Kentuckiana Hiker’s Review

Short trails can deliver great sights too

Not everyone enjoys strapping on a pack and traveling over hill and dale for many miles. If you’ve never hiked a trail before, the stories of all-day treks in the great outdoors might be a little daunting. In this edition of the Hikers Review, I’m going to introduce you to a few trails in our area that aren’t long on distance, but are chock full of interesting things to see.

Jefferson Memorial Forest, Horine Reservation Mitchell Hill Trail: 1.5 miles

The Mitchell Hill Trail in the Horine Section of Jefferson Memorial Forest (JMF) is one of my year round favorites for its variety of wildlife and habitat. The 1.5 mile trail includes pines, hardwoods and the gem of the Horine section, Mitchell Hill Lake. The trail is set up as a short spur to a 1.1 mile loop that includes one long downhill and one long uphill section. At the bottom of the hill is Mitchell Hill Lake, where you’ll find a picnic table along with serene lake view benches for romantic outings, a family picnic, or for enjoying Walden-like solitude.

Also known as the Blue trail (marked with blue flashes), Mitchell Hill is known for its tortoise population during the Spring and Summer. Lakeside, you can expect to see a wide variety amphibian, reptile, and insect life. If you’re a photography buff as well as a hiker, Mitchell Hill Lake is one of the best areas in Jefferson County for snapping literally dozens of varieties of dragonflies. (Fishing on the lake is prohibited)

Halloween Pennant on Mitchell Hill Lake

Be sure to hike this trail year round and try to take advantage when Louisville gets an occasional snowfall. (Also, don’t forget that the Horine Section of JMF requires a free pass which you must acquire from the Welcome Center. Directions to the park can be found at the JMF website).

Mitchell Hill Lake in Winter

Other short trails in Jefferson Forest:

• Horine Reservation Orange Interpretive Trail: 1.7 miles
• Tom Wallace Purple Heart Trail: 2 miles
• Tom Wallace Lake Loop: .5 miles
• Tom Wallace Tulip Tree Walk: .5 miles
• Scott’s Gap Shortcut Loop: 1.4 miles

You can checkout more photos from a recent visit to the Mitchell Hill Trail here.

Hoosier National Forest, Hemlock Cliffs Loop: 1 mile

It’s not often you find as many remarkable sights on a short trail as those you will find at Hemlock Cliffs in Hoosier National Forest. I hadn’t heard about this tiny section of the Forest until this year, and I was thrilled after my first visit.

Hemlock Cliffs is a steep box canyon that includes two remarkable waterfalls over 60 ft high, sandstone rock formations and steep rocky cliffs all within a simple 1 mile trail loop. (A note of caution should be made for family outings: watch carefully after young kids since this trail includes some sheer rocky drop offs and areas where rock falls can occur.) Both waterfalls are accessible and there is a short loop trail to one of the waterfalls that allows you to walk behind the falls on a rocky outcropping with an incredible amount of space. If huge overhanging sections of rock make you nervous, you might want to skip this section of the trail.

Waterfall at Hemlock Cliffs

For Louisville natives, Hemlock Cliffs is an easy hour drive west on I-64. You can find a map to the trailhead in the link to Hemlock Cliffs above. I look forward to returning here in winter to see the ice formations. (Check out more photos of Hemlocks Cliffs here.)

Bernheim Forest, Lake Nevin Loop: 1.3 miles

I’ve been visiting Bernheim Forest since I was about 3 years old, so this park and arboretum has a very special place in my heart. As you enter Bernheim (free on weekdays, 5 bucks per car on Saturday and Sunday), one of the first things you will see is Lake Nevin on your right. The Lake Nevin loop trail, as the name suggests, is a beautiful gravel covered trail that completely encircles the lake.

Along the trail’s 1.3 mile course, you’ll see wildlife, sculpture and a combination of habitats. On the backside of the loop, there is a section of bluegrass savanna habitat that segues into a cypress marsh complete with 2 bridge expanses across low water sections of the lake. During the warmer months, you can enjoy the sounds of a wide variety of frog songs.

Lake Nevin

Lake Nevin Loop is also a remarkable four season trail. In Spring, you can enjoy redbuds and dogwoods in bloom. In the Summer, you’ll see Canadian geese and you might spot a huge grass carp tail in the lake as it feeds in the shallows. The Autumn colors along this trail are outstanding, and the Sunrise Amphitheater at the southern end of the lake is a great place to enjoy the view. Winter offers serenity and stillness if you’re hardy enough to brave the hike during a snowfall.

