Shelby Park Boat Ramp
Your guide to East Nashville’s Cumberland River access point! Whether you’re looking to launch a kayak, paddleboard, motorboat, or jetski, the Shelby Park Boat Ramp is one of the city’s only paved, public boat ramps, and the closest access point to Downtown Nashville.
Kayakers paddling upstream from the Shelby Park Boat Ramp
How do I get there?
Ah, the age-old question of many a CK customer. How do I find this boat ramp you speak of? The Shelby Park ramp is nestled about a mile into 300-acre Shelby Park in East Nashville. Being one of the city’s largest parks and multi-use areas, Shelby Park can prove somewhat confusing to navigate, as there are so many roads, amenities, and entrances, that it can be hard to lose your way. After coaching hundreds of visitors through the park to find us, here are a couple of tips on how to find your way.
Use Google Maps for directions
Google Maps has an accurate GPS listing of the boat ramp here. This tool can help you navigate the windy roads of Shelby Park, and find your way to the boat ramp. Make sure you’ve routed to “Shelby Park Boat Ramp,” not “Shelby Park.”
Use the Davidson Street Entrance
Shelby Park has multiple different entrances, and if you come in from Davidson St. headed East, the boat ramp will be on your right hand side after about 1 mile. Yes, go past the golf course, and all of the baseball fields!
Follow the Green Park Signs
Intersections throughout the park feature green and brown signs that highlight park amenities. Look for “Boat Ramp” on the signs to make sure you’re heading the right way.
The boat ramp is nestled in the back corner of the large Shelby Park in East Nashville. We prefer to use Google Maps to wayfind towards the boat ramp.
Parking
Before I drive out there, where can I leave my car while I’m on the water? There are multiple free parking lots nearby. Here are some of your options.
The park offers trailer parking right at the top of the boat ramp. If you’re looking at the river, the trailer parking is on your right hand side. Note: on busy weekends, this space fills up quickly. The space is meant to be reserved for those using the ramp, but can sometimes be overrun with other park-goers.
If trailer parking is full, we recommend parking in the large parking lot underneath the train bridge. You can’t miss the bridge on your left hand side, facing the river. There is a lot of room here for larger vehicles and/or trailers. It’s about a 2-3 minute walk to the ramp from this lot.
If you don’t have a trailer with you, there is a slightly closer parking lot near the playground on your right hand side, facing the river. This is about 1 minute walking from the ramp.
Launch Recommendations
After using the ramp on a daily basis for years, there are definitely some handy tricks and good information to know before launching there, especially with a boat trailer.
For launching trailers, we recommend backing down the right hand side of the boat ramp, when you are facing the river (the side closer to the park). This is because the concrete at the bottom is cracked, and drops off at the end. We’ve seen small trailers get stuck after their wheel drops off the end of the ramp!
There are no cleats at the bottom of the ramp! This means there is no great place to tie your boat down after launching from your trailer. If you have a second person with you, we recommend having someone hold on from the platform on the right hand side of the ramp
The very bottom of the Shelby Park Boat Ramp. Note the lack of cleats and attachment points to tie a boat down! We recommend bringing a friend and utilizing the dock platform on the right side.
Paddling Routes
A day on the Cumberland River is sure to include some sightseeing, some wildlife spotting, and some local history! Here are some of our favorite routes to make the most of your time:
Shelby Park to Downtown Nashville (our iconic Nashville Skyline Paddle route!!)
Distance: 3 miles, downstream
Duration: about 45-75 minutes
Pass under several scenic bridges as you paddle through the heart of the city to Downtown Nashville. We usually spot blue herons on the side of the river on this chill route. You’ll take out at Downtown’s Wasioto Park, directly in front of Nissan Stadium
Shelby Park to Mill Creek to Shelby Park
Distance: 1 mile upstream, 1 mile back down
Duration: about 45 minutes
Check out a nearby tributary of the Cumberland River, Mill Creek! This creek runs for miles through southeast Nashville. To the mouth of the creek, it’s a little less than 1 mile upstream. Along the way, you’ll pass an old lighthouse and Demonbreun’s Cave, the home of Nashville’s first settler.
Kayaker paddling up to the scenic bridges of Downtown Nashville on our Nashville Skyline Paddle
Safety Considerations
The Cumberland River, with the right preparation, is one of our favorite waterways in the city for recreation. However, it does come with inherent risks and challenges compared to some of the nearby lakes.
The Cumberland River is a commercially navigable waterway. AKA, large ships and barges use the river too! These large vessels, such as the General Jackson showboat, have the right of way on the river, so stay out of their way! Depending on the size and speed of the vessel, they can sometimes take over a mile to come to a stop. If you are in a kayak or canoe, we recommend always hugging the very outsides of the river.
Check the water levels! Depending on the time of year, and recent rain events, the Cumberland River can have drastic differences in water levels and current. We use this USGS monitoring site to check before we go. When water levels are above 20-21 feet, it starts to be challenging to paddle upstream against the current. Water levels around 25-26 feet are the max level we feel comfortable on the water in a kayak.
Check the forecast before you go! Especially during the summer, Nashville storms can roll in quickly and catch you by surprise.
Always wear your PFD.
Thanks for reading about how to access the river from the Shelby Park Boat Ramp!
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