T he TAYLORSVILLE LAKE STATE PARK , Mt. Eden trail explorer DALE HOLLOW LAKE STATE RESORT PARK , Burkesville Prepare to get muddy on a guided wild Cindy Cave tour at Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park. Chart your course along 12 miles of trails — on foot, wheel or hoof — or opt for boating, fishing, golfing and even scuba diving and snorkeling. Equestrians, here is your happy place, with tent and RV camping and galloping along Possum Ridge. Hikers and mountain bikers, this is your jam, too, with a 24-mile multi-use trail system. Boaters, fishers, wildlife lovers — Taylorsville Lake State Park hasn’t forgotten you either. NATURAL BRIDGE STATE RESORT PARK , Slade CARTER CAVES STATE RESORT PARK , Olive Hill JENNY WILEY STATE RESORT PARK , Prestonsburg You’ll find spectacular views year-round, but oh, those harvest hues captivate when fall sweeps through Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge State Resort Park — best enjoyed from the namesake natural sand-stone arch. Hike, fish, paddle and swim, then sip a glass of wine at the Trail's End Tavern. PENNYRILE FOREST STATE RESORT PARK , Dawson Springs Above ground and below, Carter Caves State Resort Park offers adventure with guided and self-guided cave tours, including gor-geous Cascade Cave and X-Cave, and repelling and rock climbing a sandstone cliff line. Don’t skip paddling Smoky Lake and panning for treasures at the Gem Mine, too. From bourbon and Hot Browns to elk-viewing tours and bald eagle sightings, Jenny Wiley State Resort Park is signature Kentucky. Laze away a day on Dewey Lake or visit the nature center. Evening means relaxing at May Lodge and drinking in those glorious Appalachian Mountain views. PINE MOUNTAIN STATE RESORT PARK , Pineville Magnificent views from Fisherman’s Rock. Postcard-pretty beach at Pennyrile Lake. Excellent fishing with bluegill and largemouth bass. Family-friendly boating with canoes, kayaks, pedal boats and standup paddleboards. A rustic, woodsy lodge set on a cliff overlooking the lake. Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park beckons. Hike Chained Rock Trail at Pine Mountain State Resort Park to catch the view and see Chained Rock, secured in place with a 100-foot-long, 1.5-ton chain. Play the championship Wasioto Winds 18-hole golf course and dig into fried catfish and hushpuppies at the Mountain View Restaurant. DAWKINS LINE RAIL TRAIL , Swamp Branch Open year-round and unfurling along 36 paved miles through Appalachian forests, past streams and wildlife, Dawkins Line Rail Trail is a haven for hikers, bikers and horseback riders, with the first 25 miles showing off 24 trestles and the 662-foot Gun Creek Tunnel. You’ve Gotta See This! CUMBERLAND FALLS STATE RESORT PARK , Corbin SCAN FOR MORE ON KENTUCKY STATE PARKS Get up close to the Niagara of the South, crashing into the gorge below. Witness a moonbow during a full moon at the only place in the Western Hemisphere — Cumberland Falls State Resort Park — to regularly produce one. Photos from top: Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill; Cumberland Falls, Corbin Kentuckytourism.com/stateparks 15
The Official Kentucky Visitor's Guide The Official Kentucky Visitor's Guide 2026: Page 15
