Had the best time! The trails were very kid friendly and the waterfall was beautiful!read more

Very good place to camp and have events. Spacious, clean and all around very well kept.read more

I must write a review of the area and the beginning of the trail to alert future hikers that it is…read moretemporarily closed due to abuse, vandalism/garbage. People were loud and using the creek as a pool, spray painting and damaging the trail/trashing the area. So, if you are headed down to hike on the John Holder Trail, as we were, you will find it closed. The area itself is lovely. Hall's on the River is great (and open during Covid), you can still canoe on the river, and the fort is close by and well worth a visit.

It was too beautiful of a day in February to not try to get in a hike. Decided to head out on the…read moreJohn Holder Trail. The trails were pretty muddy after the snow melt but it was worth it. I would rate it a moderately easy there and back trail but with some beautiful views of the Lower Howard River. Total round trip is just under 3 miles. There is a point that you do cross the river so make sure you have either waterproof hiking boots or the river is low enough to get across. Please don't try to cross if it is deep or flowing fast. Nobody wants to get hurt or wet. There are some elevation changes and several historical sites. For this hike there was a lot of pretty ice hanging off the cliffs. There is a waterfall but that's off property so you shouldn't hike there. And after a day of hiking you can get soon food at Halls On The River and enjoy the scenery from there. As for parking, I usually park across the street from Halls but there is parking behind Halls too.

I have not been there to check on the hiking trail yet but the scenery looks amazing! I would love…read moreto see it in person so that I can experience and enjoy the hike and nature surrounding the mountains.

I've hiked the Jim Beam Nature Preserve at least twice, and what I love most is that people don't…read moreknow about it. However, given the current state of the world and every known trail shutting down due to overcrowding, now might be a good time to let everyone in on Jessamine County's best kept secret. According to the JCTA website, you can expect a "dirt trail with little elevation change through a wooded area. Old stone fences are visible. It has a couple of overlooks with winter views of the river." I don't understand exactly why this trail is NOT dog-friendly, but then again, I'm not an ecologist or a botanist. Approximately .8 miles will give you a decent workout considering the elevation changes, and it can get quite muddy given its dirt path construction. Unless it's winter, don't expect much of a view of the Palisades, but wildflowers are visible throughout in the fall. There are NO restroom facilities and view few parking spaces. Still, if you want to escape into nature and play explorer, this is a good place to do it.

Well worth a visit - accessible and well maintained. Trails climb to a scenic overlook of the…read moreKentucky River, with miles more to hike.

I love the fact that there were so many different trails with different features. I am not sure if…read moreraven run is pet friendly. It was so much fun looking over the Kentucky river as I got to the top. The maps provided are easy to read.

Was in the area & looking for some hikes, It's not a long hike, Mostly up hill & it will push you…read more You could easily hike all day on the trails. Parking lot closes & gates lock @ sunset. If your late coming down your going to sleeping in parking lot.

My family and I went for a hike here last weekend during Labor Day weekend. We drove about an hour…read moreand a half down to the place. I've heard good things we've seen good pictures so we decided to climb up the mountain through the East pinnacle track and look over everything in the beautiful scenery. It was a pretty easy hike not too challenging I have two young kids and they made it up pretty well. However we go hiking a lot so this was not too challenging which my kids really appreciated. There's a lot of people to bring dogs we had a game to see how many dogs are passed for the bottom to the top we passed 31 dogs so it was a lot which was good because my daughters like to pet the dogs. So definitely recommend it definitely will be back a +5 stars

I only visited the area that is in the middle of Red River Gorge. Most of the popular visitor spots…read moreare very easy to access. Probably 3/4 of a mile to most of the natural rock arches. Short walk from the parking lot There a few waterfalls. Copperas falls is like a 4 miles round trip hike. Pretty easy. Start next to the Osbourne Bend Loop trail. About Osbourne Bend Loop trail. It is 7 miles on the map but actually 9 because you have to walk back to the trail head on the Red River Gorge parkway. Very nice scenery through the whole trail. Due to different altitude and participation, very diverse plant life and rock formation . Marking is pretty spare, easy to get lost. There is a visitor center and gift shop on Red River gorge scenic road. Seems like a lot of people don't know that.

