If you’ve been singing the lyrics “I walk a lonely road” a lot lately, you’re not… alone (well, in a sense). Nashville roads are actually even lonelier than many, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
If national averages indicate anything, it’s that roads overall may have been more lonely during the past few years. According to a recent data report by Streetlight, annual average daily walking trips dropped 36% in the US between 2019 and 2022.
How does that national average shake out in the Nashville metro area, and where are the best spots to raise those national trend (and step count) numbers? Let’s take a look.
By the numbers
- -42% | Percent change in walking trips in Tennessee
- -45% | Percent change in walking trips in Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin
- 29 | Nashville’s score out of 100 on Walk Score’s walkability meter
What does a percent change in walking trips mean? Say a metro area sees a -50% change in walking trips. This means, on average, walking trips declined by 50% in that area. (For the record, none of the top 100 metros in the study saw that much of a decline — the biggest dip was 49% in Akron, OH.)
Where to walk the walk
Wondering where you can get your steps in? Check out these pedestrian-friendly spots around town, from local parks to greenways.
- Nashville’s greenways | Navigate the city’s greenway system, including the 10.7-mile Stones River Greenway, the 9.7-mile Shelby Bottoms Greenway, and more. Use these individual maps as a resource.
- Centennial Park | An easy, ~1.2-mile paved path loops around Lake Watauga and the Parthenon.
- Hiking trails | From quick and easy loops around town to more adventurous hikes, we have a guide for that.
