Nashville Hiking Meetup

Short Springs State Natural Area is located between Manchester and Tullahoma, Tennessee. The 420-acre property was once home to the water reservoir for Tullahoma. The dam has long since been removed, leaving a ravine/canyon that potentially has some of the best wildflower viewing in the state. The park has a series of inter-connected loop trails running along (and sometimes through) three different creeks, each with its own waterfall. Machine Falls, in the center of the natural area, is the tallest falls at 60 feet. The canyon into which Machine Falls drops has a small loop wildflower trail with great potential for photography. Bring water, lunch, good hiking boots and your camera. This trip is limited to 18 hikers. HIKE STATS: Meeting Time: Sunday, March 24, 8:30 AM Meeting Place: Home Depot - Bell Road - Antioch, TN Estimated Drive Time One Way: about 1.5 hours Hike Distance: TBD – Inter-connected Loop Trails 4-6 miles Estimated Hike Time: 3-4 hours Difficulty: Easy-to-Moderate Dogs on leashes welcome Leader: Michael Hughes

Bowie Nature Park in Fairview, west of Nashville, has nearly 700 beautiful acres of forest, approximately 17 miles of trails, 6 lakes, and several creeks. We will explore 5 miles of trail on the outer perimeter of the Park on this moderate hike. HIKE STATS: Meeting Time: 10:00 a.m. for prompt 10:15 a.m. Estimated Hike Time: 2 hours Difficulty: Moderate Hike Hike Leader: Hassan Directions: From Nashville, Interstate 40 west, exit 182 on to Hwy 96 east to Fairview, west on Hwy 100, 1 mile on right. From Franklin, west on Hwy 96 to Hwy. 100 west to Fairview . From Memphis, Interstate 40 east, exit 182 on to Hwy 96 east to Hwy 100 west, 1 mile on right.

HIKE STATS: Time: Hike starts promptly at 6:30 P.M. Place: Deep Well entrance of Percy Warner Park (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=36.077928,-86.886243&num=1&sll=36.077908,-86.886234&sspn=0.001225,0.002816&ie=UTF8&ll=36.077908,-86.886234&spn=0.078388,0.180244&z=13) Distance: 5½ total miles Estimated Hike Time: 2+ hours Difficulty: Moderate (http://www.meetup.com/nashville-hiking/pages/Hike_Rating_System/) (Can be very strenuous for novice hikers - Headlamps/flashlights are recommended) Hike Leader: Mike Hicks Notes: Dogs on a leash okay (Park regs require no more than 6-ft leash - you may be ticketed if you fail to use a leash!) The Mossy Ridge Trail is the longest of the three loop footpaths in the Warner Parks. An ideal training hike, the path leaves the Deep Well trailhead and winds through rich hollows and dry ridges of the Harpeth Hills, making frequent but never sustained elevation changes. Scattered in the woods are big trees and a spring-fed waterfall. At 4.5 miles, the Mossy Ridge Trail qualifies as a full-fledged hike that will not disappoint. Description courtesy of Johnny Molloy Note that because of changes to parking/access at the Deep Well entrance, the hike is now ~5.5 miles. Directions to Deep Well entrance of Percy Warner Park: From the point where Highway 100 begins at Highway 70 near the Belle Meade Post Office, head west on TN[masked] miles to the large stone gates on the left with Deep Well Entrance sign that mark the entrance of Percy Warner Park (Immediately after the Vaughn Gap Rd/Music City Bikeway Stop Light). Turn left from Highway 100 and pass through the gates, staying right when the road splits. We meet at the Highway 100 Trailhead (1st Pavilion on the left - small pavilion after the 1st set of parking areas). If coming from Old Hickory Blvd or further west, the Entrance will be on your right ~¾ miles past the Old Hickory Blvd Red Light between Edwin and Percy Warner Parks (Just before the Vaughn Gap Rd/Music City Bikeway Stop Light). We usually have dinner afterward at the Sam's Sport's bar (at the HWY 100 & HWY 70 split).

Meeting Time: 6:00 PM Meeting Place: Edwin Warner Park Nature Center Hike Distance: 4-5 miles Estimated Hike Time: ~2 hours Difficulty: Moderate, (http://www.nashvillehiking.com/pages/Hike_Rating_System) Hike Leader: Michael Hicks Notes: Dogs on a leash okay (Park regs require no more than 6-ft leash - you may be ticketed if you fail to use a leash!) This hike will be a combination of the Edwin Warner Woods (Blue) trail and park roads. This is a moderately strenuous hike of 4 - 5 miles with more than 900' of elevation change (details on trail map). Headlamps/Flashlights may be necessary by the end of the hike. Trail Map (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikerhicks/9800982115/)