Bowie Nature Park is one of Middle Tennessee’s best kept nature secrets. Evangeline Bowie bought the 722 acre tract in the 1950’s when about 30 tons of topsoil was washing away every year. She had terraces and 6 lakes built and planted 500,000 Loblolly Pine Trees to help stop the erosion. Prior to her death in 1992, she deeded the property to the City Of Fairview to be built into a nature park. And build it they did. The park has a nature center, outdoor classroom, and 17 miles of trails. Most of the trails are shared by hikers, horseback riders, and mountain bikers. The trail etiquette is well displayed at the restroom kiosk.
Distance: 5.1 miles round trip
Time: 2.5 hours, with 30 minutes of rest
Elevation change: approximately 184 feet total climb
Trail
type: dirt, some rock, muddy but not uncomfortable to hike
Temperature: mid 30s, cold and sunny. No ice crystals in my water bottle
Significant
features: Forest, lake views at beginning and end, wildlife, and one dead raccoon.
Aptly named, the trail runs in the forest very close to the park boundary. There are some roads and homes to be seen. The trail clearing is about 15 feet wide with the worn part being about 3 feet wide. The trail is not well blazed, but the trail itself is usually very clear. I lost it once near a bridge. It was covered with snow for much of my hike. It was in exceptional shape for a horse trail (none of that ankle deep mud I usually find). Kudos to the City of Fairview and/or volunteers who maintain the trails! Horseback riders and mountain bikers must be prepared to pay a $2 trail access fee.
The trail starts under TVA power lines (can’t seem to get away from those) and parallels them for about 3/4 mile (some at the beginning and some at the end). I apparently disturbed 4 deer from grazing. Then I stepped into the forest for about 3 miles. There is one stream crossing without a bridge (I should have brought my gaiters), but I managed just fine with my boots. I saw a lot of ice in standing water and some near the creek banks. The icicles hanging on to the rock face near the creek were spectacular. I ran across a dead raccoon in the trail. Only saw 2 groups out today (I guess everybody else wanted to stay dry and warm). I finished my hike with a short walk around Lake Van and back to the Jeep. The ducks and geese are hanging out in the lake and generally very active.
Today, the trails were closed to mountain bikers and horses due to the wet weather. You can call ahead to see if they are open or not.
Sorry I don’t have any photos for you this trip as my new camera will be arriving tomorrow. But you can download a file for Google Earth that will let you fly over my trek HERE
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