Why this park
Long Hunter State Park follows the east shore of J. Percy Priest Lake, on the east side of Nashville. The Tennessee Encyclopedia counts about thirty miles of that shoreline in the park, in Davidson and Rutherford counties.
The big lake draws the boats, but the quiet spot is little Couchville Lake. A flat, paved loop of about two miles circles it and crosses one end on a long bridge, and the trail doubles as an arboretum, with more than 40 kinds of trees labeled along the way. The park's bird list names the great blue heron among the birds to watch for there. That is what the design draws from: a heron in the shallows of Couchville Lake at sunrise, cedars and hardwoods on the far shore, and the long footbridge in the distance.
The story
The park's name reaches back to the 1760s and the first years of the 1770s, when hunters crossed the Appalachians for furs and deerskins. They often went out in companies of twelve or more, and the Tennessee Encyclopedia says one trip could keep them from home for months or even years. The long trips gave them the name.
Among the long hunters the encyclopedia ties to this country are James Smith, Kasper Mansker and Uriah Stone. Smith wrote in his journal that his party named a river for Stone in May 1767. It is still the Stones River, dammed today by J. Percy Priest Dam.
People hunted here long before them. The encyclopedia says Native Americans of the Archaic Period, which began about 10,000 years ago by its estimate, hunted and foraged on this land, and that a site here told archaeologists much about them before the reservoir covered it.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the lake. In 1958 Congress named the project for J. Percy Priest, Nashville's congressman until his death in 1956. Ground was broken in 1963, and in 1968 President Lyndon B. Johnson came to the shoreline to dedicate the new dam and reservoir. The water covered the river community of Couchville; Jennifer Watts of the Tennessee State Museum has said part of its main road still lies on the lake bottom.
The Corps acquired this ground for a park in 1968, and in 1972 the state leased 2,400 acres of it. The park opened later in the 1970s, still on land the state leases from the Corps.
Beside the park's east boundary, the 140-acre Couchville Cedar Glade State Natural Area protects cedar glades, open ground where limestone lies just under a thin layer of soil. The state's natural areas division counts its Tennessee coneflowers, purple wildflowers of the cedar glades, among the largest and finest known stands; the plant left the federal endangered list in 2011. Protection began in 1994 with a conservation group's effort to buy 43 acres, and in 1995 the state made the land a natural area.
When to go, and what to wear
Spring and fall are the easy seasons. Nearby, in Nashville, April averages a high near 73°F and a low near 49°F, and May is the wettest month, so pack a rain shell. October is the driest, with highs near 74°F and lows near 50°F. The park rates the Bryant Grove Trail moderate, so wear shoes that grip.
Summer is hot, with July highs near 91°F and lows near 71°F. For the heat, the state health department advises light, loose-fitting clothing, plenty of water and less time outdoors in the hottest part of the day. Walk the Couchville loop early, in a light, breathable tee.
Ticks live in grassy, bushy and wooded places, the health department says. It advises repellent, long sleeves and long pants, staying on the trail, and a tick check, hair and scalp included, when you come in.
Winter is the season for waterfowl. The park says up to 20 kinds can be seen on Percy Priest Lake then, among them common loons, buffleheads, hooded mergansers, grebes, gadwalls and lesser scaup. January averages a high near 49°F and a low near 30°F, so dress in layers: a long-sleeve tee, a sweatshirt, a windproof jacket and a hat. Bring binoculars.
Know before you go
- The Couchville Lake loop is paved and flat, and the park lists it as wheelchair-friendly. Along Percy Priest, the Bryant Grove Trail runs about four miles one way, and a longer trail, about five and a half miles, ends at two backcountry campsites.
- On Couchville Lake, gas motors and personal watercraft aren't allowed, and there's no ramp for private boats, but you may bring your own paddlecraft. Two public ramps launch onto Percy Priest Lake. For safety, the boat house and fishing pier are closed until further notice; in summer, canoes, kayaks and paddleboards still rent beside the closed dock.
- Swimming isn't allowed in Couchville Lake or near the boat ramps. The swimming beach is at Bryant Grove, on Percy Priest. It has no lifeguard, the park warns the lake bottom is hazardous, and you swim at your own risk.
- Radnor Lake State Park, in south Nashville, is another quiet lake nearby.
- Hours, fees, rentals and closures change, so check Long Hunter State Park's page before you go.
Sources: Tennessee Encyclopedia, "Long Hunter State Park" (Carroll Van West), "Early Exploration" (Michael Toomey) and "Archaic Period" (Jay D. Franklin); U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District, "Region recognizes J. Percy Priest project on its 50th birthday" (Leon Roberts, 2018); National Park Service, Stones River National Battlefield, "Rivers and Streams"; Mike West, "In Search of Uriah Stone," Murfreesboro Post (2009), via the Rutherford County Historical Society; Susan Harber, Daily News Journal (2017), via the Rutherford County Historical Society; Erin McCullough, "Tennessee's sunken history," WKRN (2023); Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Natural Areas, "Couchville Cedar Glade"; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, removal of the Tennessee purple coneflower from the federal list (2011); Nina Cardona, "Weekend Adventure: Hiking the arid, colorful and endangered habitat of Middle Tennessee's cedar glades," WPLN (2022); Amanda Haggard, Nashville Scene (2021, 2023); Tennessee Department of Health, news releases of April 29, June 30 and July 24, 2026; NOAA, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Nashville International Airport station; Wikipedia; Long Hunter State Park, tnstateparks.com: the park's main, hiking, boating, swimming and highlights pages and its bird list.
