Five-Star Trails: Louisville and Southern Indiana

After having spent more than 20 years as a university researcher and professor, Valerie Askren traded the ivory towers of academia for the hardwood forests and sandstone arches of Kentucky. The proverbial outdoorswoman, she has swum in Africa’s Lake Malawi, climbed China’s Mount Tai, sailed the coast of southern France, biked Nova Scotia, backpacked across Canada, and survived the biting cold of farm life in Ukraine. She spent her honeymoon kayaking the Grand Canyon with her husband, Ben. Valerie’s background in natural-resource economics and her love of the wilderness translated into a second career writing guides to the outdoors, including Hike the Bluegrass and Beyond, Fly Fishing Kentucky, Backpacking Kentucky, and Backcountry Cuisine. Valerie lives in Lexington, Kentucky, where a peaceful wooded path, beautiful public garden, or historical walking trail is always close at hand.

Overview Map


Dedication


Acknowledgments


Preface


Recommended Hikes


Introduction


Map Lengend


Louisville: Inside I-265




Anchorage Trail
Beargrass Creek Nature Preserve: White Oak Nature Trail
Big Four Bridge and Waterfront Park
Blackacre State Nature Preserve
Cherokee Park Scenic Loop
Falls of the Ohio Levee Trail
Goose Creek Loop at Tom Sawyer State Park
Harrods Creek Park
Iroquois Park Summit
Ohio River Levee Trail: Farnsley-Moremen Landing
Waverly Park Loops


Kentucky: South of Louisville and West of I-65




Fort Duffield
Jefferson Memorial Forest: Scott’s Gap Trail
Jefferson Memorial Forest: Yost Ridge to Mitchell Hill Lake
Otter Creek Loop Trail
Saunders Springs Nature Preserve
Tioga Falls and Bridges to the Past


Kentucky: South of Louisville and East of I-65




Abbey of Gethsemani
Bernheim Arboretum: Elm Lick Trail
Bernheim Arboretum: Forest Giants Trail
Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve
Fairmount Falls Park
Hall Hill/Vernon-Douglas State Nature Preserve
The Parklands of Floyds Fork: Coppiced Woods
The Parklands of Floyds Fork: Favorite Shorts
The Parklands of Floyds Fork: Turkey Run
Pine Creek Barrens Nature Preserve
Salato Wildlife Education Center


Indiana: North of Louisville and West of I-65




French Lick Loops
Hemlock Cliffs Nature Preserve
Mount St. Francis Lake Trail
O’Bannon Woods State Park: Cliff Dweller Trail
Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest
Spring Mill State Park Loop
Spurgeon Hollow North Loop
Yellow Birch Ravine Nature Preserve


Indiana: North of Louisville and East of I-65




Clifty Falls State Park: Clifty Falls Canyon
Hardy Lake State Park
Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge
Rose Island Loops


Appendixes and Index




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