Kentucky Hiking - Part I

It's been a long and brutally uncomfortable winter, much of which was spent indoors visiting family in Central Kentucky. This also provided the opportunity to follow my nephew's high school basketball team, which happens to be my alma mater. Congratulations to the Boyle County Rebels on 28 victories and advancing all the way to Kentucky's Final Four in Rupp Arena, best basketball team in our school history!

But springtime in the Bluegrass means it's time to get back outside. The hiking fix has been satisfied to some extent at a place called Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge. The "Bluegrass" region of Kentucky refers to the rolling hills surrounding the Lexington area. On the peripheral of the Bluegrass is a range of small mountains known as "the knobs." The knobs extend from the Ohio River in Northeast Kentucky in a U-shaped line through the Daniel Boone National Forest, South Central Kentucky, and then northwesterly to the Ohio River near Louisville.

The CKWR is located in the area of the knobs that extends through Southwest Boyle County. Several miles of well-marked trails meander through meadows, past ponds, and along the banks of the North Rolling Fork. There is only one moderately strenuous trail, the Ridge Trail, which climbs a few hundred feet to the Huckleberry Ridge and then traverses three peaks. The park is lightly utilized and seems to be a bit of a hidden gem, located near the sparsely populated Forkland community. It's proven to be a nice find and I've spent several days there as of late.

After the creeks and streams recede a bit, the Sheltowee Trace Trail through Daniel Boone National Forest awaits.

Trying this new app for my next hike to see if it works:
Where Fitty At???