Long Hunter State Park — Attraction in Nashville-Davidson

It's a beautiful place but be CAREFUL. The Deer Trail (August) was infested with seed ticks and chiggers from simply walking on the trail. We barely stopped for more than a minute or two to observe something. My friend and I ended up with around 8 seed ticks (the tiny ones you can barely see) on us each, along with about 10 chigger bites each that surfaced a few days later. Her dog was with us and after immediately taking a bath after the walk to remove the seed ticks, they found several...thought that it was all over. Then took her dog to the groomer today and found over 300 seed ticks embedded into her poor dog! The office was very nice to pass the info along but I do not know if Long Hunter actually does anything to groom the trails - we walked through some tall reeds overhanging the trail at waist length (beautiful reeds) but we were cautious and turned back b/c we didn't want to get anything, but unfortunately we already had. : ( My husband and a friend got chigger bites a few years back from being at Long Hunter; they both still have scars on their ankles. B/c there are cedar trees, the seed ticks are more prevalent. Wear protective gear and spray yourself! Take baths and don't bring pets... I would personally stick to the trails that are more trafficked like the one closer to the lake that pets aren't allowed at, tho I'm not sure...

Visiting family in the Nashville area got us venturing out to offer some exercise for our two traveling companions. Long Hunter State Park was established in 1974 and the 2,600 acres is divided into four sections; Couchville, Baker’s Grove, Bryant Grove and Sellars Farm. The park is named after the “long hunters” of the 1760s who spent extended stays in the wilderness from 6 to 18 months trapping for animal furs. This large expanse of land offers a variety of recreational activities. With over 30 miles of hiking trails one can take a leisurely stroll in the woods or spend a day being more adventurous. Two boat ramps offer fishing, canoeing and boating on Percy Priest Lake. We entered the park through the Couchville Lake Area and being the end of the year found some trails and the boat rental closed. It was hard to grasp the full experience of the park with everything dormant, but did enjoy the 2 mile loop around the lake on the paved Couchville Lake Trailhead. Plenty of parking and both the visitor center and bathrooms were open. Our experience was brief but rewarding just being able to quiet one’s mind, breathing in fresh air and feeling the warmth of the sun stopping frequently for the pups to smell and explore on their leashes (which is required in the park.) And being Tennessee State Parks are all free is...

As a Wilson County resident, I frequent Longhunter Park. Generally speaking I really enjoy it. My primary purpose for going there is to walk trails with my dog. In the actual park area (where the visitor center is located), I really like the Bluff Trail for the view, and the limestone in the winter when the lake level is low. Those are fun to navigate. I also take the Mile Loop accessible from the same parking lot, and it is an easy hike through pretty forest. The Day Loop at Bakers Grove is a 4 mile hike that is somewhat strenuous but provides beautiful scenery.

The reason I give this park three stars and not 4 or 5 is due to the fact that you cannot take dogs on the paved Couchville Lake loop. I understand this is the rule, and I respect and abide by it. But it doesn't seem to make sense to me. I have recently visited several other nearby state parks that DO allow dogs on all trails, even those that are paved (Bledsoe Creek), and I would like to understand why they aren't allowed at Longhunter.

Beyond that, the park and trails are well maintained, and I enjoy going there with my...