26 Beatiful Hiking Trails Near Louisville Where You Can Enjoy The Outdoors

By LEO Weekly Staff on Tue, Mar 26, 2024 at 6:11 pm

Kentuckiana is lush with outdoor activities. Kentucky alone is home to more than 2,000 native species of plants and 19,400 native species of animals, so the best hikes in and near Louisville are as invigorating as they are inspiring.

City dwellers looking for things to do in nature need look no further than our Louisville hiking guide. Here are some of our favorite hiking trails, walking trails, and scenic vistas in the region.

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The Parklands of Floyds Fork

Hickory Trail and Paw Paw Trail Loop

Turkey Run Park, 8703 Stout Rd.
Hikers and bikers share this trail in Turkey Run Park, so keep an eye out for others if you traverse it. Hickory and Paw Paw are almost parallel trails, according to The Parklands of Floyds Fork, to create an optional loop back to the Silo Center that offered a change of scenery.

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Howder Family / Creative Commons

Clifty Falls State Park Loop Trail

2221 Clifty Dr., Madison, IN
Clifty Falls State Park Loop Trail is a five-mile loop on the rim of the entire Clifty Canyon. The trail is perfect to get a sense of the entire park, and filled with picturesque views that look down into the waterfall filled canyon. A word of advice, though: Set aside an extra hour of hiking into your timetable since the elevation gain on this trail is about 1,000 feet.

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Mike Bucayu

Pine Creek Barrens

Pine Creek Trail, Shepherdsville, KY
YouTuber Mike Bucayu is a fan of this secluded, less traveled nature preserve in Shepherdsville, which he calls "a quiet hidden gem." What's also cool is that it's one of the few places in the world to find the Kentucky glade cress, a small wildflower that actually belongs to the mustard family.

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Charlestown State Park

Charlestown State Park Trail No. 2

12500 IN-62, Charlestown, IN
Trail No. 2 is a 1.3-mile loop that takes you through an open woodland before dropping into hilly terrain that runs parallel to a creek, which, water levels permitting, has a few, small waterfalls.

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Charlestown State Park

Charlestown State Park Trail No. 6

12500 IN-62, Charlestown, IN
Trail No. 6 is a 2.3-mile loop that runs parallel to the Ohio River. Because of this trail's proximity to water, you have a better chance of seeing wildlife in the area, particularly birds. The park hosts 72 species of birds, including bluebirds, black vultures, and an occasional bald eagle.

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Kentucky Nature Preserves

Vernon-Douglas State Nature Preserve Trail

407 Audubon Trace, Elizabethtown, KY
This second-growth forest is great for nature lovers. Although the trail can be a bit challenging and might not be ideal for newbie hikers, it's gotten plenty of positive reviews online.

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