CP
chad phillips
Jun 15, 2005
Great run with more water
| Difficulty | I(II) |
| Length | 7.9 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Reach Info Last Updated | June 8, 2004 |
This is a Metro Nashville/Brentwood run and has lots of access points. I have described the sections between bridge crossings. This is my back yard run, so I am on it about 15 times a year.
There is a good Class II park & play at 'Warner Rapid' inside Edwin Warner Park see description below.
Old Hickory Blvd runs the entire length of the run on river right & each of these access points are crossroads.
1.) Granny White Pike to Wildwood Valley Dr. - 2.0 miles - Class I with a I+. There is at least 1 riverwide strainer in this section. No parking at Granny White Pike so get dropped off.
2.) Wildwood Valley Drive to Hillsboro Pike(Hwy431) - 0.5 miles with an ok I+ surfing wave. There is ok parking at Wildwood Valley Rd. but you will be in a residential neighborhood. There is excellent access/parking at the Old Ante Bellum Church on Hillsboro Pike. The church patrons are very nice and will let you park there.
3.) Hillsboro Pike to Vaughn Rd.- 2.5 miles - Class I with one 200 yd Class II section where powerlines cross the river. There are small play waves and a couple of ledges where you can side surf. At flood stage this 2nd ledge creates one of the best waves in Nashville and pushes up to II+. The wave keeps you in it and you can do spins all day. No eddies, so you sometimes have to drag back up. There are a few other small shoals before Vaughn Rd.
Note: about 1 mile before Vaughn Rd. Edwin Warner Park will be on river right and will continue for the next 2.5 miles, and allows for multiple access points. Rangers allow boaters even at flood stage.
4.) Vaughn Rd. to Hwy 100 on Big Harpeth River - 2.0 miles - Class I with one very solid Class II called 'Warner Rapid'. At flood this will push up to Class III. This is the best rapid I have found in Metro Nashville. This rapid is the park and play. It can be accessed by turning right into Edwin Warner Park from Vaughn Rd and driving all the way back to the end of the Park.
...Jul 14, 2026
WOOD/STRAINERS/LOGJAMS...I ran this in a C1 on Sunday, 07/12/26, from Hillsboro Pike to confluence with the Big Harpeth and on to Old Harding Pike. The Nashville Ice Storm of January 2026, put an absurd amount of fallen tress into the river. I went over, around, and through 15 river wide log jams or fallen trees. Over the next few years, these will break up and reform every time its floods. Wood is going to be a hazard on this run for years to come.
The run was still fun. The slide rapid at the confluence with the Big Harpeth was in. It is normally washed out due to a flooded Big Harpeth. I've only paddled the confluence slide rapid 2 x out of 100+ runs. The Big Harpeth cuts deeper into the earth than the Little Harpeth does, so the Little Harpeth has to catch up through a rock slab slide rapid that drops 3-4 feet. It creates a fantastic surfing wave.
Mar 19, 2012
As of 11/7/2009, the river in Edwin Warner Park is free of strainers all the way to the Harpeth. It hadn't rained for 5 days, but there was still enough water to make it through without getting out of the boat. When the water level is barely enough to paddle, your best surfing wave is at the confluence.
Also, a greenway on river right now connects the picnic shelters to Hwy 100. This makes it easy to set up a bike shuttle if you are only using one car. You will need to bike across the bridge and then walk through a field to access the greenway.