Get The Gear!: Biking Journal: Stones River Greenway

Details

Date: March 17, 2012
City: Nashville, TN
Route: Heartland Park Trailhead to Priest Dam Trailhead
Rating: 3 out of 5 (Urban Location)

Our Experience

We took our bikes out for the first spin of the year on the Stones River Greenway. There have definitely been some days that were warm enough to bike, we just hadn't had the time yet. All day it threatened rain, and we had a bit of rain land on us, but for the most part we stayed dry. The Stones River Greenway, at least the section we rode on, mixes amazing, hilly trails, cow pastures and scenic with garbage dumps and construction sites. We loved the chance to get out and bike in Nashville, a city we find to be less than bike friendly.

This was definitely a varied trip, and we likely won't be back to bike the same stretch of trail again. Some of our favorite parts were the beginning stretch that took us right next to a herd of cows. The next stretch took us up and down hills and then along a river. After crossing the river, that's when things got weird. First we smelled it, and then we saw it, a garbage dump, right across the river. You could see the water change color downstream from the dump, and the smell was terrible. However, soon after, we saw a beaver, right next to the trail, just chewing away. He didn't seem startled by our prescience, but we didn't have our cameras at the ready to take a picture. Finally, we made it to the dam, which unfortunately, didn't seem to provide us with easy access to the top of it to see the lake. After a loop around the parking lot, we headed back, where Jessy nearly ran over a squirrel who didn't seem to comprehend what a bike could do to it.