Whether you’ve got your sights set on a quick loop or a multi-day backpacking adventure, you’ll find hundreds of miles of scenic hiking trails in Kentucky. Discover the green pastures and rolling hills of Horse Country. Hike past rushing rivers, majestic rock formations and crashing waterfalls in Daniel Boone Country. Stroll along the calm expanses of Cave Run Lake and other beautiful bodies of water. Trek to the heights of the Appalachian Mountains, then explore the subterranean depths of Mammoth Cave National Park and other Kentucky caves. 

 

Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail is Kentucky's longest hiking trail, stretching over 280 miles through the Daniel Boone National Forest. Once complete, the Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail will total 120 miles along the crest of scenic Pine Mountain, making up one portion of the Great Eastern Trail that spans nine states. Find more trails, outfitters and trip inspiration below, and start getting excited to explore Kentucky on foot.

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Trip Inspiration

Bluegrass Horses Bourbon & Boone Road Trips

Kentucky Bourbon Experiences

If you want to taste Kentucky bourbon and see how distilling is done, there are no wrong turns with Kentucky Bourbon Experiences.

 

 

Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Craft Tour

With stops at 19 superb small-batch distilleries, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Craft Tour is proof that it pays to venture off the beaten path.

 

 

Interstate 64

Discover all that is quintessentially Kentucky on this east-west roadway – from Louisville’s buzzing bourbon and culinary scene to the proud musical and cultural heritage of the Appalachian Mountains.

 

 

Interstate 75

Highlights along this highway include Kentucky Horse Park, the original KFC and Cumberland Falls – but there are many more sights, sounds and local bites to savor along the way.

 

 

Country Ham Trail

A savory Southern specialty for breakfast, lunch or dinner, country ham is one of Kentucky’s favorite foods.

 

 

Fried Chicken Trail

From the original KFC to soul food joints to fine dining, sink your teeth into some of the best fried chicken in America.


Brewgrass Trail

Tap into Kentucky’s ever-growing craft beer scene in and around Lexington.


Bon Appetit Appalachia Kentucky

Get a taste of Kentucky mountain culture and traditions, from farm to table.

 

 

Kentucky Lincoln Heritage Trail

Abraham Lincoln lived in Kentucky for the first seven years of his life, and that period left a lifelong impression on the future leader.

 

Boone Trace

Daniel Boone was an explorer and hero of American pioneer history, the preeminent symbol for America's westward movement across its first frontier.


 

Bluegrass Parkway

The Bluegrass Parkway winds through the knobs of central Kentucky where Abraham Lincoln was born, and travels onward through Bourbon Country amid rolling hills of the bluegrass that give the roadway its name.

 

Boone Parkway

This parkway travels through the heart of Kentucky’s Daniel Boone Country, where adventure waits around every bend.




 

Civil War Heritage Trail

Kentucky's Civil War Heritage Trail was created to observe the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, and includes 36 historic and interpretive sites around the state – from battlefields and cemeteries to the birthplaces of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis.

 

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