I loved my visit to Bernheim Forest! I can't believe how long it took for me to visit…read more I visited on a sunny, 75 degree, Saturday afternoon. There was a good amount of people but it didn't feel crowded. There first stop was a little gift shop with and information desk, snack bar, and bathrooms. From there the trail to the forest giants was super easy to follow. After walking to the giants, I drove the path to see the Tin Man and canopy walks. I love how accessible all the big attractions were and how beautiful the forests are. It's worth stopping in if you're visiting the area or a local!

Bernheim is one my husband's and my favorite places to get away from it all and enjoy being with…read morenature. After an unusually cold winter, we recently had a day warm enough day to return to Bernheim, and we chose a shorter trail due to time constraints. We hiked the Knob Top Trail and really enjoyed the peacefulness on the trail (we saw no other people on this trail today). The Knob Top is not one of the more popular trails, but we really enjoyed it. It is rated by Bernheim as "Difficult," but I would say it is moderate. It can be hiked as an in and out (this is what we chose to do) or as a connector between "Two Ponds Loop' and "Lake Nevin Loop." It is a short trail, only 0.5 mi in and 0.5 miles out. The terrain is packed dirt, and as expected, included tree roots, rocks, mounds, ruts, and other obstacles. The hike is a gradual incline to the top (Inspiration Knob) where there is a pretty, green, decommissioned water tank. This was a perfect, short hike to ease into hiking season! Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash. Photos added to my original review of Bernheim Forest.

This is such a hidden gem! There are many photo opportunities in this beautiful Nature preserve…read more If you're having a picnic or want an areas you can rent for events! I this is the place! I highly recommend Saunders Springs! I recently took my sister's maternity photos there! Great photo opportunities.

We stopped here on our way through this area and discovered this hidden gem. We didn't have the…read moretime or energy to do much of the available hiking, but they have several trails with varying degrees of difficulty. It was a beautiful area, green and lush, with several areas for picnicking and wading into creeks. There was a lake that people were fishing in. Several old cabins were on the property that added a fun dimension to the area. If we're ever in the area again, we might stop and take advantage of more of the hiking trails.

Don't tell anybody this trails in secret. That being said it's located behind both Central high…read moreschool. I was out and about walking around explore and doing my job thing and here we came across the secret Trail nobody knew it was there but now I do

This little hike was recommended to me after a snowstorm--which I definitely would not suggest…read more It's mostly uphill, and the wind turned everything into ice, making it really challenging to traverse. Outside of that particular experience (and once I was on the return down-hill), I realized this trail is short, simple, charming , and easy, with a few spots offering really pretty overlook views along the way. About halfway in, a babbling creek starts to follow you, hinting that you're nearing the final destination. Then you can hear the waterfalls before rounding a bend to reveal them. The falls are fantastic with multiple levels and a very peaceful melody. Just a heads-up: the trail begins with a walk down a service road since the original trail is now on private property, roped off as part of a very interesting-looking old house/building. At the end of the service road, there's a short but steep uphill path path to rejoin the trail. After that--smooth sailing.

Such a beautiful trail. It was easy to get around but luckily I was with someone that knew exactly…read morewhere she was going. The first big bill up the trail was a doozy. I wasn't ready for that, but I made it! We got some beautiful pictures of the waterfall. The waterfall was easy to walk around in and can get wet if you wanted too. Great place to cool down as well. There was also a train track that we walked on and it was right over a creek. Very high up but cool to see. I would definitely go back to visit the trail. I will know more of what I'm getting into next time.

We selected this campground since it was in the center of the Bourbon Trail. We love to stay at…read morestate campgrounds BUT we were surprised by its condition. No one greets you when checking in. You just have to find your spot. The sites are very close together. The bathrooms are outdated, dark, and in need of repair. Our site was littered with cigarette butts. This campground needs some serious TLC to be ranked as one of the top five state campgrounds. The one good thing is that the water in the showers was hot!

Too SMALL!!!! We stayed at site 17 where there wasn't enough room on the site to park our car and…read morehave a camp fire at the same time. And the site my son and his family stayed on was even worse. Too DIRTY!! the bath house was disgusting, doors don't lock and just old and gross. Nice and close to Bardstown.

