Hidden Lake at Harpeth River State Park
Hidden Lake is an old rock quarry, turned state park and hiking trail, with an interesting past.
Hidden Lake from Above
Located in Bellevue and less than 20 minutes from downtown Nashville sits a historic nature site. Hidden Lake is an old rock quarry, turned state park and hiking trail, with an interesting past. The place truly lives up to its name as it’s one of the least traveled parks that I’ve seen around Nashville.
From 1895 to 1910 this location was an active limestone quarry which created a deep lake. During prohibition of the 1920s there is hearsay of moonshine operations and sales taking place here.
In the 1930’s, Ben Cunliff and his wife Lillian, decided to turn the location into a “Pleasure Resort”. They pumped the water from the old quarry and lined the bottom with concrete. They hauled in trucks of white sand and built waterslides. The resort opened in 1931, complete with a beach, water wheel, slide, and a clubhouse with dining and dance hall.
Striking to think about now, this lake brought in a large crowd of men and women during the 1930s. Off of the lodge an outdoor dance floor overlooking the lake hosted “Dances Under the Stars”. Students from Vanderbilt worked at the swimming hole which was advertised to be as clean as drinking water. It had 50 acres for picnics and also sold beer, soft drinks, and pit barbeque.
Today, nature has taken over the location, but remnants of the previous buildings remain around the park. The lake is now part of the Harpeth River State Park and contains a 1.9 mile loop trail around the lake. The park is located a few miles off of the McCrory exit on I-40W at the corner of McCrory and Charlotte Pike. Upon arrival to the park there is a gravel parking lot where the trailhead originates.
The trail starts off with an open field that leads towards the woods. Keeping to the left a path will lead down to the adjacent Harpeth River. Taking the Ridge Loop Trail you can head right to the waters edge where the old beach used to be located. Continuing on, the trail will take you up the steep ridge cliffs that surround the lake and provide beautiful views from above. The lake is located less than 150 feet from the Harpeth River at one point and the trail winds between the two.
The Bluebird Trail is another branch of the trail that goes around the other side of the field on the way back to the parking lot.
Hidden Lake is a great place to visit to explore nature and immerse yourself in history from a simpler time years ago. Let me know what you thought of Hidden Lake in the comments below!
