Otter Creek Loop
16 Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve
ART IS WHERE YOU ARE. (See Hike 6, Iroquois Park Summit.)
Introduction
About This Book
Five-Star Trails: Louisville and Southern Indiana covers 37 hikes in the city and surrounding area. Given that Louisville is situated on the Ohio River, about half of the hikes are south of the river, in north-central Kentucky, and about half are north of the river, in southern Indiana.
Geologically speaking, Louisville sits on the far western fringe of the Outer Bluegrass, characterized by rolling hills and narrow ridgetops. Deciduous-hardwood forests dominated by oak, maple, beech, and hickory cover most of this area, except for the occasional meadow, a leftover remnant of land that was cleared for farming. Just south of Louisville lies the Knobs, a region distinguished by distinctive steep-sloping, often cone-shaped hills capped with limestone and sandstone, rendering their peaks more erosion-resistant compared with the rock beneath. Southwest of Louisville lie the Mississippian Plateau and the far-eastern edge of the Muldraugh Hills. Unlike the isolated hills of the Knobs, the Muldraughs are an escarpment, or ring of continuous hills, that divides the Plateau from the Bluegrass.
North of Louisville, in southern Indiana, the terrain is also quite hilly and in geological terms is referred to as the Southern Hills and Lowlands. This part of the Hoosier State was largely untouched by encroaching glaciers, preserving a rich ecosystem of plants and animals that thrive on the steeper topography found closer to the river.
The hikes in this book are divided into five geographic regions:
LOUISVILLE: INSIDE I-265 This section comprises hikes close to the heart of the city, bounded by Interstate 265 to both the south (in Kentucky, where it’s known as the Gene Snyder Freeway) and the north (in Indiana). Most of these hikes are lightly wooded trails traversing a gently rolling landscape in urban parks, or they consist of level paved walkways adjacent to the Ohio River. (The exception is the trail at Iroquois Park, which ascends a 260-foot knob.) Several of the hikes begin at nature centers, making them perfect for cold or rainy days.
KENTUCKY: SOUTH OF LOUISVILLE AND WEST OF I-65 The trails southwest of Louisville generally travel through moderately hilly woods, including the Jefferson Memorial Forest. Two hikes lie just south of the Ohio River. (Fort Knox, a U.S. Army base southwest of Louisville, limits additional hiking opportunities.)
KENTUCKY: SOUTH OF LOUISVILLE AND EAST OF I-65 Most of the terrain in this region encompasses gently rolling hills, with the exception of the Knobs due south of Louisville. Adding to the diversity of trails in this region are Fairmount Falls, Taylorsville Lake, and Salato Wildlife Education Center.
INDIANA: NORTH OF LOUISVILLE AND WEST OF I-65 Hiking areas in the northwest quadrant can vary from rolling hills to steep ravines and cliffs, the latter being representative of the karst geology of southern Indiana. The Hoosier National Forest dominates much of this region. Also found here are the remnants of an old-growth forest.
INDIANA: NORTH OF LOUISVILLE AND EAST OF I-65 The terrain in this section varies tremendously, from small, intimate gorges (which escaped the leveling glacial flows that transformed other parts of Indiana) to the shallow lakes and waterfowl-breeding grounds of the Muscatatuck Plateau.
How to Use This Guidebook
The following section walks you through this guidebook’s organization, making it easy and convenient to plan great hikes.
Overview Map, Map Key, & Map Legend
The overview map on the inside front cover shows the primary trailheads for all 37 hikes. The numbers on the overview map pair with the map key on the facing page. A legend explaining the map symbols used throughout the book appears on the inside back cover.
Trail Maps
In addition to the overview map on the inside cover, a detailed map of each hike’s route appears with its profile. On each of these maps, symbols indicate the trailhead, the complete route, significant features, facilities, and topographic landmarks such as creeks, overlooks, and peaks.
To produce the highly accurate maps in this book, I used a handheld GPS unit to gather data while hiking each route, then sent that data to Menasha Ridge Press’s expert cartographers. Be aware, though, that your GPS device is no substitute for sound, sensible navigation that takes into account the conditions that you observe while hiking.
Further, despite the high quality of the maps in this guidebook, the publisher and myself strongly recommend that you always carry an additional map, such as the ones noted in each profile opener’s “Maps” listing.
Elevation Profile (Diagram)
For trails with significant changes in elevation, the hike descriptions include this graphical element. Entries for fairly flat routes, such as a lake loop, do not display an elevation profile. Also, each entry’s key information lists the elevation at the start of that specific route to its highest point.
For hike descriptions that include an elevation profile, this diagram represents the rises and falls of the trail as viewed from the side, over the complete distance (in miles) of that trail. On the diagram’s vertical axis, or height scale, the number of feet indicated between each tick mark lets you visualize the climb. To avoid making flat hikes look steep and steep hikes appear flat, varying height scales provide an accurate image of each hike’s climbing challenge.
The Hike Profile
Each profile opens with the hike’s star ratings, GPS trailhead coordinates, and other key at-a-glance information—from the trail’s distance and configuration to contacts for local information. Each profile also includes a map (see “Trail Maps”). The main text for each profile includes four sections: Overview, Route Details, Nearby Attractions, and Directions (for driving to the trailhead area).
STAR RATINGS
The hikes in Five-Star Trails: Louisville and Southern Indiana have been carefully chosen to give the hiker an overall five-star experience and represent the diversity of trails found in the region. Each hike is assigned a one- to five-star rating in each of the following categories: scenery, trail condition, suitability for children, level of difficulty, and degree of solitude. While one hike may receive a five-star rating for its stunning scenery, that same trail may rank as a two-star trail for children. Similarly, another hike might receive two stars for difficulty but earn five stars for solitude. While it’s unlikely that any one trail could receive a five-star rating in all five categories, each trail offers excellence in at least one category, if not others.
Here’s how the star ratings for each of the five categories break
