2023-12-29 08:23:21
Mysterious subterranean worlds and pastures of majestic thoroughbreds, scenic highways meandering along country music’s roots and main streets transformed into art galleries, lakes dipping into secret coves and limestone springs filtering and flavoring Kentucky bourbon — explore the Bluegrass State above ground and below, by sky lift, zip line, kayak, houseboat, horseback, mountain bike, foot and on tour.
Outdoor adventure is Kentucky’s superpower.
What did the land that became Kentucky look like when the settlers traversed westward through the Cumberland Gap and into this vast wilderness? Enter Harlan County’s Blanton Forest on Pine Mountain — the largest old-growth forest in the state — and walk in the shade of the same towering trees those first pioneers saw.
Nature lovers revel in Baker Natural Area Heritage Land, tucked away in Russellville in the Big Barrens region. Walk the loop within a forest of oak and hickory trees to see limestone glades and prairie grasslands — showy in the summertime with sunflowers, black-eyed Susans and chestnut sedges.
Hikers seeking that place to get away from it all find it on London’s Scuttle Hole Trail System. Edging along a 100-foot cliff in Daniel Boone National Forest, it is a fairly easy hike leading to a trio of overlooks with sweeping vistas of Lake Cumberland and the mouth of Rockcastle River.
The Jim Beam Nature Preserve is hidden away in Nicholasville near the Kentucky Palisades, an ancient ecosystem filled with waterfalls and wildflowers, creeks and stands of hardwood trees. The preserve is a wonderland for endangered bats and rare plant species whose habitats thrive in the rocky riverbanks and atop the limestone cliffs that run along the Kentucky River.
At Bernheim Forest in Clermont, meet gentle Forest Giants on a hike to Lake Nevin. Find your Zen strolling the Meditation Trail. Let the kids run wild at the Playcosystem, a 10-acre natural playground. Reach for the clouds on the Canopy Tree Walk. Climb 961 steps up, up, up the 1929 Fire Tower for sweeping views.
In Cave City, follow Mother Nature underground at Crystal Onyx Cave, where she has left her mark on a subterranean world teeming with stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones and columns. (Beware the Alligator’s Mouth.)
At Kentucky State Parks’ resort, recreational and historic parks, vacations are always ready-made but never one-size-fits-all. Swing an iron, drop a line, stroke a paddle, sun, swim — what’s your whim? See a show or hear live music under the stars. Take a clifftop hike and look out high above the trees.
Greenup’s Dragonfly Outdoor Adventures is an all-in-one vacation destination in Kentucky Appalachia, from cabin rentals and tent camping to kayak excursions on Little Sandy River and Grayson Lake to food truck dining to special workshops and events. Nearby, visit Dragonfly Outdoor Café at Eridanus Brewing in Russell.
With private treehouses, secret “sit spots,” miles of trails, guided tree climbs, stargazing, hammocks for lazing and games of “chutes and ladders” on 150-foot-long slide tunnels, Brooksville’s EarthJoy Treehouse Adventures has “chill” written all over it. Oh, and you can follow the Hobbit Trail in search of miniature hobbit houses hidden in the trees.
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Path to Totality
April 8, 2024: A solar eclipse casts its shadow on parts of Kentucky. Find the path to totality in southwestern Kentucky, including the Great River Road region, Paducah and Henderson, and deep partial in Murray, Hopkinsville, Bowling Green, Mammoth Cave and Horse Cave.
Wish I May, Wish I Might
Star light, star bright — oh, the stars you’ll see in Kentucky, from Mammoth Cave National Park, a certified International Dark Sky Park, to dark sky viewing at Daniel Boone National Forest, Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park and Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. Catch Night Sky programs in May and October at Abraham Lincoln’s Boyhood Home at Knob Creek in Hodgenville.
All Aboard!
Climb onto the hay wagon at Dutch Country Safari Park in Horse Cave and grab a bowl or a scoop of chow. Here come the Watusi, water buffalo, camels, llamas, wildebeests, ostriches and other animals, nosing their way into your hands for eats-and-greets during a drive-through safari in Kentucky backcountry.
