In the northwest corner of largely urbanized Davidson County sits acres of now-protected natural land known as Beaman Park, not only a sanctuary for nearby Nashville city dwellers to enjoy, but now a draw for hikers around the region to visit and view the steep ridgelines, valleys and creeks of the area terrain.

Designated as a Tennessee State natural area in 2013, the 1,600-plus-acre site has become a popular spot for walks and outdoor exercise time with children and dogs. Beaman Park contains over 15 miles of hiking trails.

Get a taste of the wilderness; only 15 miles away from downtown Nashville’s bustling Broadway, Beaman Park offers a remote sense of spacious, serene solitude that feels like a world away from the big city. Those needing a break from an urban setting, if only for a few hours, can trade the traffic and honky-tonks for trees and creeks.

Start a journey from the Beaman Park Nature Center, a small museum, activity center and meeting place that promotes and exhibits Western Highland Rim native flora and fauna.

Staff at the Nature Center described the trails and terrain to a group of visitors as a fire burned in the fireplace on a cool afternoon. The center also has a microscope available where folks can view snake skins and other various bits of the forest—acorns, snail shells, nuts, leaf samples and such—up close.

Outside of the Nature Center, visitors find a small boardwalk and a pollinator garden, while a nearby trailhead connects to the rest of the park, via the Sedge Hill Trail. This trail travels 0.6 of a mile, mostly downhill, to a creek, where a large bridge crosses the water and connects to the popular Henry Hollow Loop Trail.

If hikers wish, they can soon embark upon the 12-mile monster of a trail known as the Laurel Woods Loop (or, those up for a 6-mile journey could, via a connector, take on approximately half of that trail). The Henry Hollow Loop, though, at exactly 2 miles, is about right for many walkers, itself containing some elevation change and scenery.

From the aforementioned bridge where Sedge Hill connects to the Henry Hollow Loop, taking the loop to the right follows Henry Creek for a piece before turning uphill, passing the Creekside Parking area, continuing along the ridge at a higher elevation, passing near another parking area called Highland, and eventually heading back down the hill to the beginning of the loop and the creek.

Motorists may access the Creekside and Highland trailheads and parking lots via Little Marrowbone Road, and can enjoy easy creek access from here, while the Nature Center parking area sits on Old Hickory Boulevard.

“The initial stretch of Henry Hollow Loop runs roughly parallel to Henry Creek, a scenic, quiet creek with patches of wildflowers sprouting from its banks during my visit in late spring,” an area outdoor enthusiast posted on her blog, emilytakesahike.com, following a trip to the trail originating from the Creekside lot and traveling in a clockwise direction.

The 2-mile loop presents a good balance of level terrain, elevation gain ascending the hillside, and portions traveling back downhill.

Although the climbs uphill can be taxing, many visitors say the park is quite kid-friendly, as—at least on the Henry Hollow Loop and Sedge Hill Trail—it doesn’t appear to contain many significant, steep cliffsides directly near the trail, as many hiking trails do.

The topography of Beaman Park “consists of ridges and hollows supporting forest vegetation that is characteristic of the Western Highland Rim. The prominent geologic substrate is limestone, shale and siltstones,” according to information from the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation. “Outcroppings of shale and siltstones create patches of post oak woodlands with native perennial grasses in the herbaceous layer; these hillside ‘barrens’ are considered to be a rare plant community type. They host a variety of interesting herbaceous plants, including the formerly federally threatened Eggert’s sunflower. These distinctive woodland zones have open canopies and often occur on mid-to-upper slopes, usually south- or southwest-facing, exposing the barrens to the drying effects of the afternoon sun.”

The area also hosts a population of shortleaf pine, an uncommon tree in Middle Tennessee.

Visit Beaman Park and take in the towering ridgelines and expansive oak forests of northern Davidson County. It gets dark early down in those valleys in the winter months, so plan a trip accordingly.

The longer Laurel Trail offers a full day of adventure for seasoned hikers; alternatively, a day at Beaman Park can simply consist of a quick splash in the creek for youngsters.

Beaman Park is open every day, dawn to dusk.

Beaman Park Nature Center
5911 Old Hickory Blvd., Ashland City, TN
Tues.–Fri.: 12–4 p.m.; Sat.: 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
615-862-8580

Beaman Park Creekside Trailhead
4111 Little Marrowbone Rd., Joelton, TN