harpeth river state park TN

[howl]

Anyone camp there? Got an opinion on camping in October with kids?

[MacGyver]

Re: harpeth river state park TN

I can't speak to that particular park, but I do know that October is a little late in the year, making for warm(ish) days and cold nights. Don't know the ages of your kids, but in any event, I would be ready to pack a lot of clothes and bedding to be ready for possible temperature extremes. Uncomfortable children can make for a very trying camping trip.

[a65hoosier]

Re: harpeth river state park TN

Howl - I also do not know anything about that park, either, but MacGyver is on point regarding the extra clothing/bedding and uncomfortable kids mean an uncomfortable trip. October, even in TN, can be a month of wild swings in daytime/nighttime temperatures. It can also be a great time of the year as the color of the leaves change, campfires feel even better, and the bugs and crowds in the campgrounds begin to disappear. I went on an October camping trip last year with kids and had a great time.

Are you staying at a campsite that has electricity? You can always bring a small ceramic heater for the tent (if you have the room inside with the necessary clearances - and put it on your side of the tent), which will help with the cooler nighttime and morning "wakeup" temps you'll probably experience. That will help keeping the little ones warmer at night without having to bring too many extra blankets, beefier sleeping bags, etc. During the day, proper layering of clothing and staying active will keep you and them warm and having fun. Layers can be peeled off or put on as the day heats up/cools off. You can give them each a couple of hand warmers to keep in their pockets to be able to keep their hands warm during the day. Kids go outside during school for recess almost the entire school year and keep warm, so you just need to make sure they have the proper clothing and activities to do (like any camping trip - warm or cold temps).

While camping, I always found fighting kid's boredom more of a challenge than fighting cold temps. lol

[mwinters]

Re: harpeth river state park TN

I actually grew up not far from that park and had a job there one summer after highschool. The campgrounds are nice and the iron ore pits are pretty neat to see when hiking. I camp every year not far from there in October pretty common to see frost on the ground in the mornings.

[Monk Industries]

Re: harpeth river state park TN

October in Tennessee is just right for camping. Beautiful colors and typically mild weather. Back when my kids were actually kids I had them out all the time. I will tell you that one March night was so cold that when we got up the next morning my son said "Daddy, I was so cold I thought I was going to die". It wasn't that bad but like MacGyver and a65hoosier said, be sure and pack plenty of bedding and extra clothes. You don't want to ruin them on camping. Fortunately even at 21 and 17 years old, mine still like to go camping.

[coolmom42]

Re: Montgomery Bell state park TN

October is generally a very nice month in middle TN. There may be nights in the 30s especially after the middle of the month.

If you are planning on canoeing, the river will normally be very low, but generally navigable.

Harpeth River SP is actually a subdivision of Montgomery Bell SP. Harpeth River consists of the put-ins along the river and a few historic sites. There are no camping spots on the river. It is day use only. All the camping is within Montgomery Bell State Park, about 10 miles west on US 70. MBSP has a large and fairly nice campground. Beware that the tent sites on the outside of the loop are very sloped, you want on the inside. There are showers and a playground nearby.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: harpeth river state park TN

Never been to that park at any time of the year but it gets reasonable reviews for different times of the year. The latest I've camped w/ kiddos in recent times is mid October and as long as you have the proper clothing for the night it should be fine. Further north we opt for sweat pants, hoodies and long sleeved PJs to make it through chilly and buggy nights. Seems most of the campsites at the park you've an interest in have electricity so that would certainly be a boon if the cold descends.

[Irate Mormon]

Re: harpeth river state park TN

There is a private campground in Hohenwald, TN on Little Swan Creek. I can't remember the name of it but I remember the owners' names. They steered me to a site right on the creek and charged only $5/night. There are sites with hookups too. They have a B&B they run, if you don't want to cook your own breakfast. I would def go back there when I'm in that neck of the woods.

Sorry for the derail NYC, but if you like wine, that's wine country.

[Jason and Ruth]

Re: harpeth river state park TN

beautiful park...we have camped there a few times , check for rain we have camped a few times in October and it has rained but still had fun

[howl]

Re: harpeth river state park TN

Thanks for the replies. I guess we'll stick to FL and GA until the little ones get a little bigger. It doesn't frost down here until late October, if that.