Kentucky hiking trail thread (Louisville, Berea: camping, estimated, land)

[censusdata]

Since Eastern KY has tons of tourism related to hiking and camping I thought I start a thread where people can share info about hiking trails they've been on.

I think a good format for a trail guide would be...

1. Name of trail
2. Location
3. Length/ time needed to hike trail A
4. Approximate change in elevation
5. General observations about trail - quality of trail/ steepness/ wildlife sightings, etc

Obviously general discussion is freestyle

I'll start

1. Indian Fort Mountain Trail system (inc. West & East Pinnacle)
2. Just east of Berea off KY 21, only 5 miles from I-75
3. The sign says 1.1 miles to the top of Indian Fort Summit, probably slightly longer to either pinnacle. I can get to any of the three in 1 hour and get back down the trail in 30 minutes.
4. Estimated change in trail elevation from parking lot to summit: 700 feet.
5. Starts as one main trail which is very steep but well maintained. After ~0.5 miles it ends at the trail which connects W & E pinnacles, this trail is wide and has little change in elevation. The West Pinnacle is at a large sandstone formation with a decent view to the west, East Pinnacle is atop a limestone outcrop with a great view of the mountains to the south.

The trail to the Indian Fort Summit forks off either end of the flat trail. It is very steep for 0.5 miles before cresting and then going along the top of the ridge. There is a literal 100+ foot vertical drop off a couple feet from the trail at this point. The trail ends shortly after reaching a huge limestone outcrop looking west over Berea. Again, the drop off is 100 to 200 feet vertically off this outcrop.

[kygman]

There are spots that aren't in eastern Kentucky that have hiking trails too. The Land Between the Lakes in western Kentucky has over 200 miles of hiking trails and abandoned roads ready to hike. I am copying and pasting a couple of them from the LBL web site (Land Between The Lakes | HOME)

NORTH SOUTH TRAIL. Take the grand tour! This trail spans the entire length of LBL and ranges from rugged, hilly terrain in the north to more smooth hiking in the south. Portions are accessible from The Trace for those wishing to hike a section of the trail. Length: 65 miles. Rating: Moderate to Strenuous. 200-foot elevation change.

FORT HENRY NATIONAL RECREATION TRAIL. Located in the south end of LBL, Fort Henry is a system of 10 connecting trails totaling 26 miles. The trail follows closely the route of General Grant's troop movements from Fort Henry to Fort Donelson during the Civil War.
Length: 26 miles. Rating: Moderate. 100-foot elevation change.


CANAL LOOP TRAIL. In the north end, this series of connecting trails provides walks ranging from 1.5 miles to 14 miles. One of our most popular trails, because it offers spectacular lake views and the opportunity for short walks.
Length: 14 miles. Rating: Easy to Moderate. 80-foot elevation change.

[censusdata]

Here's another one

1. Mitch McConnell Loop in Paul Horine section of Jefferson Memorial Forest
2. Just south of Fairdale off Holsclaw Hill Rd, only 3 miles from I-265
3. Probably 1 mile for the short loop and 2 miles for the longer one. I'd give 1 hour for the long one and 30 minutes for the short one
4. Estimated change in trail elevation from parking lot to summit: 250 feet.
5. Both loops start as one trail going 0.3 miles uphill. The long trail goes to the right, the short trail goes to the left near the top of the knob. The short trail is quite steep in places and goes atop three different knobs, the long trail extends all the way into Bullitt Co before circling back under the knobs. Trail quality seems to have declined in recent years, you should wear pants due to all the new weeds. Knobs one and three offer great views of Louisville.

[Davart]

I've long thought there should be a spur off the Appalachian Trail in W VA that came into KY and ran across the state and headed west, if we have have a trail that runs north to south why not one that runs east to west?

Oh there are some great trails in the LBL... they're several trails so I'll just post a link to this and it will answer all the questions.
http://www.lbl.org/HIMainTrails.html

[kygman]

Hey, Davart. Look at my post. Between the two of us people should know more about western Kentucky! lol

[timelesschild]

Here, get this book if you can:



Amazon.com: Kentucky's Land of the Arches: Robert H. Ruchhoft: Books

It's an invaluable resource - will keep you busy for years - excellent descriptions and directions. Enjoy!

[censusdata]

^ That's a great book, Timeless. Hiking in Kentucky by Michael Brown is also a really nice book, with detailed info about the trail and even a map of how to reach the parking lot.

Here's another trail report from me.


1. Pilot Knob Trail
2. Just off KY 15, 5 miles from the Clay City exit off Mountain Parkway
3. 1.25 miles, I'd give ~2 hours or slightly less.
4. Estimated change in trail elevation from parking lot to summit: 800 feet.
5. Pilot Knob is where Daniel Boone first looked out over the flatlands of the Bluegrass Region. It is a very narrow (aka steep) hill with a 100+ foot limestone outcrop on it's peak. It really took a beating during this year's Ice Storm, and the trail shows it - a diced up tree canopy means tons of weeds along trail, including poison ivy to waist high. You'd better wear blue jeans and a sturdy pair of hiking boots. There is a nice view at the top where Green River Knob (50 miles away in Casey Co) can be seen on clear days