My hiking group from Michigan decided to visit this trail over the weekend. We had a great time…read more Although the trail was labeled as moderate, we felt the end was probably more challenging than not. Maybe it was moderate for those who are used to it and live in Kentucky. Things got really steep and slippery. Nevertheless, we had a great time. There's parking all over the forest and many hikers ! We enjoyed our stay and would definitely return. #NatureLovers.

We were in the area visiting some people, and after lunch we wanted to get outside and do some…read morewalking. There are several nature preserves with hiking trails, all within about 15 minutes drive from where we were. We chose Dupree for our hiking adventure. It isn't particularly well advertised from the road, but Google maps will get you there. There is a small, gravel drive and parking lot. Facilities are limited to a port-a-potty. But it is *literally* the cleanest, well-maintained port-a-potty I have ever seen in my life! There is a sign with a map of the trails. They aren't terribly plentiful, but we took a picture of the map to reference along our way and we were glad to have it. The trails are clear and very well marked. The landscape is absolutely gorgeous! All around you are rolling hills, fields, crazy-looking trees and the Kentucky River. The main trail (the blue markers) take you to the banks of the river. The map mentions something about a boat dock...if there ever was one, it isn't there now. But the view is still pretty nice. Along the way, there are some picnic tables here and there, as well as a couple bench set ups, where it looks like a class field trip could stop for a lesson. The cliff trail (listed difficult on the map) is not as hard as one might think, but it IS a bit of a climb.The Overlook trail is nice, high up on the ridge. But there isn't much look from the overlook. In all, Dupree Nature Preserve is a beautiful, well-maintained place to hike and enjoy Kentucky nature.

I lovee love The Dupree! Hiking paths on the Kentucky River! What more can you ask for....read more

This will have been our 2nd time to Red River Gorge, except we took our fam plus some. I love…read moreviews, mountains, family, and good food! We rented out thee most cutest cabin. We took a hike one day and rested another. When we go again, the itinerary will look different, trying other places we didn't get a chance to experience.

Please go visit these wonderful parks and trails - I highly recommend a long with hiking poles…read more Happy trails!!!

This set of trails apparently belongs to a local private college that I hadn't heard of. They are…read moreopen to the public, and it wasn't hard to drive and park here. The trails cover a wide variety of environments, reaching a meadow where the power lines through and going down into the ravine which holds the Kentucky River. Once you're down there, a long path runs under the riverside cliffs. As is often the case in this region, the scenery is pretty, but on the difficult side. Many of the trails are narrow and covered with gravel or mud, and are high enough in spots that a slip could carry some significant consequences. There were plenty of bugs as well. But I managed to get a solid two-hour workout/scenic visit in. It's free and it's not far from Lexington.

They finally opened back up and we love it here! It's beautiful. We do the easy trail to the right,…read moreso I can't speak on the other trails, but we always have so much fun enjoying nature here ‍

This is one of my favorite state parks for a day or two of hiking. Very nice trails, some are…read morefairly rugged. I've been here several times, sometimes for just a day, and a few times camping nearby. You can take the sky lift up to the natural bridge, or you can hike up. There is a short trail (1/3 of a mile) that leads to a nice overlook where you can view the natural bridge from a distance. There are birds and wildlife to observe. And it is nice to visit in different seasons. There are good restaurants and touristy places to shop in the area too.

Well everything cause I did it ! Haha this is a self paced and self guided hike. It can be what…read moreyou make of it but the beauty is untouchable out of your control. A mix of hardwood, pine wooded and lots of sandstone /limestone rocks ! Tons of song birds and insects and forest creatures. Truly amazing day hike.