer, including a small buck, grazing in someone's front yard.

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Below is a GPS capture of our round trip--from parking lot to trail and then back along Otter Creek Road. All told, we covered a little over two miles, and as C pointed out, our path looks a lot like a dinosaur. Apatosaurus maybe?

Radnor South Lake Trail

Radnor Lake Trail

I promised Mr. C a hike today, so as soon as I got home from floating a swollen Harpeth River, the whole family loaded up and headed over to the west entrance to Radnor State Park. We wound up hiking the short Lake Trail (1.4 miles) and then made a loop around the lake by returning via Otter Creek Road. All in all, we walked about 2.75 miles with a short break right in the middle of the hike. Below is the track captured by my GPS handheld.

Radnor Lake Trail


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It turns out that C isn't the only one who likes hot chocolate in the great outdoors. I spoon-fed E a little of the drink, and she kept watching me and opening her mouth for more. She seemed to enjoy the hike, staying awake for about three-quarters of the way, but by the time we hit the parking lot, she'd fallen into a deep slumber.




At the Visitor's Center, we found a good park brochure offered by Friends of Radnor Lake. The included map is similar to those posted near each park entrance and offers both trail-length information as well as difficulty assessments for the various trails. Below is a scan I made from the map portion.

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Snowy Day Hike

After the area received a dusting of snow today, C and I decided to head back to Long Hunter State Park and hike the approximately 2-mile Couchville Lake Loop. A paved trail encircles much of the lake, crossing over the north end via a 300-foot wooden bridge.

The lake unexpectedly formed when the Corps of Engineers dammed the Stones River to create nearby Percy Priest Lake. Water seeped underground to fill the depression where Couchville Lake now sits, and it has been a part of Long Hunter Park ever since.

The lake level was down considerably since it mimics that of Percy Priest, which is currently at winter pool. Because of recent cold weather, the large majority of the lake was frozen over with a thin sheet of ice, and we had some fun skipping rocks across the slick surface and breaking it up with bigger rocks.

Click pictures to enlarge.



Below, on the red Everytrail track, you can click on the thumbtacks to see additional waypointed pictures from the hike.

Couchville Lake


Driving into the park, we saw four does browsing next to the road, and at the outset of our hike, a great blue heron sat hunkered down by the chilly lakeside. A flock of geese squawked overhead at one point, and near the end of our hike, a small deer bounded across the trail. We also saw where plenty of inhabitants had used the trail before us. Gray squirrels and sparrows had left their tracks in the snow, as had the flock of turkeys that resides near Couchville Lake. We easily saw hundreds of turkey tracks over the course of the hike.




Just past the one-mile mark, C and I stopped at a small shelter and used my Super Cat stove to heat up some water for hot chocolate. Made from cat-food cans, the Super Cat is an economical choice for a backpacking stove. It burns denatured alcohol and will bring water to boil in about five minutes. Total burn time for my stove, when filled to capacity, is around ten minutes. While today's windy conditions convinced me that it would benefit from an aluminum wind break, the stove still performed admirably, and we were able to warm up with our hot chocolate treat and continue our hike after a short break.

⇒ Click here for an excellent article on the Super Cat stove.
⇒ Click here for the mecca of homemade backpacking stoves.

Long Hunter Day Loop

This afternoon, C and I loaded up gear and headed to Long Hunter State Park, home to one of my favorite trails in the area, the four-mile Day Loop Trail. A portion of the Day Loop coincides with the longer Volunteer Trail, and as the park website notes, "These trails wind along the shore of J. Percy Priest Lake, climb overlook bluffs, and wander through hardwood forest, cedar glades, and interesting rock outcroppings." Both offer great scenic hiking, no matter the time of year.

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C got to try out his new hiking pole, compliments of Santa Claus, and since the temp was only in the mid-40s, we remembered the hot cocoa—our favorite cold-weather, hiking companion. Right around the two-mile mark, we took a break on one of the rocky bluffs, snacked on trail mix, and slurped down our hot chocolatey treat. At the end of our hike, as we headed up the gravely path that empties into the parking lot, we saw a deer standing almost at the trailhead. It watched us for a long time before deciding to bolt, and another deer jumped the trail right behind it.





Long Hunter Day Loop


⇒ Click here for a more detailed .pdf map of Long Hunter State Park.

Late Run at South Cove

C and I got a late start hiking at Radnor Park today, but we decided to try the South Cove Trail anyway. An approximately 2.7 mile jaunt, the South Cove sits opposite the lake across Otter Creek Road. It's a pretty hike with a number of climbs that take you up to a nice ridge line before descending rapidly back down to the road.

Late Run at South Cove

Map created by EveryTrail: Travel Community

Today, we had a guest hiker along. A new stuffed animal, Sharpy the lizard, rode in C's pack most of the way. Sharpy picked a good day to come out. The weather was absolutely gorgeous for December, with temps up into the mid-50s.

About half-way through the hike, we saw a herd of nine does browsing along for acorns, and C correctly identified a bright red cardinal just off the trail as a "boy bird." We cut it pretty close, getting back to the truck as nightfall came, but I think C enjoyed getting to use his flashlights for the last half mile or so.

Click pictures to enlarge.
 
 

Fall Day At Radnor

The morning was so pretty that we mobilized children and gear and made for Radnor Lake. A few weeks back, C and I hiked the South Cove Trail, and I thought today's timing would be right on track for a resplendent display of fall leaves. Because of the many recent rainstorms, however, a lot of the leaves were on the ground. Even so, the park was still gorgeous with its mixes of greens, oranges, reds, and yellows.

 
 

We hiked the Ganier Ridge Trail and then made a small jaunt down the lakeside road to take some pictures. All told, we covered 2.8 miles according to my Garmin, which captured the track below. C was our trailblazer and led the entire hike. E cooed and sang most of the way before finally conking out. As luck would have it, we ran into my friend Kevin, walking with his parents by the lake, and he took a rare shot of the entire family.

Hike at Radnor at EveryTrail

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