Nashville Offroading Guide

So you just purchased your new truck, SUV or Jeep and want to find a place to get a little mud on the tires. Nashville and Middle Tennessee is a great place to take your vehicle offroading but you have to know where to look. We want to help you find all of the great spots to take your truck offroading and get your truck as dirty as you please.


Before you go:

As with anything you want to make sure you are prepared before you get going on your offroading trip and of course where you are going will depend on your needs. If you plan to go it alone out in the wilderness (with one vehicle) you will want to make sure you at least have a winch on your vehicle. You will also want to make sure you are prepared our checklist below is a great starting place.

Offroading Checklist:

Check the Basics: You want to make sure everything is up to snuff and if you have a new vehicle it will be less likely that these might be an issue. If you have a used truck it is good, but in general you will want to make sure all of these items are checked.

  • Fluids
    • Coolant
    • Oil
    • Washer Fluid
    • Power Steering
  • Tires: Check the spare and condition of all of your tires. Make sure they are at the correct PSI and take note of your tread levels

Check the Suspension: Especially on used vehicles you will want to ensure all of your ball joints, tie rods and wheel bearings are in good shape. You can do this by rocking the vehicle to ensure there isn't any excess movement or by jacking the truck up for a more detailed inspection. Be sure to check the shocks for signs of leakage or wear.

Check the Weather: Be sure to check the weather along the route to your destination and be sure to bring appropriate clothing. Rain jackets, hats, sunglasses, warm jackets, etc. It is also a great idea to bring an extra set of clothes in case you get wet or extremely dirty.

Things to bring offroading:

Below is a list of things you will want to make sure you bring along with you on most offroading excursions.

  • Phones, chargers and/or extra batteries (be sure it has GPS as well, this will come in handy)
  • Toilet Paper
  • Towels
  • Tools for your vehicle
  • Food and Water
  • First Aid Kit
  • Jumper Cables
  • Recovery Straps and Come-Alongs
  • Jack with a small piece of wood incase you need to jack up the 4x4 in mud
  • Flashlight
  • Lights and markers

For a longer, more in depth checklist, head on over to our friends at offroaders.com to get more information.

Where to Offroad in and around Nashville:

Now that you are fully prepared to take your trip, the biggest question is... Where do we go?

Natchez Trace State Park:

About an hour and a half west of Nashville is Natchez Trace State Park. Here you will find hiking trails, horseback riding, fishing and of course some riding trails. According to tnstateparks.com, there are 250 miles of riding trails on the south end of the park in the Natchez Trace State Forest operated by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. You can find out more information on their website here.

Golden Mountain Park in Sparta, TN:

Located just south of Cookeville is the privately owned and operated Golden Mountain Park in Sparta, TN. Here you will find self proclaimed "famous" off road trails with some pretty cool obstacles too. The have over 500 acres iwth 45+ trails with varying difficulties. They have great trails for rock climbing or just joy riding in stock vehicles as well. Check them out at http://www.goldenmountainpark.com/offroad/

Wooley's Offroad Park:

Just an hour south of Nashville is Wooly's Offroad park. Here you can find a number of trails, hills to climb and tons of offroading fun. It is a great place to take your family, bring 4 wheelers and do pretty much any kind of offroading. They'll even pull you out if you get stuck as you can see at Wooly's Offroad Facebook Page.

Offroad Trails in Sequatchie TN

Near Monteagle TN and just northeast of Chattanooga, TN there are quite a few trails. You can see quite a few trails here.

The cove is a 15 mile trail just outside of Chattanooga TN. It offers a great terrian and is a fun trip but be sure you let someone know that you are going out there because cell phone serivce is spotty at best. The trail for the most part goes along side the Little Sequatchie River, crossing over it a few times, so if it has been raining alot lately be careful or think twice about going.

Offroad Trails Outside of Knoxville:

About 3 hours west of Nashville you will find quite a bit of offroad trails east of Knoxville. One of the most popular ones is Windrock Park. Winrock park has over 72,000 acress of off road trails located in Oliver Springs, TN. They have offroad trails for almost every type of vehicle and have an awesome website with tons of information. We suggest head on over there to see for yourself at www.windrockpark.com