Canoeing and kayaking down the rivers of the United States is one of life's high points. Sometimes rapids can make the trip challenging; for many, that's the appeal. Others like to paddle along without risking life, limb, or turning turtle, admiring the riverbanks and going just the right distance to make the day perfect. Kayak Harpeth river in Tennessee for just such a peaceful adventure and you'll also be paddling past places where history was made.
Harpeth River (HR) begins in Tennessee's Rutherford County, flows through Franklin, and ends when it joins the Cumberland, which flows through Nashville, the state capital. Its 115-mile length is in the Mississippi watershed. It absorbs many other waters on its way from county to county, including West HR, Little HR, and South HR.
The class II waterway has areas of pretty fast flow and other stretches that are wide and placid. The hazards that can make canoeing and kayaking dangerous are mild on the HR. It's just challenging enough to be educational for those who want to improve their skills at handling boats in swiftly moving waters with holes, rocks, and rapids.
There are many public access points on the HR, including 9 in the HR State Park, which follows HR for 40 miles. The Park includes several spots of great historic interest, such as an antebellum plantation house near the confluence of HR and West HR, called 'the Meeting of the Waters'.
Another is an engineering marvel in its time, a 200-yard-long tunnel through solid rock that was built by slave labor. A local ironmaster needed water to power his mill and diverted part of the HR through his amazing tunnel. The mill is near the part of HR known as the Narrows, where the banks run close together and the water flows rapidly. There is a prehistoric Native American burial site called Mound Bottom in this area, too.
Another part of history was the Natchez trace, a famous frontier trade route. This rough road through forest and swamp was used by farmers to take grain, produce, and livestock to eastern markets. Its hazards were many, including wild animals, bandits, and horrific mud during the rainy seasons. A pair of outlaw brothers, the Harps, are sometimes linked to the name Harpeth, but maps recorded this name in the region long before the brothers terrorized the Trace. It may be derived from the Native American language.
The whole length of HR is open to canoeists and kayaking, but the lower river is where visitors can rent boats and other gear for a day on the water. With an official 'scenic' designation, HR is well worth exploring for anyone who likes paddling, scenery, and local color. Go online to find maps and put-ins guides, historical notes, and descriptions of HR posted by those who've made the trip.
HR is one of our nation's beloved natural resources. There are community organizations dedicated to preserving and improving it for people, freshwater mussels, beaver, otter, fish, crustaceans, and other wildlife. Go online for more information on the River, rental outfitters, points of entry, or other attractions in beautiful Tennessee.
Harpeth River (HR) begins in Tennessee's Rutherford County, flows through Franklin, and ends when it joins the Cumberland, which flows through Nashville, the state capital. Its 115-mile length is in the Mississippi watershed. It absorbs many other waters on its way from county to county, including West HR, Little HR, and South HR.
The class II waterway has areas of pretty fast flow and other stretches that are wide and placid. The hazards that can make canoeing and kayaking dangerous are mild on the HR. It's just challenging enough to be educational for those who want to improve their skills at handling boats in swiftly moving waters with holes, rocks, and rapids.
There are many public access points on the HR, including 9 in the HR State Park, which follows HR for 40 miles. The Park includes several spots of great historic interest, such as an antebellum plantation house near the confluence of HR and West HR, called 'the Meeting of the Waters'.
Another is an engineering marvel in its time, a 200-yard-long tunnel through solid rock that was built by slave labor. A local ironmaster needed water to power his mill and diverted part of the HR through his amazing tunnel. The mill is near the part of HR known as the Narrows, where the banks run close together and the water flows rapidly. There is a prehistoric Native American burial site called Mound Bottom in this area, too.
Another part of history was the Natchez trace, a famous frontier trade route. This rough road through forest and swamp was used by farmers to take grain, produce, and livestock to eastern markets. Its hazards were many, including wild animals, bandits, and horrific mud during the rainy seasons. A pair of outlaw brothers, the Harps, are sometimes linked to the name Harpeth, but maps recorded this name in the region long before the brothers terrorized the Trace. It may be derived from the Native American language.
The whole length of HR is open to canoeists and kayaking, but the lower river is where visitors can rent boats and other gear for a day on the water. With an official 'scenic' designation, HR is well worth exploring for anyone who likes paddling, scenery, and local color. Go online to find maps and put-ins guides, historical notes, and descriptions of HR posted by those who've made the trip.
HR is one of our nation's beloved natural resources. There are community organizations dedicated to preserving and improving it for people, freshwater mussels, beaver, otter, fish, crustaceans, and other wildlife. Go online for more information on the River, rental outfitters, points of entry, or other attractions in beautiful Tennessee.
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