Hiking Trails in Middle Tennessee
Hike-A-Thon 2024 is the entire month of April and supports TennGreen Land Conservancy. And we at Living True Home Group have formed our own team!
As women, moms, small-business owners and friends, we put great value in honoring yourself, being true and striking a balance in work and life. Nature plays a big part in that for us. Through our participation in the Hike-A-thon we hope to raise awareness for all the amazing trails in Tennessee, share our outdoor shenanigans with clients and friends, while also raising money to help keep them accessible to everyone. Check out our Hike-A-Thon team page and donate towards our team goal or join our team or both!
In addition to raising awareness, we’ll be hitting the trails in April - both individually and as a team. Stay tuned for a planned group hike on our Events page!
But you don’t need to wait for us to get out and enjoy all the trails Tennessee has to offer around Nashville, Whether you have an entire day to spare or just a few hours there are plenty of hiking trails to choose from. Here are some of my favorite areas in Middle Tennessee - broken down by how far they are from Nashville. 🗺️
Hiking ~2 hours from Nashville
Fall Creek Falls State Park (Pikeville, TN)
One of Tennessee’s largest and most visited state parks, Fall Creek Falls features cascades, gorges, waterfalls, streams and forests. It’s namesake, Fall Creek Falls, is one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States at 256 feet. There are more than 56 miles of trails to explore, some shorter day hikes to the base of Fall Creek Falls and it’s overlook, and some longer distance, overnight trails.
Fiery Gizzard Trail (Tracy City, TN)
This trail in South Cumberland State Park is a 90 minute drive from Nashville and is a more strenuous, 13-mile long trail system that passes by several waterfalls. From Tracy City, you can just do the 2-mile Grundy Forest loop and see two waterfalls - Hanes Hole Falls and Blue Hole Falls. Or travel further and see even more!
Savage Gulf State Park (Beersheba Springs, TN)
If you’re in the area of Fiery Gizzard, you might as well make a trek to Savage Gulf - one of Tennessee’s newest state parks with nearly 19,000-acre and approximately 60 miles of hiking to remarkable vistas, waterfalls, and historical locations. It’s also home to the Great Stone Door, an impressive cliff line overlooking the Savage Gulf.
Hiking ~1 hour from Nashville
Window Cliffs (Baxter, TN)
A hidden gem I found about an hour and 15 minutes outside Nashville. Clocking in at just over 5 miles round-trip, this is an out and back trail that you’ll want to make it through to the end for the view. Also, there are 9 water crossings, so be prepared with water shoes or to get your feet wet - there is no going around. So if you’re up for an adventure that includes water crossings, a waterfall AND a view atop rocks, check this one out.
(Window Cliffs is also near Burgess Falls State Park, if you wanted to tack that one onto this trip as well!)Winding Stairs (Lafayette, TN)
As you’re driving through the field to get to Winding Stairs, it doesn’t look like there could be much of anything. But the terrain changes dramatically to include a small canyon with rock formations and cascading waterfalls. Clocking in at just over an hour drive from Nashville, you’ll find up to 5 miles of hiking trails at Winding Stairs with a variety of options - take the winding stairs down into the basin and play in the water, hike around the rim to see some pretty views, ascend the rather steep Jacob’s Ladder.
Old Stone Fort (Manchester, TN)
If you’re looking for a chill hike through the forest with rich history and some water features, Old Stone Fort is the place. The main hiking trail follows the “wall” of Old Stone Fort which was used by the Native Americans as a ceremonial gathering place some 1,500 - 2,000 years ago. Situated between the Big Duck and Little Duck rivers, there are a variety of cascading waterfalls along the trail. And at just an hour southeast of Nashville and not far off I-24, it’s easy to get to.
Hiking within 30 minutes of downtown Nashville
Beaman Park
A beautiful park that is part of the Metro Nashville Parks system and located close to Joelton. Beaman Park offers Beaman Park offers 3 hiking trails with 14.6 miles of trail and 3 trailheads.
Radnor Lake State Park
A 1,368-acre park that is located just south of downtown and within city limits, Radnor Lake is part of the Tennessee State Park system. It features nearly 8 miles of hiking trails that are centralized around a large lake. The Ganier Ridge Trail is the most popular, but an equally challenging alternative and less trafficked option is the South Cove Trail.
Edwin and Percy Warner Parks
The Warner Parks are one of the largest municipally administered parks in Tennessee and together span more than 3,100 acres of forest and fields, located just 9 miles from downtown Nashville. Favorite hiking trails are Mossy Ridge trail, Warner Woods trail and Harpeth Woods trail.
You can find even more suggested hiking trails on my AllTrails list.