Hiking near Murfreesboro, Tennessee

The Valley View Loop starts just down Marshall Knob from the mystery stone wall.  I started at the south terminus of the loop (farthest from the Wilderness Station).  The first part winds through rather level forest before turning left and ascending a hill.  The trail continues until it reaches a cleared and regrown area at the top of a hill, and gets near enough to Shelbyville Pike to hear substantial road noise. ...

Murfreesboro's extensive greenway system provides a great getaway in-town for exercise, nature observation, and historical interest.  The greenways provide regular trailheads to fit any timeframe, ability, or interest.The Stones River Greenway begins at the Thompson Lane trailhead, near the Artillery Monument from the Battle of Stones River.  The northernmost portion was tornado damaged a few years ago, and this changed the nature of the trail substantially from one bordered by large trees...

The Volunteer Day Loop is part of Long Hunter State Park.  In addition to the loop, a camping area can be reached from this trail.  The trail winds through wooded areas and along the lakeshore.  It's a pleasant and rewarding hike featuring great views of Percy Priest Lake.The spur part of the trail leads from the trailhead through relatively flat terrain until it reaches the lakeshore.  From there, I took the north...

As I was hiking this trail, I kept thinking to myself that I can't wait to see the GPS track.  I don't think I've been on as convoluted a trail before--it definitely makes optimal use of the space available!The trail is easy to follow.  The path never crosses itself; it merely passes nearby (obviously within the +/- of my GPS).  Be prepared for a lot of elevation change and back-and-forth.This is really...

I tried to like this trail.  I've now done it three times, with varying degrees of success.  The first time, in May, the trail quickly became impassable due to being covered with water.  It's also subject to quite a bit of noise from nearby cars and boats.  The trail frequently has a lot of litter, both washed onto land from the Stones River and left by groups doing their drinking in the...

The trail parking is clearly-marked on the opposite side of the main park road from the trailhead.  The first part of the trail goes up a small hill before quickly branching out into the loop.  I did the northern part of the loop first, which starts out on small hills through the forest.  The very first part of the loop backs up to a subdivision and houses are visible, but these quickly...

Mike and I started out at 7am with the goal of hunting 33 geocaches along this trail. It had rained the night before so the trail was a bit muddy and we got wet in the morning. After it heated up a bit everything dried up. Got 21 of them, DNFed 10, and 2 we didn't go past on the trail.This is a fairly flat trail. Any elevation change is gradual. It...

This pleasant, short loop winds through limestone gravel areas and cedar glades.  The parking area is rather small but the trail probably won't be crowded at all.  A short out-and-back leads to the loop portion.  The loop winds around a large glade and over a few washes that will most likely be full after a good rain, but were dry when I took it.