Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park

Location: Camden, TN

Hike Rating: 5 Miles / Moderate - steep descents & climbs

References:   60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Nashville - Johnny Molloy

Trail Notes: January 11, 2004

   On a pleasant January day, we hiked the winter-barren trail of Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park. The trail starts at the historical center and follows a ridgeline alongside the Tennessee River. It takes a steep drop into a watershed with several creeks that intertwine their way into the river. The trail runs around the perimeter of the bottomland, passing junctions for shorter trails. Near the river, the trail starts up to the ridgeline once more. The climb is 200 yards or so, and very steep. At the top is a trail shelter built by boy scouts - a good rest stop. The trail again runs along the ridgeline back to the historical center.
   The first thing we noticed was the bright green mosses in the center of the trail.  We first thought the trail must be to either the left or right of our path; but no, the moss grows on the footpath.  All of the trees were barren; the forest floor was blanketed in crunchy brown and grey leaves.  This made it hard to see the trail at times. The trail walks along a ridge line with the Tennessee River to your right. The trail descends to wind along the river bottom land over creek beds. There were sparse trail blazes on the first half of the hike. And to make it really interesting, several trees had fallen across the pathway. We climbed a steep grade ( I believe still on the trail) to the top of the hills, again overlooking the river. It was up there that we saw a newly renovated shelter for camping. From this point onward, the blazes were more visible. The trail follows the wooded hill tops back to the visitor center.
     Despite the missing blazes and fallen tree hazards, the beautiful day (sunny, 50's) and the quiet scenery made for a pleasant walk in the woods.