My river reviews and other info

[Other Rivers 2]

Decided to start a new Other Rivers thread cause the other was so full of spam..

Below is my opinion and other info on rivers and creeks I've floated.

Harpeth - Has outfitters for shuttles or rentals

Click for link to map of Harpeth River State Park - cleanairtn.org/environment/parks/HarpethRiver/images/parkmap.pdf

Narrows of the Harpeth trip - 5.5 miles (checked with gpsr not 7 miles like the outfitters list)

• Very convenient for not needing 2 cars for a shuttle due to river bending back almost completely back on itself. Short walk from take-out to put-in.
  
• Montgomery Bell tunnel & waterfall very scenic
  
• Not far from Montgomery Bell State Park, which has a very nice campground & Inn.
  

To get your canoe in the water at the put-in you must use a steep wooden 'chute' and stairs to slide your boat down to the water.. Sounds worse than it is, I have found tying a rope to back and letting the boat slide down in front of you works well.

Also to get to the waterfall side of Montgomery Bell's tunnel you must paddle a short way up a small stream coming in on the right which is the run-off from the waterfall pool. (It is not right on the main trip)This is near the end about 4.5 to 5 miles into the trip. Just listen for the sound of the waterfall, it can usually be heard.

Harpeth -

Hwy. 100 bridge put-in to Hidden Lake take-out - 12 miles

• Good access at both put-in & take-out, short carry for boats
  
• Enough current & drops in places to make it fun for 'flat' water paddlers
  
• Very scenic, includes Newsome's Mill, lots of bluffs, bridges, rope swings, etc.
  

This my favorite part of the Harpeth I have floated so far.

Will add more rivers in another post.

[tallfeather]

I'd like to do the Hwy100 - Hidden Lake on the Harpeth one weekend.... where is Hidden Lake take-out? Must be near Hwy70 if you float by Newsome's Mill.

I am interested in canoeing the Ghost near Memphis which I hear is incredible flat water (lots of Cyprus). Has anyone here paddled it?

[tww38242]

Sorry about the delay in replying, have'nt been able to visit here in a bit..

The Hidden Lake canoe access on the Harpeth is next to the McCrory Lane Bridge at #3 on the map above. The parking lot is very close to the bridge and has a sign, so you can't miss it. Good access and plenty of parking.

Haven't ever floated the Ghost, sorry..

Terry

[aaron thurman]

Hi I would like to start some weekend paddle trips with my wife. I have alot of questions. I'll try and keep it simple though. first is the narrow of the harpeths take in/out parking area pretty easy to find? do you just drive down the narrows of the harpeth rd and see it? Also, I am pretty inexperienced when it comes to paddling down streams, how long will that trip last, the 5.5 miles?
how long of a trip is the highway 100 to hidden lake, trip miles and time wise? I am looking at buying a 2 person inflatable kayak/canoe due to budget restrictions and the light weight. How do you think something like this will fare on a river like the Harpeth?
Does anybody know anything about the caney fork river? My email address is [e-mail] please help me out here on the forum or in an email. Thanks!

[tallfeather]

Aaron- Welcome to the site. I haven't done any paddling on the Harpeth so I can't speak to the conditions for inflatables. I would suspect there would be no problems as long as it was a quality product & reinforced on the bottom. I suspect you will drag accross some rock along the way.

Typically you can figure a paddle trip at about 2 - 2.5mph depending on the current and how much you paddle. I just finished almost 120 miles on the Buffalo and 2.5mph was on the nose for the biggest part of it.

Its great that you're getting your wife involved. If my canoe had air conditioning, mosquito net and fluffo mattress I might sway my own...lol.