Stones River Greenway

Begun in 2001, this ten-mile-long, linear park connects the Shelby Bottoms Greenway and Natural Area to the 14,200-acre J. Percy Priest Lake, east of Nashville. Originating at the Cumberland Pedestrian Bridge, a 700-foot-long suspension bridge, the Stones River Greenway commences towards the lake, passing through a tunnel beneath the Briley Parkway, whose east and west entrances are vibrantly illustrated with the mural The Bridging of Two Rivers, by graffiti artists Dante Bard and Troy Duff. The curvilinear path then winds along beside the Stones River, a tributary of the Cumberland River, crossing the waterway twice via two pedestrian bridges. Also crossing the former antebellum estates of the Clover Bottom Mansion, Two Rivers Mansion, and the site of Andrew Jackson’s Clover Bottom General Store, the pathway skirts through open fields, suburban neighborhoods, and groves of deciduous trees, including hickory and poplar. Paved in asphalt for most of its course, the greenway transitions to a 1,500-foot-long wooden boardwalk that clings to the river bank southeast of Stones River Bend Park. The passage connects several recreational areas, including the Two Rivers Park and Golf Course, Heartland Park, Stones River Bend Park, and Ravenwood Park. Also connecting to the greenway are nine small trails that originate in parking areas near its course. Additionally, the one-mile-long YMCA trail diverts northwest from the greenway, just three miles from the J. Percy Priest dam. The trail terminates at a two-acre dog park, created in 2016, on the shores of the lake.