CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Clarksville-Montgomery County is home to several creeks and rivers prime for canoeing, kayaking and tubing.
Scott Sharitt, who operates a local Facebook group for kayaking, said water recreation is extremely popular in Clarksville thanks to the large numbers of nearby waterways.
“People want outdoor recreation activities. Clarksville is a younger city, and younger people tend to look for recreation activities that are more active,” Sharitt told Clarksville Now. “Kayaking is popular because it doesn’t cost a lot of money, it doesn’t require any registration, and they’re easy to store.”
Clarksville has multiple public access points to the Red and Cumberland Rivers and to Big West Fork Creek, though visitors will need to plan ahead to get the most out of their trip.
Big West Fork Creek
The Blueway is a roughly 2-mile section of Big West Fork Creek (a tributary of the Red River) running from Robert Clark Park (at the corner of Tiny Town Road and Broadripple Drive) to Billy Dunlop Park (on Trenton Road next to the Clarksville Speedway). Both parks allow parking from dawn till dusk.
Sharitt said visitors will want to put in at Robert Clark and take out at Billy Dunlop. The trip between the two parks is short, about 2 hours in an inner tube or 45 minutes in a kayak.
Experienced boaters can keep going, but the creek past Billy Dunlop can be difficult to travel, and the next access point is 10-12 hours away at Trice Landing park.
“It seems like there’s a rescue out there every couple weeks or so,” said Bradley Perry, another local kayaker. “There’s a lot of people that maybe get a little intoxicated or just want to keep floating and don’t pay attention, but once you go too far, there isn’t much coming back.”
Ja Phillips, who regularly visits the Blueway for kayaking and tubing, told Clarksville Now that visitors should plan to have a ride waiting for them at Billy Dunlop, though he wishes there were a shuttle service between the two locations.
Red River
The Red River has launch points north of Montgomery County in Robertson County via a TWRA boat ramp on Old State Road 11. There is a gravel parking lot next to the ramp that is open for public use, and Red River Canoe offers additional parking, along with use of their facilities, for $10.
Run A Muck and Red River Canoe both offer canoe/kayak rentals and shuttle services for this stretch of the Red River, with the most common exit point being Port Royal Historic State Park in Montgomery County.
There’s a limited number of all-day public parking spaces at Port Royal, but recently imposed three-hour time limits on a nearby, larger lot have made parking tricky.
The trip from the boat ramp to Port Royal is roughly 7.6 miles and takes about 4-5 hours of float time to travel.
The waterway forks at the Port Royal access point. Visitors can continue down the Red River; however, there are no new exit points for nearly 25 miles, making it an all-day trip. Visitors can also travel down Sulphur Fork Creek, but the waterway is blocked by a dam only a few miles upstream.
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is open for canoes and kayaks, with public ramps at the Liberty Park Marina, at McGregor Park and at Trice Landing.
Perry said kayaking on the Cumberland River is safe, though visitors will want to stay close to the banks and keep an eye out for boaters, which can cause trouble for smaller watercraft. This can especially be an issue in the area of Trice Landing.
“When people are throwing big wakes and you’re in a tiny boat, if you’re not experienced, you can have bad things happen,” Perry said.
It’s always important to wear a life jacket, but it’s especially important on the Cumberland River, with much deeper water, a faster current and more boating hazards.
Those wanting to travel the Cumberland River can rent canoes from Hardware City on Riverside Drive.
Having a safe trip
When taking on trip on the waterways, it’s important to plan ahead. Make sure you and your group have enough time to reach your destination, plan stops along the way, and make sure to have a ride waiting for you at you take-out point.
Perry said he encourages first-timers to not go out alone, and to bring along a life jacket. Some segments of the Red River can be fast-moving and difficult to navigate. It isn’t uncommon for kayakers and tubers to get stuck and require assistance.
While canoeing, kayaking or tubing make sure you have a way to remove any trash you might bring with you. Garbage can be swept away by currents and accumulate, causing damage to waterways and the wildlife there. Perry also added that visitors should avoid bringing glass bottles, as broken glass can be dangerous for other visitors.
“Make sure to pack in and pack out. We need to keep our waterways clean,” Perry said.
MORE: Port Royal State Park’s new three-hour parking rule has kayakers crying foul