We are lucky here in the Nashville, Tennessee area. We are surrounded by great rivers and lakes – which translates into great opportunities to kayak and canoe – pretty much right out our backdoor.

This week was ideal on the Harpeth River. This historic river is a tributary of the mighty Cumberland River which flows through the heart of Nashville all the way to the Mississippi River.

The water level on the Harpeth this past week was ideal. We’ve had some rain in the past few days that helped to keep the water level near perfect for paddling.

After renting a canoe at Canoe Music City in Kingston Springs (there are several places on Highway 70 that offer canoe and kayak rentals, plus transportation to and from the river) we shuttled our car to the take out at Harris Street Bridge, and dropped off with the canoe at the Narrows of the Harpeth State Park put in.

Going paddling during the week is an excellent option if you can swing it. There were some people on the water, but for the most part it was a very peaceful paddle.

The Harpeth River teems with wildlife. As we paddled along in our canoe we saw huge fish swimming in the shallows, turtles sunning themselves on rocks and branches, and a duckling swam out to us and paddled along for a while!

The day was quite warm, but its almost always cooler on the water. Huge trees hang over the Harpeth offering great amounts of shade just when you need it. The paddling was easy (we had an experienced boat pilot steering), and the current was extremely helpful in moving us along.

At this level, many beach areas exist along the river. It’s great to just pull over and dig out the cooler for some cold drinks and snacks along the way. But the river has its deep parts too, which are easily spotted – just look for rope swings hanging from the trees!

There were some trees down in the water from recent storms, but nothing to impede the way downstream. I had to jump out a couple of times and help the boat over some shallow bits, but we did have three people in the boat. In a canoe the more people you have the lower you sit in the water. Had we been in kayaks, we would have glided right over those spots.

If you’re looking for a place to paddle, kayak or canoe in the Nashville or Middle Tennessee area, it doesn’t get much better than the Harpeth. Once you’re on the water, the rest of the world slips away and you enter a part of nature that has remained virtually untouched for hundreds of years. The Harpeth is a beautiful river and a treasure for locals and visitors alike.

For more information about Tennessee’s Harpeth River, please visit: Harpeth River Watershed website or the Narrows of the Harpeth State Park website.

For more places to paddle, kayak and canoe in Tennessee, see our Places to Paddle in Tennessee page.

To find other places to paddle, kayak and canoe all over the USA, go to our Places to Paddle page and click on any state, or check out nationwide kayak, canoe and paddle events and races on our Paddling Events and Races page.

If you would like us to post your favorite place to paddle, kayak or canoe or your favorite paddling event or race, please use our handy contact form to send us the details.

Well, it rained. But not as much as they said it would, so the 6th Annual Lost Loon Triathlon got off right on time at 2pm last Sunday afternoon. The race, a family-oriented event, happens every year in May at Long Hunter State Park just east of Nashville, TN.

Teams compete in three disciplines…a 9 mile bike ride, a 2 mile canoe paddle, and a 4 mile run. This year, because of the rain we’ve had in the area, the course was slick and often flooded. Only one bike wipe-out happened – and that was Race Director Willy Stern – who quickly got back on the bike and completed the race in a respectable time.

This triathlon is the only one of its type in Tennessee. For competitive athletes, it can be quite a challenge. But it’s the only triathlon around that encourages participation by kids and allows entrants to cover shorter distances, if they prefer. The Lost Loon truly has something for everybody!

Team BornToPaddle.com also made a great showing this year. Although I can’t tell you exactly what our time was – I forgot to set my watch and since this is a for-fun-only event there is no official race clock – I can say that we had a great time and came in to squeeze the loon well under 2 hours. And we absolutely kicked-butt in the canoe leg, passing several boats and plowing our way to the beach in record (for us) time.

Seventy-five teams competed (up from 60 last year). And tons of money was raised for a great cause: The Harpeth River Watershed Association. The HRWA in middle Tennessee is dedicated to preserving and restoring the ecological health of the Harpeth River and its Watershed. The HRWA is committed to re-building and maintaining the ecological balance of our watershed diversity amidst the various human uses of the landscape. You can learn more about the HRWA by visiting their web site at: http://www.harpethriver.org

The Harpeth is one of our local favorite places to paddle. We kayak the Harpeth several times a year. The great thing about the Harpeth River is that it covers so much territory, that we have a variety of put-ins and trip lengths to choose from. The sheer beauty of the Harpeth makes it an awesome paddle everytime. So we are very happy to compete in the Lost Loon Triathlon every year and help to raise money to protect our local river and ecosystem.

Team BornToPaddle would like to thank Race Director Willy Stern and his team for their hard work in putting on this event every year. We love the event, our fellow competitors are a ton of fun, the race t-shirt is awesome and the nearly unlimited amount of pizza after the race is spectacular.

If you’re looking for a great family event, that everyone can participate in and “win”, we heartily recommmend you sign up early for next year’s Lost Loon Triathlon!

Do you have a kayak, canoe and paddling event you’d like us to feature on BornToPaddle.com? If so, Click here to send us the info using our handy contact form.

Click here to visit our kayak, canoe races and events page to find the link to this website and to find many other races and events that are going on all year all over the U.S.