Narrows of the Harpeth Tunnel — Attraction in White Bluff

The trail leading to the Montgomery Bell Tunnel is located in Harpeth River State Park in Cheatham and Davidson counties, approximately 30 minutes west of Nashville and is included as a National Historic Landmark.

The Montgomery Bell Tunnel is located in an area known as the Narrows of the Harpeth, where two parts of the Harpeth river get quite close after a lengthy oxbow. The tunnel runs through this section, roughly north-south and is approximately 290 feet long strait through limestone rock!

Montgomery Bell was an entrepreneur from Pennsylvania who was involved in iron foundries and purchased the land along the Harpeth in 1818. To apply water power to the process of producing wrought iron, he decided to have a tunnel constructed for water to flow through to generate power. The tunnel was the first known example of a water diversion tunnel in the United States. The tunnel is the only part of the original iron works to survive to present day.

On reaching the parking lot, you walk a short distance along the base of the bluff (on your left) before reaching two trailheads. To the left is the Bluff Overlook Trail, steeply rising along the side and towards the top of the bluff. On the right is the trail you'll take to the Montgomery Bell Tunnel. The trail is level and easy to navigate, following along the Harpeth River.

Approximately half way to the tunnel is a tree that offers a fun photo opportunity for kids.

After the photo stop, it's only a short hike to the tunnel.

A 1/2 mile down the trail you'll find the official sign and see the tunnel on your left along with a pond of sorts and rocks at it's base. The water is murky and there is a sign letting visitors know that swimming is off limits. When we arrived there were several other visitors with dogs who loved climbing over the rocks. A few adventurous folks were observed climbing up the rock wall into the tunnel since it had been relatively dry out and there was minimal water flow though this isn't advisable.

Overall, this is one of our favorite destinations...

A beautiful place to visit. Besides the natural beauty of the area, there is the historical significance of Montgomery Bell's tunnel through the bluff that separates the harpeth from itself at a location further downstream. The tunnel is 290 feet long, and has a 16 foot drop in elevation from the upstream end to the downstream end. Built in 1819, it is the first diversion tunnel in the country. The tunnel was cut to obtain power from the river flowing through it, and powered some of his iron works. It is the only remaining part of his works in this area.

We visited narrows of the Harpeth from Nashville.  If you are looking for a quiet place with a beautiful view, this 30-minute drive outside of the city is exactly what you need. You can also visit the Hidden Lake the same day. It is also a wonderful trek in the woods. This trail was awesome. Short and sweet, has cool rock formations and a cool little history behind the lake. This honestly felt like moderate difficulty to me, though. The trails aren’t super well marked but it is still not that difficult to get around.

We went here during late fall and the time spent here was really...

Great place to see nature.Very secluded & off the beaten path.As a kid,I use to fish and swim in the river that runs parallel to the access road/parking lot.I am surprised,however,to see photos of people in the water on the lower part of the waterfall though.Why?? Ive caught alligator gar up to 3ft long in that little body of water,so beware of having exposed toes if you're considering a dip.It has been 10-15 years though,since I fished there,so maybe theyre no longer there?? Dont know if they go after humans or not,but just be aware.If you go past the railing on the upper part of the waterfall,where you enter the cave,I have seen bats and WATER MOCCASINS there,so use extreme,extreme caution there,especially with young children.I wouldn't even allow them past the railing period.Moccasins are very lethal and you'd likely not even be able to see one anyways with the darkness and color of the rocks inside the cave,which is great camouflage for a moccasin.Not trying to frighten anyone away from visiting this interesting lil spot,just use caution please and...