To begin Botany Blitz 2024 and Wildflower Week, on Saturday, April 6th, KNPS will host a series of Kick Off Hikes in parks and natural areas across the Commonwealth.
These mainly easy nature walks will be led by local botanizers who know the native plant species that will be encountered in each area. As the Kick Off hikes are meant to start the Botany Blitz project, we are hoping that folks who plan to participate will sign up for an iNaturalist account (if they don’t already have one) and join the Botany Blitz 2024 project.
Please fill out the form at the bottom of this page if you are going to participate in one of the First Day hikes. If you have any questions email us at WildflowerWeekend2024@knps.org.
List of Kick Off Hikes
All Hikes are on April 6th, 2024
10:00 AM EDT Pine Creek Barrens Nature Preserve, Shepherdsville KY: 1.5 miles, easy loop trail. Join Kentucky Native Plant society member Alan Abbott on a spring barrens walk through the preserve, just a short drive from Louisville, KY. Meet and park in the Pine Creek Barrens parking area (1264 Pine Creek Trail, Shepherdsville, KY 40165).
10:00 AM EDT St. Anne Woods and Wetlands, Melbourne KY: 1.5 miles, easy walk, loop trail. Join Northern Kentucky University professor, Dr. Maggie Whitson, on this walk through the wetlands and floodplain of the Ohio River. Meet and park at the NKU Research and Education Fields Station (99 Harrison Ct., Melbourne, KY 41059), participants will then carpool over to the small St. Anne’s trailhead parking area two blocks away. Hike length is an easy 1.5 miles through mostly flat bottomland forest, trails may be muddy so please choose footwear accordingly. Restrooms available at the Field Station. To view trail information, visit https://www.nku.edu/academics/artsci/about/centers/refs/st–anne-wetlands—public-tour.html
8:00 AM CDT Hematite Lake Trail, Land Between the Lakes (LBL) National Recreation Area, Eddyville KY: 2.5 miles, easy walk, loop trail. Walk with Murray State graduate student Gage Barnes along the banks of Hematite Lake and see a mix of woodland and aquatic loving plant species. Meet and park at the Hematite Lake Trailhead (Forest Service Rd 176 Eddyville, KY 42038) for a 2.5 mile easy loop trail. Restrooms available nearby at the Woodlands Nature Station (open at 10am) or a short drive north to the North Welcome Station (open at 9am). A general map of LBL can be found here: https://www.landbetweenthelakes.com/maps/docs/2015LBLGeneralMap.pdf
10:00 AM EDT Lower Howard’s Creek Nature and Heritage Preserve: 2 miles, moderate hike that descends 300 ft in elevation, then ascends again. Meet hike leader Karis Pumphrey at 1925 Athens-Boonesboro Road, Winchester, KY 40391 (0.7 miles north of Hall’s on the River.) Hike length is about 2 miles of moderate difficulty, there is a long steep hill to climb, but plenty of flowers to stop and examine along the way if you need to catch your breath. Restrooms are available on site. To view photos and learn more about Lower Howard’s Creek, visit https://www.lowerhowardscreek.org/
10:00AM CDT Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park. Meet Park Naturalists Haley Joseph and Anna Neely at the Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park lodge (20781 Pennyrile Lodge Rd, Dawson Springs, KY). We will first explore wildflowers along the Clifty Creek Trail (0.25 miles), hikers can then decide if they’d like to continue for a longer hike on the Lake Trail, which loops around Pennyrile Lake (total of ~3 miles). Restrooms available at the Lodge. To view a PDF of the park map, scroll to the bottom of this page and click “Documents” https://parks.ky.gov/parks/find-a-park/pennyrile-forest-state-resort-park-7798, then select “Park Map.”
10:00 AM CDT Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park: 1.5 miles, easy to moderate hike. Meet Park Naturalist Coti Groce at the covered shelter picnic area at end of Picnic Shelter Road (36.646226, -85.280217) to hike the out-and-back trail from the shelter to the back entrance of Cindy Cave. Hike length will be about 1.5 miles, this trail is easy to moderate. On the return trip from the cave, participants will have the option to go off-trail a bit where the terrain will be slightly steeper and we will be adjacent to a large cliff. Restrooms available at the picnic shelter. To view a PDF of the park map, scroll to the bottom of this page and click “Documents” https://parks.ky.gov/explore/dale-hollow-lake-state-resort-park-7787, then select “Park Map.”
9:00 AM CDT Mammoth Cave National Park: 1.75 miles, moderately difficult. Approximately 50 stairs. Meet hike leaders Steve & Janet Kistler, Carol Friedman, and Tricia Sepulveda at the Cedar Sink Trail trailhead (37.15545, -86.16057). Hikers will see dry open woodland at the start of the trail, followed by descent into a very large sink area, which is moist and loaded with flowers. Hike length will be about 1.75 miles, this trail is moderate difficulty – There is a staircase down into the sink of approximately 50 stairs, with an elevation change of approximately 75 feet. Hikers can exit the sink the same way, or continue in a loop and get back up to starting elevation via stairs and a hilly trail. Facilities: port-a-johns are available at the trailhead, indoor restrooms are at the Caver’s Camp Store on Mammoth Cave Parkway, about 4 miles away. Park maps can be obtained for free at the Mammoth Cave visitor center, or viewed online: https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/maps.html.