OUTDOOR SPOTS HOT A 1 s big as all outdoors? Sounds like Kentucky, where super-sized adventures above ground — and below — captivate adrenaline junkies, commune-with-nature types and wildlife lovers alike. KENTUCKY LAKE Western Kentucky 160,000 acres of water. 2,380 miles of shoreline: Grab your fishing pole, swimsuit, camping gear and golf clubs — and go! Boating, biking, hiking, horseback riding and more; this is where family fun and memories are made. 2 LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES NATIONAL RECREATION AREA Western Kentucky 800-467-7145 www.kentuckylake.org Love a big playground? This one has 170,000 acres of elbow room. Go on safari through the Elk and Bison Prairie on Golden Pond to watch these free-roaming animals; visit the Woodlands Nature Station for more wildlife viewing; explore Civil War sites; and catch a show at the Golden Pond Planetarium and Observatory. 4 5 KENTUCKY STATE PARKS Statewide With 49 unique parks, resort parks and historic sites, there is a pocket of paradise somewhere in the state for everyone and every interest. Go fishing, golfing, biking, boating, hiking, birding and horseback riding. Enjoy forested and scenic settings, lake and rivers, cabins and camping, and inviting lodges and restaurants dishing up hometown favorites. 3 800-525-7077 www.landbetweenthelakes.us MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK 502-564-2172 www.parks.ky.gov RED RIVER GORGE GEOLOGICAL AREA Mammoth Cave Daniel Boone National Forest The name suits the world’s longest known cave system, stretching across more than 400 miles of underground passages. Take a tour or two — some by lantern — but leave time for hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, canoeing, camping and enjoying a picnic in a grand and peaceful setting. It’s a place of raw and quiet beauty, rugged and challenging adventure, whose sandstone cliffs draw rock climbers from around the world. Red River Gorge — with a 12,646-acre area of unsurpassed beauty known as the Clifty Wilderness and the largest concentration of rock shelters in eastern North America — offers paddling, horseback riding, fishing and more. 270-758-2180 www.nps.gov/maca Above, top to bottom: Land Between the Lakes; Red River Gorge; Left: Kentucky Lake. 606-663-8100 – Gladie Visitor Center www.redrivergorge.com 16 1-800-225-8747 / 1-800-225-TRIP For more, visit KentuckyTourism.com and click on Do/Adventure!
Kentucky Official Visitor's Guide 2017 Kentucky Official Visitor's Guide: Page 16