Short trails in Bernheim Forest:

• Rock Run Loop: 0.5 miles
• Cull Hollow Loop: 1.5 miles
• Jackson-Yoe Loop: 1.5 miles
• Fire Tower Loop: 0.5 miles
• High Point Loop: 0.5 miles
• Iron Ore Hill Loop: 1.5 miles
• Guerrilla Hollow Loop: 1.3 mile

Look for an upcoming blog post on some of the other loop trails in Bernheim in the next week or so.

Hoosier National Forest, Buzzard Roost Trail: .8 miles

The Buzzard Roost Trail is a short and remote trail in Hoosier National Forest. The trailhead is located on a high bluff overlooking the Ohio River and it includes a small campsite area for mobile or tent camping. The trail begins next to a lily pad clogged pond that you should really walk down to just to see the rain of frogs you’ll scare back into the pond.

The upper part of the trail includes some great river overlooks while the lower section of the trail will take you through steep and rocky terrain next to a creek ravine. During wet weather, the lower section of Buzzard Roost is supposedly remarkable with outstanding water cascades over boulders in the ravine. The trail ends at the banks of the mighty Ohio.

Buzzard Roost Overlook

This trail is a little tough on the knees (if you have that issue) and has steep rocky sections that are very slippery in wet weather. Watch after children as there are several rocky drop offs of over 20 feet directly adjacent to the trail. On my first trip to this trail, my only negative experience was a run in with chiggers, which are plentiful in this area. Make sure to put on some deet or other bug repellent on your lower extremities.

Part of the adventure of the Buzzard Roost Trail is the drive (see map in link above). Take your time on some of the back roads as deer are plentiful in the area.

Deer along the road near Buzzard Roost

Blackberry Lilies

Check out the photos from my recent trip to Buzzard Roost here.

I’m a Louisville native and I’m not really into horses. In fact, I’ve said it more than once, I think horses are evil. Maybe it was my first two horseback rides when I was 12 and I got bucked off. Or perhaps when I was 18 and a friend tried to convince me to ride and his horse bit me. Twice.

It doesn’t matter really, but I’ve resigned myself to the fact that horses are best viewed from the other side of a fence or on the television. This past Saturday was the culmination of a 2 week festival here in Louisville that ends in the “most exciting 2 minutes in sports”; the Kentucky Derby. I’ve gone to the Derby several times in my life, and this years lack of any compelling stories and my lack of any tickets made me decide to go hiking.

With cool weather and rain showers predicted, I decided to do a little bit more than the mile and a quarter that the horses run at Churchill Downs. I took off on this cloudy Saturday to take on Bernheim Forest’s 14 mile Millennium Trail.

It has been almost 2 years since I last hiked the Millennium Trail and I was anxious to see what kind of shape it was in. The Millennium remained closed for almost 2 months after the January ice storm that struck the Ohio Valley and I couldn’t help but wonder how it had effected the trail. In cool weather, hiking anything up to 6 miles on a day hike is pretty simple. Even up to 10 miles, the average hiker can manage it with just some extra liquids and some snacks in order to stay hydrated and keep energized. Once you push past 10 miles, you should plan ahead and take some precautions. My provisions for the hike were simple, but helped me a lot along the way and gave me enough energy to finish the hike with a little spring still left in my step. I took the following:

One full 1.5 litre hydration bladder (Camelbak)
2 16 oz bottles of Gatorade
2 high fiber/protein energy bars
1 single service bag of baby carrots
1 gala apple
1 peanut butter sandwich

Of the provisions I took, all were gone except the apple by the time I reached the end and I enjoyed it during my drive back home. Spaced out over the day, I made sure that I never got that lead footed feeling you can sometimes get when you have little energy left. (As a general rule, pack what you think you need, then pack one or two extra things to eat just in case).

Arriving at the park at just after 10 AM, I headed to the Welcome center to sign in before my hike. When hiking the Millennium Trail, Bernheim requires you to sign in for your safety. When you sign the hiking ledger, be sure to include where you intend to park and begin your hike.

The trailhead for the Millennium Trail is located in the Guerrilla Hollow parking area, and this was where I began my hike. Using the trailhead as 12 o’clock, I proceeded to hike the trail clockwise, covering the northern half of the trail first.

Overcast skies, 60 degrees, and light sprinkles were with me all day, but surprisingly, the majority of the trail wasn’t terribly muddy or slippery and the creek crossings were all very manageable. When there has been a lot of rain, this can be a very wet-footed trail. Although it was drippy all day, it didn’t slow me down.

What can you say about a vibrant forest in Spring? I don’t think it is coincidental that I really enjoy hiking and my favorite color is green. Bernheim Forest is alive and well and growing like gangbusters. Although the ice storm has scarred a good deal of the forest, the first 8 miles of the trail were fairly clear of large debris. There are some minor detours around downed timber, but nothing alarming.

