Charity Spotlight: Friends of Warner Parks



Located nine miles from downtown Nashville, Warner Parks is a sanctuary in the midst of busy urban life. The parks offer rolling hills, steep climbs on the trails and roads, lovely waterfalls, flat pathways, gorgeous forest views, a large garden along with a nature center, and so much more. Percy Warner Park and Edwin Warner Park cover 3,200 acres, making them one of the largest municipal natural area parks in the country. Warner Parks has provided people of all ages and abilities with the opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of life, and has done so since 1927, thanks in part to Friends of Warner Parks.

Friends of Warner Parks is dedicated to the preservation, protection, and stewardship of Percy and Edwin Warner Parks. They work together with Metro Park Services to maintain the park with the hope that we can continue to enjoy it for years to come.

Friends of Warner Parks was formed in 1987, and was closely modeled after New York’s Central Park Conservancy. They were the second ‘friends group’ in the nation established to support a metropolitan park.

Percy and Edwin Warner Park provide 16.75 miles of hiking trails, 10 miles of equestrian paths, and paved roads to run or bike on. There are two public golf courses, a nature center, scenic roadways and overlooks, a dog park, mountain bike trails, and several pavilions and picnic tables peppered throughout the parks. Friends of Warner Parks is responsible for maintaining these widely used amenities so that we can continue to enjoy them.

The Dirtbags, Fleet Feet Nashville's trail training program group (seen in the photos below assisting with some trail maintenance on behalf of Friends of Warner Parks), are lucky enough to call Warner Parks home for a quick ‘red, white, and blue’. The paved roads within the park host one of the hardest marathons in the United States each November. For runners and walkers alike, excursions in Percy and Edwin Warner are special additions to our everyday neighborhood or treadmill runs.

As Nashville continues to grow, roads become more congested and green spaces disappear; the upkeep of Percy and Edwin Warner Parks is more important than ever! We’re so grateful for the foresight of Percy Warner, and dedication as such by his son-in-law Col. Luke Lea, to set aside land to be used by all for learning, exploring, observing nature and for physical activity.

An oasis tucked right on the skirts of the city, for all ages to enjoy. How lucky are we?

When you sign up for Spring 2019 Half or Full Marathon training and choose Friends of Warner Parks as your charity of choice, you will be supporting the preservation, protection, and stewardship of Percy and Edwin Warner Parks.

GET INVOLVED

Sign up for Spring 2019 Half and Full Marathon Training and choose Friends of Warner Parks as your charity!

To learn more about Friends of Warner Parks including upcoming events and educational opportunities, head over to their website!

(For history buffs, check out the original Warner Park Master Plan created in 1987! http://warnerparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Warner-Park-Master-Plan-1987.pdf)