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- The Nature Club - New Monthly Meetup - based at Long Hunter State ParkLong Hunter State Park, Hermitage, TN
* If you wish to attend the Nature Club, please sign up on the Tennessee State Parks event page at https://tnstateparks.com/parks/event_details/long-hunter/#/?event=long-hunter-nature-club-7-27-24
Meeting Time: 10:00 AM
Meeting Place: Long Hunter visitor center
Estimated Time: 2 hours
Program Leader: Jason AllenIf you wish to strengthen your connection with Mother Nature and meet like-minded nature enthusiasts, then we have a program for you!
Join us for year two of the Long Hunter Nature Club as we pick a scenic spot in the park and talk about nature. Each month we'll visit a different area of the park, sit a spell, observe nature, listen, and discuss. We'll share stories and favorite nature sightings, discuss current nature topics, have some fun, and hopefully learn a few things in the process.
Whether you're young or old, active or have limited mobility, talkative or shy, a lifelong nature lover or a newbie, this club is for you! You are the key. We want YOU to decide in which direction this club goes.
For this installment, let's meet inside the park Visitor Center and gather in the meeting room. Feel free to bring photos, objects to share, refreshments, binoculars, a notepad, or anything else that might be appropriate.
Nature lovers unite!
Directions To Visitor Center:
Enter Long Hunter State Park at the main park entrance (2910 Hobson Pike) and then take the first right and proceed to Visitor Center parking lot. - Summer Slideshow Series: The Trails of Long Hunter State ParkLong Hunter State Park, Hermitage, TN
Meeting Time: 3:00 PM
Meeting Place: Cedar Glade Meeting Room inside Long Hunter visitor center
Estimated Time: 90 minutes
Program Leader: Jason Allen* To sign up for this event, please RSVP here on the Meetup but you must also register on the park's event page: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/event_details/long-hunter/#/?event=trails-of-long-hunter-7-28-24
Long Hunter State Park features a wide array of habitats and has over 30 miles of hiking trails. Head inside the Cedar Glade Meeting Room, have a seat, cool off, and let's enjoy a slideshow by Jason Allen, creator the annual Long Hunter Mega-Hike who's been hiking these trails for 25 years.
We'll learn about all of the trails, see photos of each, and hear stories about what makes each one special. Attendees are welcome to ask questions and discuss the trails as well.
Take a load off and let's hit the trails!
Directions To Visitor Center:
Enter Long Hunter State Park at the main park entrance (2910 Hobson Pike) and then take the first right and proceed to Visitor Center parking lot. The Cedar Glade Meeting Room is inside the Visitor Center. - Mossy Ridge Trail - Evening Hike for Experienced hikers (Bring a Light!)Percy Warner Park - Deep Well Entrance, Nashville, TN
HIKE STATS:
Time: Hike starts promptly at 6:30 P.M.
Place: Deep Well entrance of Percy Warner Park (Google Maps)
Distance: 5½+ total miles
Estimated Hike Time: 2+ hours
Difficulty: Moderate (Can be very strenuous for novice hikers - Headlamps/flashlights are needed)
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-100 1.7 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 have dinner afterward at Sam's Place Belle Meade sports bar (6051 TN-100, Nashville, TN 37205 at the HWY 100 & HWY 70 split).
Standard Notice, Disclaimer:
Meetup organizers/ leaders are not guides. Expect the same risks and take the same precautions you would take if you were hiking alone. You are solely responsible for you own safety and well-being.
By signing up for this and/or attending this Meetup event, you acknowledge, understand, accept, and agree that hiking and other activities can be dangerous and can cause serious bodily injury and possible death. The organizers of this group and current and former members can not be held responsible or liable in any way for the actions of any participant-including you- at ant event.
All attendees participate at an event at their own risk and are solely responsible for any damage to their property, and/or any injury to themselves or their guests.
By signing up for this event, you affirm that you understand this disclaimer and that you knowingly and voluntarily agree not to bring any type of a claim arising out of or related to this Meetup event against the organizers of this Meetup group. - Spider Lily Hike - Bryant Grove Recreation AreaBryant Grove Recreation Area, Mt. Juliet, TN
Meeting Time: 10:00 AM
Meeting Place: Bryant Grove Recreation Area parking lot
Hike distance: Approximately 3-1/2 miles
Estimated Time: 2-3 hours
Program Leader: Jason Allen* To sign up for this hike, please go ahead and RSVP here on Meetup, but you must also register on the park's event page: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/event_details/long-hunter/#/?event=spider-lily-8-4-24
One of the most spectacular wildflowers in our area is the Carolina Spider Lily. Once you've seen one in bloom, you won't soon forget it!
Join wilderness guide Jason Allen as we hike out on the Bryant Grove Trail in search of this one-of-a-kind plant. We'll also stop to enjoy and discuss other features found along the trail, including rare cedar glade plants, impressive trees, scenic Bryant Creek, and even our native cactus. This will be approximately a three-and-a-half-mile hike on mostly flat terrain.
Keep in mind that this won't be a fast-paced hike; we'll pause often to discuss the trails many natural features. No pets, please.
Water, sun protection, and good hiking shoes are recommended. And don't forget your camera!
Directions To Bryant Grove Recreation parking lot:
Turn into the park on Barnett Rd. (9933 Barnett Rd, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122) and go one mile. The road dead ends at the Bryant Grove Recreation Area parking lot. The trailhead for the Bryant Grove Trail is beside the parking lot. - Mossy Ridge Trail - Evening Hike for Experienced hikers (Bring a Light!)Percy Warner Park - Deep Well Entrance, Nashville, TN
HIKE STATS:
Time: Hike starts promptly at 6:30 P.M.
Place: Deep Well entrance of Percy Warner Park (Google Maps)
Distance: 5½+ total miles
Estimated Hike Time: 2+ hours
Difficulty: Moderate (Can be very strenuous for novice hikers - Headlamps/flashlights are needed)
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-100 1.7 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 have dinner afterward at Sam's Place Belle Meade sports bar (6051 TN-100, Nashville, TN 37205 at the HWY 100 & HWY 70 split).
Standard Notice, Disclaimer:
Meetup organizers/ leaders are not guides. Expect the same risks and take the same precautions you would take if you were hiking alone. You are solely responsible for you own safety and well-being.
By signing up for this and/or attending this Meetup event, you acknowledge, understand, accept, and agree that hiking and other activities can be dangerous and can cause serious bodily injury and possible death. The organizers of this group and current and former members can not be held responsible or liable in any way for the actions of any participant-including you- at ant event.
All attendees participate at an event at their own risk and are solely responsible for any damage to their property, and/or any injury to themselves or their guests.
By signing up for this event, you affirm that you understand this disclaimer and that you knowingly and voluntarily agree not to bring any type of a claim arising out of or related to this Meetup event against the organizers of this Meetup group.