After eating my lunch at the halfway point around 2 PM, I proceeded across one of several fire roads to the southern half of the trail. This is where the more adventurous section of my hike began.

In between mile marker 8 and mile marker 9, you will proceed from a ridge down into a creek hollow. About halfway into the hollow, you will lose the trail. I guarantee it. For about the next mile or so, don’t be surprised if you have to back track in order to find the last trail marker and start looking around for the next one again.

The problem of course is that there is a lot of large downed timber here. In fact, there was so much, it was a little alarming at first. The bigger problem isn’t the downed trees, but more so the downed trees that had trail markers nailed to them.

My advice for this section is simple: be patient. When you’re in a creek bed and can’t seem to find a marker ahead, be sure to check the banks of the creek. Twice, I had to scrabble up steep banks to continue on the trail. The markers weren’t easy to spot because they were almost 90 degrees perpendicular to the last marker, and they were also 10-15 feet above my sight line.

Additionally, pay attention to traditional trail marking: a cut log directly across what looks like a path means “don’t go this way”. I remembered that little tradition only after scrambling over about 50 yards of fallen trees and scratching the heck out of my shins. (In one particular case, I followed what looked like a trail thanks to orange tape markers tied to tree trunks. I assume they were marked for cutting later. DO NOT FOLLOW ORANGE TAPE. They don’t mark the trail and more than once I walked a hundred yards forward before back tracking to find the last yellow trail marker.)

The orienteering section of the trail only lasts for about a mile, and the biggest problem sections are contained in two creek hollows on the southern half of the trail. I apologize to any wildlife that might have been offended by my long, loud and highly descriptive expletives I utilized while in these areas.

I’m not sure if it was the cool weather, but during the entire hike, I brushed against many branches and brambles, but I didn’t spot a single tick the entire day which is really surprising since the Millennium Trail is tick central during the Summer months.

My one suggestion for the trail would probably be to wear long pants to protect your shins. (I brought my gaiters with me, but with my usual wisdom I left them in the trunk of my car.)

I truly enjoyed my Derby Day celebration in the great outdoors on the Millennium Trail in Bernheim Forest. If you want to tackle this 14 mile loop, make sure to plan ahead, arrive early and have a great day in the forest. If you’d like to view all  of the pictures I took in Bernheim Forest, be sure to check out the photo album entitled Derby Millennium.

As Kentucky continues to recover from the January ice storm, many of the state’s parks are slowly reopening trails as the cleanup continues. One of my favorite local hiking haunts is Bernheim Forest, just 20 minutes south of Louisville off of Interstate 65.

Bernheim Forest is an arboretum and research park, complete with miles and miles of gorgeous hiking trails through untouched habitat. I’ve been hiking Bernheim since I was 4 years old, and some of the best days of my youth were spent in the park.

The January 2009 ice storm will probably go down in the history of the park as one of the most damaging weather events in its history. Thousands of trees have incurred damage of some sort, and many of the parks trees suffered complete root system failure from the saturation of the ground and have toppled over. Pine trees in the park were hit especially hard, including those surrounding the Big Prairie Loop road and the Guerrilla Loop recreation area.

Currently, the park is open and all of the paved roads are clear of debris. Trails that are currently open include

• Lake Nevin Loop
• Two Ponds Loop
• Nursery Loop
• Canopy Walk

These trails are some of the few in the park that have paving or gravel over most of the trail. All remote woods trails, including all trailheads on the Forest Hill Road, remain closed. The Canopy Walk on the loop of Forest Hill  Road is open and offers some views of the damage in the forest at treetop level.

Scheduled events continue at the park and the cleanup is moving forward. I was a bit shocked at the sheer volume of the damage, but to keep it in perspective this is nature’s way. The research center will now be afforded an unusual look at how a forest repairs itself after storms of this type. There is currently no timeline for reopening the remote trails, but with the volume of downed timber, I wouldn’t expect any update for a month or more.

Volunteers are welcome!

“To learn more about volunteering yourself, with a group of friends, family, or a work-related team, visit our website at www.bernheim.org or contact Dottie Pilato at (502) 955-8512 x 236 or dpilato@bernheim.org. Bernheim is a great environment for fostering peace, teamwork, communication, cooperation, and the satisfaction of a job well done!”

While I visited Bernheim, I also took a few pictures of the damage. The photo album Bernheim Ice Storm Damage has several pictures that don’t do the widespread damage any justice, but do depict scenes that are pretty much everywhere in the park.