Eastern Flank Battle Field Park
Park
112 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Franklin
Franklin has 34 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Eastern Flank Battle Field Park (2 mi), The Park at Harlinsdale Farm (1.4 mi), Judge Fulton Greer Park (1 mi). 67% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Franklin’s land is conserved, about 994 acres.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #27 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
994 acres · of 44.5 sq mi of land
Trails
34 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,009 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
67%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
23 mi
14 mi lanes · 9.2 mi paths
Highest peak
1,129 ft
Sliders Knob
Lakes & rivers
7
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Franklin?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Franklin have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Franklin is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #27 of 177 in Tennessee. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Franklin’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical TN town 1% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (34 mi) · TN 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,009 acres) · TN 10 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home67% of residents within a half mile of a park · TN 42% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 61%
LessMore
Tennessee towns of 2,500+ (177)Ahead of 85%
Few Tennessee towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Franklin’s 4% is ahead of 69% of Tennessee towns, while its trails per square mile lead 94% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Eastern Flank Battle Field Park, with 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
The Park at Harlinsdale Farm
Park
201 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Judge Fulton Greer Park
Park
33 acres1 mi of trail
Williamson County Parks & Recreation
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fort Granger
Park
31 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
Eastern Flank Battle Field Park112 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsThe Park at Harlinsdale Farm201 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsJudge Fulton Greer Park33 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsAspen Grove Park19 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsFort Granger31 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Fieldstone Park36 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWinstead Hill Park72 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJim Warren Park90 acres
DirectionsWilliamson County Soccer Complex80 acres
DirectionsLiberty Park72 acres
DirectionsPinkerton Park38 acres
Collins Farm Historic Park4 acres
Ladd Park Canoe Access3 acres · City of Franklin
Maplewood Park2 acres
DirectionsPark Place1 acres
DirectionsCarrington Hills Dog Park1 acres
Who protects it
994 conserved acres
4% of Franklin’s land. Who manages Franklin’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city746 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits663 ac
County160 ac
State natural resources107 ac
Other state land51 ac
Local Park · 757 acUnknown Easement · 494 acRecreation or Education Easement · 203 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 115 acHistoric or Cultural Easement · 77 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 41 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlinsdale Farm Local Park | Town or city | 199 | Open |
| Eastern Flank Battlefield Local Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 114 | Open |
| Williamson County Soccer Complexes-East & West Local Park | County | 94 | Open |
| Jim Warren Park Local Park | Town or city | 88 | Open |
| Liberty Park Local Park | Town or city | 83 | Open |
| Winstead Hill Local Park | Town or city | 72 | Open |
| Ropers Knob Local Park | Town or city | 60 | Open |
| Carnton State Historic or Cultural Area | Other state land | 38 | Open |
| Fieldstone Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Judge Fulton Greer Park Local Park | County | 33 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
62 places to go in Franklin
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Franklin
Viera Cool Springs
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Franklin
Aspen Grove playgroundIn Aspen Grove Park
DirectionsFernshaw Playground
DirectionsThe Highlands at Ladd Park Private Playground
DirectionsWe Rock the Spectrum
Directions42 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Franklin
Plus 5 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Franklin
Eastern Flank Canoe Ramp
DirectionsScenic views in Franklin
Winstead Hill - Battle of Franklin OverlookIn Winstead Hill Park
DirectionsPeaks in Franklin
Sliders Knob1,129 ft elevation
DirectionsHarvey Knobs1,033 ft elevation
DirectionsRopers Knob994 ft elevation
DirectionsScrambler’s Knob994 ft elevation
DirectionsWinstead Hill896 ft elevation · In Winstead Hill Park
DirectionsBreezy Hill866 ft elevation
DirectionsGreen Hill843 ft elevation
DirectionsReid Hill843 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Franklin
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.9 miUnpaved · 7.0 mi
East Slope Trail2.1 mi
West Slope Trail1.9 mi
Ridge Trail1.2 mi
Williamson County Parks & Recreation0.7 mi
Highlands Trail0.6 mi
Creek Trail0.4 mi
Breezeway Nature Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
23 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
14 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
9.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
59Tennis
33Soccer
30Baseball
19Pickleball
13Basketball
9Football
1Softball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →54 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 11 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Rainey HouseBuilding · listed 1970
About itSt. Paul's Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1972
About itFort GrangerSite · listed 1973
About itCarntonBuilding · listed 1973
About itWinstead HillSite · listed 1974
About itHarrison HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itWilliam S. Campbell HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itGlen EchoBuilding · listed 1976
About itLotz HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itWinstead HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About it42 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Franklin: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 48 | 53 | 62 | 71 | 79 | 86 | 89 | 89 | 83 | 73 | 61 | 51 |
| Rain (in) | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 5.0 |
August is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.1 inches fall in March, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Franklin →
Next door
Franklin and its neighbors
Franklin has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | 4% | 0.8 | 12 | 67% | B |
| Brentwood | 4% | 0.6 | 23 | 41% | B |
| Thompson's Station | 2% | 0.4 | 47 | 15% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Franklin
Where can I hike in Franklin?
The longest trail networks: Eastern Flank Battle Field Park, 2 miles; The Park at Harlinsdale Farm, 1.4 miles; Judge Fulton Greer Park, 1 miles; Aspen Grove Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Franklin is conserved land?
4% of its land, against a typical 1% for a Tennessee town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Franklin’s trails?
Eastern Flank Battle Field Park and The Park at Harlinsdale Farm don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Franklin?
23 miles of bike routes are on the map: 14 of painted or protected lanes and 9.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Franklin?
10,153 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Franklin or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,009 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Franklin have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #27 of 177 in Tennessee. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Franklin neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →