Long Hunter State Park in Davidson and Rutherford counties is named after the White hunters such as Uriah Stone and Kasper Mansker who traveled to this area in the 1760s and 1770s, three decades before Tennessee became a state. Those men, however, were far from the first people to hunt in this area. Native peoples hunted and gathered food here centuries before any European colonization in what would become America. It was a time when the only White people to have likely even seen North America were the Vikings, who didn’t stick around.
The location of the modern park on the outskirts of Nashville makes its 2,600 acres of preserved nature a popular option for outdoor activities for the more than 2 million people who call the metro area home — not to mention the many who visit the city each year.
“It’s a great place for people in urban areas to get outside,” says Park Manager Bill Loewer, who has been at Long Hunter three and a half years following time spent serving at nearby Cedars of Lebanon and David Crockett state parks.
Like many parks with high visitation numbers, Loewer and his staff face a challenging balance: providing enjoyable recreation for the public while protecting natural resources. In Long Hunter, those resources include the shores of J. Percy Priest Lake, the smaller Couchville Lake, woodlands and especially the rare cedar glades ecosystem.
“The cedar glades are some of the most at-risk ecosystems with thin to no soil,” Loewer says. “They tend to get abused.”
Loewer says that he and other park staff have to artificially maintain the glades because they no longer are subject to the fires and animal grazing that naturally maintained them before people settled here and Middle Tennessee grew into the densely populated area it is now. That growth in human population and the land development that comes with that have also taken out some of the cedar glades ecosystem entirely.
The park also has to manage other resources in ways that balance nature with humanity. For instance, in a call back to its roots, on the day when Loewer was interviewed for this article, he was out directing traffic for a managed deer hunt to decrease the overpopulation of the species.
Long Hunter is divided into four sections: Couchville, Baker’s Grove, Bryant Grove and Sellars Farm State Archaeological Area in Watertown.
Sellars Grove protects a Native American mounds site that was occupied by Mississippian-era people roughly from the year 900 to 1500.
Outdoor activities
As you might expect from a park that sits on the shores of a 14,000-plus-acre lake, water recreation such as boating, swimming, skiing and fishing are popular here. There is a designated swimming beach at the Bryant Grove area, but swimming is prohibited at Couchville Lake and around the park’s two boat launch ramps to J. Percy Priest Lake.
The 110-acre Couchville Lake offers a more tranquil float, but gas motors and personal watercraft are not allowed. During the summer months, the boathouse here rents canoes, kayaks and paddleboats. Visitors can bring their own paddle craft for personal use year-round.
If you’re not a get-on-or-in-the-water type of person but still enjoy a lovely water view, a picnic on the bluffs overlooking J. Percy Priest Lake or a walk along the park’s trails might be more your speed. The 2-mile paved Couchville Lake Arboretum Trail around Couchville Lake is a great option for those with children in strollers or those who use wheelchairs. Pets on leashes are allowed, but please clean up after them.
There are a total of 12 trails located within the park’s four areas, all of them rated easy and/or moderate. While walking along them, you’ll be treated not only to those water views on some but also a wide variety of trees such as black cherry and tulip poplar; seasonal wildflowers like the vibrant purple limestone fameflower and the striking passionflower; and numerous types of woodland birds, waterfowl and butterflies at different times of the year.
The 1.5-mile-loop Sellars Farm Trail includes a kiosk that shares information about the Native village that once existed next to Spring Creek.
Mountain bikers will find 5 miles of intermediate fun along the Jones Mill Mountain Bike Trail located at the Bryant Grove area of the park. Hikers may also use this trail.
While Long Hunter doesn’t have any RV campgrounds, it does have two primitive backcountry tents-only sites that require a 6-mile hike to reach. Each has a fire ring but no running water, restrooms, showers or electricity. Reservations are required, and no hiking is allowed on the trails after dark.
One attraction available at Long Hunter that you don’t see at a lot of parks is the Alpine Tower Adventure, a 50-foot wooden tower designed to simulate the challenges of rock climbing and ropes courses. Park rangers are certified instructors for this structure. Reservations are required for the tower adventures, and there is an age requirement of at least 10 years old. A fee of $20 per person is due when you make the reservation.
Upcoming events
Even in the winter months, the Long Hunter staff provides interesting programming. On Jan. 26, they’ll be hosting the new year’s first moonlit walk in the glade. The following day a program called Warm Up for Wildflowers will prepare visitors to identify the coming spring wildflowers and where to find them in the park. You can register for these events via the park’s website. The walk has a small $3 fee per person while the wildflower program is $5.
Variety is the spice
People who become park rangers typically find it a rewarding career — for big and small reasons. For some, highlights are big moments like rescues. For others, it’s the small moments like seeing a child’s eyes light up when connecting with some aspect of nature for the first time. When asked about some of his favorite memories from his time at Long Hunter State Park, Loewer says seeing the park with a fresh snowfall is high on the list.
“Also, every day is different,” he says. “Some days, I’m doing admin work, others trail maintenance or cutting trees.”
The same can be said for visitor experiences. Whether you’re coming out for a day of lake recreation, a walk in the woods or a relaxing picnic as you listen to birdsong and watch squirrels hop through fallen leaves, Long Hunter State Park has a lot to offer.
Long Hunter State Park
For more information, visit tnstateparks.com/parks/long-hunter; follow the park’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube (links available on the website); or call the park office at 615-885-2422.