Came here with the intention of seeing a beautiful waterfall, and the place was dried up! It is…read morebeautiful in photos I had seen, but not on this trip. Since this is located near our cabin, I'm sure we will be back at another time when the falls are full. Just not this time around. What is there to say? Well, they have a ton of walkways that were added, making it accessible for all types of people. This isn't ADA accessible, but it is an easy up and down for those who can't move strenuously. There are places to sit where you can go underneath the waterfall when applicable, and it offers a really pretty view from almost all vantage points. There just isn't any water right now as the time of writing this. Maybe next time...

We are traveling with no time schedule, just on the lookout for unique things! A google search led…read moreus to the falls. Upon arriving, we found a nice parking area, along with a port-a-potty. There were several little picnic areas and seating areas within feet of the parking lot. This is definitely one of the most accessible scenic areas we've been to. There are stairs with handrails heading down into the gorge. You can walk across the falls on a wooden bridge and then head down more stairs to the bottom. At this point, you can either turn around and head up, or if you're more adventurous and want to head off on a less groomed path and over some rocks, you can do that! Unfortunately, the waterfall was not flowing when we were there. I had assumed it always was, so was a little disappointed at that. I have since read up on it a bit and it seems rainy season is the best time to go to see the falls in all their glory! However, since it was dry, we could climb over rocks and explore rather safely. We hiked for a while and then turned back, as we weren't sure how far it went and we needed to hit the road. We spent about 30-45 minutes walking around and taking it in. You can make this stop in as a little as 5-10 minutes if you wanted. Longer to explore! It was beautiful! If you're in the area and have time to stop, I recommend it!

I've been coming to Jefferson Memorial Forest since childhood. As a teenager I loved the trails at…read morePaul Yost. As an adult I have visited Tom Wallace a few times for fishing. This park in particular has had some amazing improvements. The water is much clearer now you can actually see the fish. They've added a new playground, big rocks along the lake, a couple swinging benches, and more. The walk around the lake is quick and easy.

Red Trail was well-maintained. Even so, I directed my eyes to the ground in front of me for much of…read morethe 5-mile walk. A misstep on one of the trail's narrow hill sections could easily lead to a bad fall. Most amazing for me was the total lack of wildlife. I live in a Louisville suburb of 1/4 and 1/2 acre lots. Squirrels and birds abound, including hawks. We see deer regularly and occasionally see a fox or a coyote. On this Red Trail hike I rarely heard a bird (didn't see any). No squirrels, no nothing. Why? Is all of Jefferson Forest so devoid of creature life?

We did a walk in a portion of Cherokee Park on a very windy Sunday morning. We noted that cars…read morestill travel too fast for comfort when near pedestrians. Plenty of walkers, runners, bikers, dog walkers, recreational users (frisbees and kites), tailgaters, and drivers today. We stopped to catch a break near the top of the hill at Hogan's Fountain. The water fountains and faucets (to fill up dog bowls) were all operational today in mid-March. Restroom facilities were also open.

I had not been to the area in Cherokee park off of Alexander Riad fir years and ended uphiking…read morethere two days in a row. Easy access from Cherokee Road with plenty if oarilking and wady access to trails . There were some hills, steps but mostly flat. We did a combination of paved and unpaved trails. Lots of benches, people about and a couple of beautiful hiking days.

