Boone County Hiking Guide

Welcome to Boone County! There’s plenty of trail to enjoy with opportunities to get that deep woods feel at Middle Creek Park, take in birds and native grasses at Conservancy Park, Belleview, or spend a little time admiring American bison at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site. Here are some quick tidbits:

Kids. Our youngest hikers love two things - creeks and animals. They’ll LOVE playing in Gunpowder Creek in the warmer months and never forget their first time seeing a real life bison herd at Big Bone Lick.

Longest Trail System. Middle Creek Park offers the greatest number of trail miles with various hiking routes that range from short and easy to long and strenuous.

Solitude. Adair Wildlife Management Area is the least visited hiking area in Boone County. From mid-Spring through Fall, bushwhacking will be required, but it’s always quiet except during hunting season.

Dogs. Two of Boone County’s hiking areas are State Nature Preserves (SNP) - Boone Cliffs and Dinsmore Woods. As is true at all of Kentucky’s SNPs, dogs are not allowed:-(

Leave No Trace. Truth be told, many of Boone County’s trail users are litterbugs. This is both normal and expected in any high population density area. Be sure to educate yourself and your hiking party on Leave No Trace practices and bring a trash bag to pick-up after less tidy trail users. [LEARN MORE]

Questions. If you have a question, drop an email to hello@kentuckyhiker.com

 

Hiking Areas

click/tap a hiking area to view hikes

Local

Boone County Parks & Rec

Conservancy Park, Belleview
Gunpowder Creek - Sperti Park
Middle Creek Park
Waller-Stephenson Mill Park*

Federal

N/A

Latest Hikes in Boone County

Featured
Sunset on Bison Trace at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site
Sunset on Bison Trace at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site

This easy walk out to see the bison at Big Bone is the most popular hike at the park. On hot days, the bison typically stay in the shaded areas away from visitors to beat the heat. Knowing this, I visited a couple hours before sunset and enjoyed watching the herd make its way around the fields as the shadows grew long and the day’s heat subsided.

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Gunpowder Creek Nature Park - Sperti Park
Gunpowder Creek Nature Park - Sperti Park

Gunpowder Creek is the most playful creek in Boone County and kids LOVE IT!!! The creek is broad and depending on weather, is generally very tame and accessible. This time of year is by far the best to visit with a plethora of wildflowers to enjoy - especially nearest the creek.

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Short Double Loop at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site
Short Double Loop at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site

This is my favorite trail combination at Big Bone - and I’ve probably run a few hundred miles across these loops. Springtime is the ideal time for a visit to enjoy the many varieties of wildflowers lining the trails - especially near the creek. And, Big Bone is home to a small, beautiful herd of bison!

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Boone Cliffs State Nature Preserve Loop
Boone Cliffs State Nature Preserve Loop

Boone Cliffs State Nature Preserve was closed for a good while before re-opening with a new trail route. While the trail is unmarked, there are benches located about every quarter mile to show you the way. This is a great little hike with plentiful wildflowers and fungi under a mature forest.

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Middle Creek Park Trail 1 Loop
Middle Creek Park Trail 1 Loop

By far, the most popular hike at Middle Creek Park is on Trail #1. At just short of 3 miles, the loop takes you from the bottomland forest along the creek to the hilltop and back while providing that deep woods feel. Along the way, you’ll pass one of the largest and oldest sycamores you’ll find in the area, and the park is home to an enormous variety of wildflowers.

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Conservancy Park Belleview
Conservancy Park Belleview

With Boone Cliffs and Middle Creek Park busy, I headed over to Conservancy Park Belleview that only had a couple other visitors. This is a nice little park that was formerly a gravel pit. Through a lot of effort, the area is being restored with native grasses, wildflowers, and plenty of birds to see.

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Dinsmore Woods State Nature Preserve Lollipop
Dinsmore Woods State Nature Preserve Lollipop

Of all the seasons to hike local, Spring is by far the best! It’s wildflower season throughout Kentucky and this hike had plenty to admire. This trail is local to me - a short drive from home - and this is the best time of year to take a walk in the woods to simply enjoy the forest.

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Adair WMA - East Loop
Adair WMA - East Loop

Next door to Big Bone Baptist Church is Adair Wildlife Management Area (WMA). We decided to take advantage of this long dry spell to do some arrowhead hunting and hiked the dried up stream beds on the eastern half of the area. This time of year, it’s a guaranteed bushwhack, so be prepared and don’t wear anything nice:-)

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