Henry Horton State Park Inner Hickory Ridge Loop

How far would you travel to hike the hike?

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Henry Horton State Park

Inner Hickory Ridge Loop

Marshall County, TN

Why Go:                                                                            

·         45 Minute drive from Nashville

·         Trails are Blazed and easy to follow

·         Hike along the Duck River

·         Restaurant/Bar located in the park

Disappointments:

·         Highway traffic noise can be heard along most of the trails in the park.

Caution:

·         This park is popular with RVers and the park can become a bit crowded. Early spring and late fall is the best time to visit.

Commentary:

            Henry Horton State Park has over 9 miles of trails and is on 1,535 acres. It is one of Tennessee’s most popular parks. It’s an easy drive from Nashville (south on I-65) and the park has lots of amenities. There is a golf course, trap/skeet shooting range, pool, playgrounds, cabins, Inn, conference center, restaurant and camping. Throughout the year the park staff provides information programs on both nature and historical topics.  The Duck River, which runs through the park is one of Tennessee’s scenic waterways and there are local paddle outfitters that rent equipment outside of the park.  This would be great weekend destination for those that would like to leave the city behind for a few days.

        

Sinkhole along Trail

    The Inner Hickory Ridge Loop hike starts in the campground area by the camp store and then skirts past the Group Camping site. The trail is blazed orange and there is both an inner and outer loop. The fork for the outer loop will be marked with a double orange blaze and will extend the hike for another 1.25 miles. There are three distinct ecosystems that the hike passes through. The first being the Limestone Sinkholes, sometimes referred to as karsts, which result in impressive indentations in the ground. A hiker will then walk through one of the few endangered ecosystems called Cedar Glades that are found in middle Tennessee. These Cedar Glades are barren, and desert like in appearance with a very thin layer of top soil that supports Prickly Pear Cactus. Throughout most of the hike and the last of the ecosystems that can be experienced is the Old Hickory Forest. This includes the hardwood trees of both Hickory and Oaks. These trees provide great shade when hiking during the hot summers of Middle TN.

Old Hickory Forest

            When going to or from the park by way of I-65 there is a great bakery along the way that serves both breakfast and lunch. It is called Marcy Jo’s. I would recommend stopping here for a meal or a snack. The cinnamon rolls are great, and my husband really enjoyed the Butterfinger Cake.  

                                                                                                                                                                                

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”

-John Muir

Cool looking sinkhole