Fairmount falls is a hidden and very well kept Louisville treasure. This is a walking trail located…read morein the fern creek/zoneton areas of Louisville. For whatever reason it is owned by Jefferson memorial Forrest which is in Fairdale a good 20 min away. The park area is blocked off by rope and a lock. To get the lock combo you have to call 502-368-5404 and hit "0" for the operator. At that time either someone will pick up and you tell them you want to reserve a spot for Fairmount falls and the date you need it. Or you can leave a voicemail and they will call you back ASAP. If available (only 3 cars a day) they will get your vehicle make and color and license plate number and give you the code. They will tell you to enter the home address of 9601 thixton lane but the entrance is actually across the street. How hidden and unknown is this place? I live literally a mile from here for the last 3 years. I had no idea it even existed. I've probably drove by the hidden entrance 20 good times with no idea. The woods and creek that it attaches is literally the same woods and creek in my actual back yard. If I was grizzly adams I could probably find a way to navigate or kayak my way there. But I'm not about that life. It's the 21st century and I have no problem calling a phone number, reserving a day and driving myself here. As alluded to the entrance is very small and tight (large vehicles may have to adjust a few times) and hard to miss. When you take the rope off you have a tiny parking area and a nice picnic table area. From there you start the trail. The trail is 1.1 miles round trip and it is a loop. First part of the trail has a variety of beautiful mossy rocks and fallen trees in a well beaten out and carved out nature trail. You will come up to a normal road and have to cross it to continue the trail. At that point is where you approach the breathtaking and beautiful Fairmount falls. They have a few side trails to get closer looks and photos. However you will be cross over the falls shortly while staying on the trail. When on top of the falls your feet will get a little wet. There is no barricades so you have to be careful of you dare get closer to the edge for a look see. It's pretty much straight rock in what I'd say is well over a 50 foot drop. So there is not walking it off if you slip. So proceed off trail with extreme caution. The trail continues through more beautiful natural Forrest areas. Including some nice random spots that had yellow water Lilly's that popped up. That second half also has a couple bench areas to sit and relax in the woods. The second half of this trail once you cross the waterfall has some very muddy spots. It is flat Ground and you can trek around them in the woods. Which you can tell has been done before as a second path is starting to emerge. Eventually you loop back around to the waterfall and head back to the beginning. Fairmount falls is Breathtaking, peaceful and quiet. You feel like your in on a top secret place when going there because you will likely be the only ones there and upon arrival you have to take a lock off the rope then lock it behind you and do the same when leaving. Being a mile away from my house I'll reserve this a bunch moving forward. It's an easy well shaded walking trail and relaxing. My family and I have done majority of Louisville walking trails. There isn't another waterfall like this nearby. So it is unique too. Overall extremely glad to have found this hidden gem. I would highly recommend for any nature lover!

We went hiking here last week my daughter and I with my buddy and his kids. And my friend called…read moreGod is the code to get into the Fairmont Falls cause only allow three vehicles at a time I believe that not here by far is that rules though because we saw Alyssa good for five when we were there but we were legit we had correct place in line and we put our names in I don't know if they did or not and I don't know I guess you can just use the same code every time I'm not sure. But besides the point we got there had a lot of cool photo ops had a lot of cool little waterfall things going on and just saw lotta good things good big hiking loop going across the whole thing is like a mile long and easily marked And easily accessible for all of us and we had a really good time I will definitely be back to this place and I bet he's already giving back the same day with the rest of his family so he really enjoyed it so I will definitely be back it's a fun little hiking trail if you like woods and you like hiking you'll like this place

Pine creek barrens is a nature conservatory or nature trail buried kind of deep into Shepherdsville…read moreKentucky about 3-4 miles off the cedar grove road exit in Shepherdsville. ***Major disclaimer I want everyone to know. Bring Tick repellent. We were with a group of 11 and no exaggeration we pulled well over a 100 ticks off us during and after the trail. We still are honestly. And I'm not sure why. The place is well kept and well paved. So you aren't trekking through high weeds or grass. Moving on, you pull into a smallish gravel parking lot and you can either go left or right. This is a 3 mile loop trail that takes you in a circle. Ten signs say it takes 2 hours approximately. However we walked slow and stopped store several pictures and tick check breaks and got it down in just under 90 minutes . It is full of pretty views of nature, flat lands, forest views, creek water, waterfalls and some really cool Rock formations. We enjoyed this walk. It really was very easy. Mainly flat and what Hills you come across were easy to climb. As mentioned it is Well paved and also well marked. I feel like there was a painted or marked tree every ten feet it seems. They also have a few benches for resting if needed. Ten whole path was pretty shaded and mainly dry. We came across a few different critters along our 3 mile walk. We seen a few snakes, interesting birds, bugs, a frog and a salamander. Evidently none of which eats ticks because if they did they would of been in food paradise Overall enjoyable and fun walk with pretty scenery. Kinda tough to find. I'd recommend following the winery signs and keeping your eyes peeled for the parking lot on the left. It been nicer if we aren't at risk of Lyme disease or rocky mountain spotted fever as there was a million ticks here that were waiting to feast it seems. It was an insane amount of ticks. I've never seen so many in my life. I wouldn't be opposed to coming back but it will not be in the spring. Maybe this will be a winter or cold weather trail for us.

This is a fantastic place that my daughters and I visited on a Saturday morning in the fall. The…read moretrees are beautiful little community is very nice the Pats are fantastic I have no complaints about this place whatsoever Besides the parking. The thing with the parking is it's very small so it was hard to get a spot so I wish they would expand that part it is back in pine forest community. But it's very beautiful and I highly recommend that you check it out five out of five stars