60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Nashville: Including Clarksville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, and the Best of Middle Tennessee

Product Info

Author: Molloy, Johnny

Brand: Menasha Ridge Press

Edition: Fourth

Features:

• 60 Hikes W/in 60 Mi: Nashville

Binding: Paperback

Number Of Pages: 256

Release Date: 19-04-2016

Part Number: 9781634040624

Details: Product Description It's Time to Take a Hike in Nashville! Nashville is best known as the capital of country music, but located in the Cumberland River Valley surrounded by hills of the Highland Rim, the middle Tennessee city is also home to a great variety of hiking trails. With new hikes and updated maps, trailhead directions, and photos, the new edition of 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Nashville, by veteran Tennessee outdoorsman Johnny Molloy, gives outdoor enthusiasts plenty of hikes to choose from. From historical hikes such as the Gordon House and Ferry Site Walk and the Confederate Earthworks Walk to great recreational trails like the Anderson Fitness Trail and the Couchville Lake Loop, hikers of all ages and fitness levels will find a trail to their liking within a short drive from home. About the Author Johnny Molloy is a writer and adventurer based in Johnson City, Tennessee. He has written more than 40 books about the outdoors, including hiking, camping, and paddling guidebooks; comprehensive guidebooks about specific areas; and true outdoor adventure books set throughout the Eastern United States. Molloy writes for various magazines and websites, and he is a columnist and feature writer for his local paper, the Johnson City Press. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. OLD HICKORY LAKE NATURE TRAIL DISTANCE AND CONFIGURATION: 1.5-mile triple loop DIFFICULTY: Easy SCENERY: Pine and hardwood forest, willow swamp, pond EXPOSURE: Nearly all shady TRAFFIC: Some TRAIL SURFACE: Asphalt, pine needles, boardwalks HIKING TIME: 1 hour ACCESS: No fees or permits required MAPS: USGS Goodlettsville; at trailhead PETS: On leash only FACILITIES: Restrooms at nearby swim beach CONTACT: 615-736-7161; www.lrn.usace.army.mil/Locations/Lakes/Old HickoryLake/Recreation/Trails.aspx LOCATION: Old Hickory IN BRIEF This easy walk, suitable for young children, uses a combination of three miniloops to explore the woods near Old Hickory Lake Dam. The loops traverse pine woods and go over boardwalks, culminating in a trip to a pond with a viewing platform. DESCRIPTION This trail is actually part of the Nashville Greenway system, though only a portion of the path is paved. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built it in the mid-1970s. The mounds you see in the area are part of the dredging material left from the erection of nearby Old Hickory Dam, which was finished in 1954. The forest has reclaimed the area, with the help of some loblolly pines planted in the 1960s. The loblolly pine is not native to Middle Tennessee (it grows in a belt from east Texas to Florida and north to eastern Virginia) and is among the fastest-growing Southern pines. The pine’s rapid growth makes it popular for planting and cultivation for pulpwood and lumber. Even by pine standards, the loblolly has especially fragrant needles. The manner in which nature repairs itself is called plant succession. For example, an area is cleared and then covered with fill. Later, plants that thrive in the sun, such as blackberries, begin to grow. These species provide shade for young plants and trees that can’t tolerate open sun. The trees then grow and ultimately return the forest to its former state. Leave the parking area and soon enter Woodland Loop. Circle through loblolly pines, passing beneath a power line. A viewing blind is to your left. Quietly head over to the fence and peer through the boards, where a deer or squirrel may be stirring. Reach a long boardwalk that winds over a wetland. To protect them from drainage and development, wetlands have come under increasing protection over the years. Wetlands are natural filters for water as it seeps into the earth, and also foster wildlife and insects, especially mosquitoes. Leave the Woodland Loop at 0.4 mile, near the main paved path. Return to the woods, now on the Willow Swamp Loop. Soon reach another boardwalk. Willow trees thrive where drainage is poor, claiming their special niche in the web of life. Sycamore

EAN: 9781634040624

Package Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches

Languages: English