Narrows of the Harpeth: Montgomery Bell's Tunnel

This spot is a little swimming hole at the Narrows of the Harpeth. The Narrows is a high, narrow bluff surrounded by a loop of the Harpeth River. When you climb to the top of the bluff you can see the river on both your left and right hand sides. I'll do a post on the bluff hike another time.

However, back in 1818, Mongomery Bell had a tunnel cut through the bluff down near the base from one side of the river to the next as a function of his iron-manufacturing operation known as Pattison Forge. Water pours through this tunnel out of the bluff and into the swimming hole. The tunnel, at almost 200 years old, is falling down in parts. It is not recommended that you walk into it, but you can climb up and get into the entrance of it easily enough. You can also shimmy across underneath the entrance and sit in the falls that it creates. Very nice on a hot day.

The hole itself is okay as far as swimming goes. It's rather medium sized and when we were there in late summer the water was heavily stained. It can feel a little crowded when other people are there and it's a state park property so it's well known. At its deepest there it was probably over my head but I didn't want to give it a try because of the lack of visibility. I would highly recommend water shoes as there was trash, including glass, in places.

Please, always take your trash out!

Alcohol is prohibited but it's far enough back where rangers don't visit often. However, you have to park where they come by frequently, so be discreet.

To access the hole:

From Nashville:

Travel on I-40 W/Memphis
Exit 196 for US-70S toward Bellevue/Newsom Station
Turn right onto US-70S
Turn left onto TN-1 W/US-70 W/Charlotte Pike

Continue to follow TN-1 W/US-70W

Turn right onto Cedar Hill Rd

Slight left onto Narrows of the Harpeth Rd.

This will put you in the parking lot of the park. Once you've parked walk back down the road the way you came. You'll see the trail-head on your left. Shortly before you come to it, there's a little tiny cave in the cliff wall, fyi.


Follow the trail downward, more to your right. You'll begin to see the river on your right. The hike is easy and takes between 5-10 minutes to reach the hole. It's not always cut through cleanly and has a muddy spot or two, so watch your step.


Below are some additional resources on the spot.
 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpeth_River_State_Park

http://www.cloudhiking.com/trails/narrowsHarpeth.php

http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/places/harpeth_river

http://tn.gov/environment/parks/HarpethRiver/

		TIPS: Watch out for - snakes (always), glass, stinging nettles, poison ivy and oak Water shoes recommended Distance from Nashville: 26 mi/ @40 min Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Website Resource

Most of what I've used in the past to find swimming holes has either been from word of mouth or from this website:

http://www.swimmingholes.org/tn.html

I figured it's as good a place as any to start.

I'll reference this page anytime I am talking about a place included here.

Why?

Why am I writing this blog?

Every summer my friends and I try to find new swimming holes. We have a few favorites that we go to regularly, but it's always nice to find somewhere new. Problem is, there aren't a lot of resources for finding good swimming spots and more importantly for finding information regarding legality, accessibility, how busy, flora/fauna and all the other things you want to know before driving a couple hours to find a place.

So, I thought I would start by sharing what I've found, both in real life and on the internet, and hopefully starting a dialog where you can let me know what you've found.

I'm also interested in good hiking spots where there's a nice view to picnic.

I live in Nashville, and I am primarily interested in places that can be reached within 2 hours drive. However, if there's a particular gem farther away, I'd love to hear about it as well.