From the world’s longest cave to a few of the largest man-made lakes in the country, Kentucky offers endless outdoor exploration in its beautiful backyard. Kentuckians and tourists alike hike, bike, ride and paddle thousands of miles of trails and waterways that crisscross the Commonwealth. Kentucky’s Department of Tourism created the Trail Town program to cultivate adventure tourism, designating Dawson Springs as the first Trail Town in 2012. Today, 25 communities hold the title.
Trail Towns are gateways to the great outdoors, offering access to terrestrial, water and even underground trails. Visitors can get a taste of local life with a sampling of the cuisine and culture. In addition to campgrounds with primitive and RV camping, lodging options include hotels and bed and breakfasts, plus state resort parks. You can even sleep in a teepee!
Cave City/Horse Cave
You likely have heard the expression “hole in the wall.” Cave City has a hole in the ground—or, rather, several holes. Water-worn limestone makes for a unique subterranean escape in the southern part of the state. Located between Louisville and Nashville, Kentucky’s cave region is home to six trail towns that make up Cave Country Trails, a collective of communities with hiking, biking, equestrian and water trails that surround the designated Dark Sky Park and International Biosphere Region known as Mammoth Cave National Park. Three caves—Crystal Onyx Cave, Onyx Cave and Outlaw Cave, and Jesse James Riding Stables—earn Cave City its moniker. Visitors can book a wigwam for the night at the Historic Wigwam Village No. 2.
The largest natural opening in the area is the entrance to Hidden River Cave just off Main Street in nearby Horse Cave. Its caverns hide two rivers as well as Sunset Dome, described as “one of the largest free-standing cave domes in the United States.” Adventurers can rappel down its limestone face, zipline across its mouth, or take a tour across a 100-foot suspension bridge—the world’s longest underground suspension bridge in a cave—if you dare!
“Horse Cave is a proud partner of Cave City in the Kentucky Trail Town program,” said Sandra T. Wilson, Horse Cave/Hart County Tourism executive director. “Horse Cave has two unique trails inside [and underneath] our city limits: Hidden River Cave, the centerpiece of our downtown National Register of Historic Places Commercial District, and Mammoth Onyx Cave at the edge of town inside the Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo property.” Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo also offers the opportunity to pet a kangaroo!
Horse Cave’s Hart County is home to a large Amish community and several Amish-owned businesses. Indulge in the freshly baked Amish-made confections at R&S Grocery and Bakery and Farmwald’s Dutch Bakery & Deli. In addition to cabins and RV sites, Horse Cave KOA campground offers unique places to sleep—choose from a teepee, a covered wagon or a treehouse!
Nearby Munfordville is a popular place for paddling the Green River and also is home to Kentucky Stonehenge. Park City serves as the trailhead for the Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike and Hike Trail and is home to Diamond Caverns, which features drapery formations, also known as “cave bacon,” which are mineral deposits that hang like curtains. Of course, there’s plenty of fun to be had above ground in the town named after its neighboring national park, from cycling and hiking Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike and Hike Trail to backcountry horseback riding.
Jamestown
Jamestown is located in Russell County in South-Central Kentucky. Its claim to fame is Lake Cumberland, and the lake’s claim to fame is “Houseboat Capital of the World,” boasting “more rental houseboats in one location than anywhere else in the U.S.” With more than 60,000 acres of water and 1,225 miles of shoreline, the 101-mile-long man-made lake and the 36,000 acres of public land that surround it supply plenty of room for everyone. Lake Cumberland State Resort Park offers fishing, boating, hiking and even lakeside accommodations.
Anglers flock to Lake Cumberland for its striped bass fishing, while nearby Hatchery Creek is a one-of-a-kind, world-class man-made trout stream full of rainbow, brown and brook trout. The Cumberland River flows through town, leading to the dam. Visitors can canoe or kayak along the Cumberland River Paddle Trail and hike the trails at Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery.
“From trailheads to wide-open waters, Russell County invites you to ride, paddle and unwind where the Cumberland River and Lake Cumberland steal the show,” said Danielle Wilson, executive director of Lake Cumberland Tourist Commission.
Natural Bridge Arch and Red River Gorge get all the glory, but Russell County boasts its own huge limestone arch called Creelsboro Natural Arch, known to locals as “The Rockhouse.” Follow your GPS and brace for challenging terrain to be rewarded with natural beauty that’s been around for 300 million years!
Slade
On the eastern side of the state, Slade serves as the gateway to the world-renowned Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Boasting some of the best rock climbing in the Bluegrass State and beyond, this area is home to the striking Natural Bridge. Ride the skylift or hike up to Natural Bridge State Resort Park to check out the enormous eponymous sandstone arch. While in the area, tour Natural Bridge Cave and hike to Henson’s Arch.
Red River Gorge trails range from easy to difficult, winding past natural wonders, including Gray’s Arch and Balanced Rock. In addition to the Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge trails, the Sheltowee Trace National Recreational Trail and Daniel Boone National Forest Trail System offer hiking nearby. Paddlers can give the Red River rapids a go or mill about Mill Creek Lake.
Harlan/Tri Cities
Rising along the Pine and Black mountains, in the heart of Eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian coalfields, Harlan and the historic mining communities of Cumberland, Benham and Lynch—collectively known as the Tri-City area of Harlan County—offer one of Eastern Kentucky’s most compelling Trail Town experiences. Once bustling company towns built by industrial giants such as U.S. Steel and International Harvester, the communities blend rich Appalachian history with a cornucopia of outdoor adventure. Visitors can explore Kingdom Come State Park, hike the Pine Mountain Scenic Trail or Little Shepherd Trail, and tackle popular bike routes such as the Summit Bike Trail, which climbs to the top of Black Mountain, Kentucky’s highest peak at 4,145 feet. Just keep an eye out for black bears along the way!
Located in Lynch, Portal 31 Mine Tours takes tourists underground through a former coal mine on an old-fashioned railcar. Learn more about the region’s heritage at the Kentucky Coal Museum. Order a latte at Lamp House Coffee before browsing the local farmers market.
In Benham, a beautifully restored 1926 schoolhouse, the Benham School House Inn offers a unique overnight stay rooted in the town’s progressive past. Seasonal events such as July’s “Black Mountain Madness: Ride to the Summit” bring more excitement, while ziplining, ATV trails and elk tours in the nearby Trail Town of Hazard add to the adventure.
As Erica L. Eldridge, Tri-Cities Main Street director, puts it, “Tri-Cities is where the ride turns into a story woven through the histories of Cumberland, Benham and Lynch. Come for the adventure, stay for the shared history and small-town charm, and leave with a reason to come back.”
Kentucky has 25 trail towns...
Berea
Brownsville
Campbellsville
Cave City/Horse Cave
Columbia
Dawson Springs
Elizabethtown
Elkhorn City
Estill Twin Cities (Irvine)
Harlan
(Tri-Cities)
Hazard
Jamestown
Livermore
Livingston
London
Manchester
McKee
Morehead
Morgantown
Munfordville
Olive Hill
Park City
Royalton
Slade
Stearns
To learn more about them, head to kentuckytourism.com.