Five-Star Trails: Louisville and Southern Indiana

After more than 20 years in academia, Valerie Askren traded the life of living in the proverbial ivory towers to spend more time exploring the forested areas and sandstone arches of central Kentucky. An avid outdoorswoman, she has swum in Lake Malawi; climbed Mount Tai; sailed the coast of southern France; biked Nova Scotia; backpacked across Canada; and survived the biting cold of farm life in the Ukraine. Her honeymoon was spent kayaking the Grand Canyon with her husband, Ben. Valerie's background in natural resource economics and her love of nature have translated into a second career writing hiking guides. Her busy life has resulted in the newfound motto of "Think Global. Hike Local." Living in Lexington, Kentucky, she is always near a peaceful wooded path, beautiful public garden, or historical walking trail. The mother of four, Valerie still manages to keep clean sheets on the beds and make fresh sushi once a week.

Overview Map
Overview-Map Key
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Preface
Recommended Hikes
Introduction

Louisville: Inside I-265
1. Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve: White Oak Nature Trail
2. Blackacre Waterfall Trail
3. Cherokee Park Loop
4. Falls of the Ohio Levee Trail
5. Goose Creek Loop at Tom Sawyer Park
6. Iroquois Park Summit
7. Ohio River Levee Trail
8. Waterfront Park
9. Waverly Park Loops

Kentucky: South of Louisville and West of I-65
10. Fort Duffield
11. Jefferson Memorial Forest: Scott’s Gap Trail
12. Jefferson Memorial Forest: Yost Ridge to Mitchell Hill Lake
13. Otter Creek Loop

Kentucky: South of Louisville and East of I-65
14. Bernheim Arboretum: Millennium Trail
15. Bernheim Arboretum Sampler
16. Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve
17. Fairmount Falls
18. The Parklands of Floyds Fork: Coppiced Woods
19. Salato Wildlife Education Center
20. Taylorsville Lake State Park: Lakeview Vista Trail
21. Vernon-Douglas State Nature Preserve

Indiana: North of Louisville and West of I-65
22. Donaldson’s Woods Nature Preserve at Spring Mill State Park
23. Hemlock Cliffs
24. Indian Creek Overlook
25. Mogan Ridge East
26. Mount St. Francis Lake Trail
27. Patoka Lake Trail
28. Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest
29. Rabbit Hash Trail
30. Rocky Ridge Trail at O’Bannon Woods
31. Spurgeon Hollow Loop
32. Tank Spring

Indiana: North of Louisville and East of I-65
33. Bridges of Versailles
34. Clifty Falls
35. Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge
36. Pennywort Cliffs
37. Rose Island Loops

Appendixes & Index
Appendix A: Outdoor Retailers
Appendix B: Hiking Clubs
Appendix C: Public and Private Agencies
Index
About the Author
Map Legend