Loop into the City of Parks
Connecting neighborhoods, historic sites, archaeology, arts and attractions: Once completed, the Louisville Loop will offer 100 miles of multi-recreational paths. Right now, enjoy 25 continuous miles from the Big Four Bridge to the Watson Lane Trailhead. Another 19 miles forms the spine within the Parklands, its four parks offering fishing, hiking, paddling, picnicking, biking and other activities.
Up A Creek
Kayak Buck Creek, a Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Blue Water Trail in Pulaski County. Explore this incredibly scenic and pristine stream where the water alternately shimmers aquamarine and fogs over mystically. It shelters over 90 caves, bubbling freshwater springs and dozens of species of fish and mussels — many considered rare, all of them endangered.
Up, Up and Away!
Get a bird’s-eye view from above the tree tops in Red River Gorge when you ride the Sky Lift a mile into the wild blue yonder to Natural Bridge in Slade. Walk the 900-ton sandstone arch — a whopping 78 feet long and 65 feet high — then return to terra firma for refueling at Miguel’s. The packed parking lot doesn’t lie — the pizza is that good.
Serenity Now
Watch tugboats, barges, a ferry — maybe even a gleaming white paddlewheel boat — chug lazily up, down and across the Ohio River from Augusta’s scenic O’Neill Riverwalk. With historic homes and gardens lining the sidewalk behind and that million-dollar view unspooling as far as the eye can see, it is impossible to not be in the moment.
100 Miles Rugged
For both novice and experienced riders, family-friendly Wildcat Off-Road Park in East Bernstadt has the trail and terrain for you — curvy switchbacks, muddy straights, rocky inclines, old train tunnels — and around every bend: a scenic view. Camping, cabins and events, too.
City to the West, Country to the East
Connecting downtown Lexington to Kentucky Horse Country, from the Isaac Murphy Memorial Garden to the Kentucky Horse Park, the 12-mile Legacy Trail, a shared-use greenway trail, offers up scenic sights around every curve on the paved path: grazing horses, old barns, open fields, rolling green hills — even sculptures.
Subterranean Swing
Underground nightclub. Civil War campground. Hideout for train-robbing bandit Jesse James. Glide into history on Bowling Green’s Lost River Cave boat tour and learn about its checkered past and the role the river played as an ancient native hunting ground. The cave is part of an urban park with a butterfly habitat, hiking trails and gem mining.
The Sweet Spot
Play a round on one of Kentucky’s top-ranked championship disc golf courses amidst wetlands, fishing ponds, a kayaking and pedal boat lake, nature trails and a pollinator garden at Madisonville’s 265-acre Mahr Park Arboretum. The 18-hole course offers a challenging and scenic setting with trees, hills, bridges, water and other natural features. Short on time? Play the 9-hole recreational disc golf course.
So. Much. More. Than. Trails. Yes, Kentucky Trail Towns have miles and miles of trails — rugged and rural, by land and lake and winding through quiet woods — each a unique setting, all with stunning scenery. But there are also authentic Kentucky experiences: Berea’s Artisan Village, Stearns’ Big South Fork Scenic Railway, Jamestown’s Creelsboro Historic Country Store & Restaurant — among others.
At Dawson Springs, paddle the tranquil waters of Lake Beshear or the lazy, meandering Tradewater River in Kentucky’s First Certified Trail Town. Gear up at Tradewater Canoes & Kayaks or bring your own. Tuck into country fried steak, white beans, turnip greens and mashed potatoes at Ms. Becky’s Place.
Photo op alert! The picturesque stone ruins at Bell’s Tavern in Park City recall a popular stagecoach stop built in the late 1820s that was gutted by fire before the Civil War. Explore the labyrinthine Mammoth Cave and showy Diamond Caverns.
Near London, hike the Hoosier Knob Trail at Camp Wildcat Civil War Battlefield, located on the Wilderness Road, to explore original trenches, artillery emplacements and self-guided tour signs to learn about the historic battle.
Find natural beauty, frontier history and scenic views at Estill Twin Cities. Paddle the Kentucky River. Hike Lily Mountain Nature Preserve. See Historic Steam Engine C&O 2716 at Rail Heritage Center and munch a Kentucky Hot Brown specialty pizza at Steam Engine Pizza Pub.
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