Best Places to Hike in Kentucky
While many people think of Kentucky as a place of wide, open planes, that’s not all the Bluegrass State is. In fact, Kentucky has some lovely scenery from the Appalachian Mountains, deep caves, and beautiful rivers. With all this variety on nature, Kentucky is home to some great hiking trails. This blog post could go on and on with wonderful trails to walk on, but today, I’m going to highlight three of my favorites.
Red River Gorge Geological Area
Kentucky’s Red River Gorge is a fantastic location for hiking. The park is over 29,000 acres wide, and full of cliffs, rock formations, waterfalls, and other breath-taking scenes of nature. There are dozens of trails for hikers to choose from — from the Sheltowee Trail (which runs through the gorge) and the many trails around the Koomer Ridge Campground. For those new to the area, checking out the visitor center really helps you figure out which trails are right for you.
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is a whopping 125,000 acres that protects the beautiful nature and wildlife in the area. One of the most popular hikes is an 11.3 mile trip called the Angel Falls Overlook-Grand Gap. This trail can be done overnight and camped on, which is a lot of fun.
Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth Cave National Park is one of the most popular hiking locations in Kentucky. I’ve talked about its unique underground experience before, but what many may not realize is that Mammoth Cave has some wonderful above ground trails as well. Hikers can traverse down dozens and dozens of miles — be they above or underground.
