Kentucky: 37 state parks, 8 historic sites and 2 state trails

Camping, trails, fees and current alerts are on each park’s page. See these parks on a map

Parks & natural areas 37

Barren River Lake State Resort ParkA lake resort in cave country with an award-winning 18-hole course and a marina running 100 open slips. Fish…
Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort ParkSalt springs that drew prehistoric animals, Native Americans and Daniel Boone, and the site of the last…
Breaks Interstate ParkFerns, galax, coltsfoot and tea berries carpet the wilderness around this gorge park, and Swainson's warblers…
Buckhorn Lake State Resort ParkA hill-country hideaway where the lodge lobby looks out on nesting winter eagles and handcrafted replicas of…
Carr Creek State ParkThe longest sand beach in the Kentucky state park system, on a 750-acre lake in the eastern mountains…
Carter Caves State Resort ParkTwisting caverns beneath forested hills, five natural bridges above them, and guided tours through scenic…
Columbus-Belmont State ParkHigh on a bluff over the Mississippi, this park recalls the Battle of Belmont of November 7, 1861. The…
Cumberland Falls State Resort ParkThe 'Niagara of the South' drops 125 feet into a boulder-strewn gorge, and on a full moon throws a moonbow…
Dale Hollow Lake State Resort ParkA 28,000-acre lake that became Kentucky's premier scuba destination, overlooked by a lodge, cabins and a golf…
E.P. Tom Sawyer State ParkA 554-acre green space on the edge of Louisville, on former farmland and the grounds of the Old Central State…
Fort Boonesborough State ParkKentucky's second settlement, rebuilt as a working fort of cabins and blockhouses where resident artisans…
General Burnside Island State ParkA 400-acre island surrounded by Lake Cumberland, named for the sideburn-whiskered Civil War general who…
General Butler State Resort ParkA hillside resort above the meeting of the Ohio and Kentucky rivers, with an overlook made for sunsets. Tour…
Grayson Lake State ParkSheer sandstone canyons wall 1,512 acres that the Shawnee and Cherokee once camped in. Kayak to Grotto Falls…
Green River Lake State Park1,331 acres of shoreline on an 8,210-acre lake, opened in 1969 after the Corps of Engineers dammed the Green…
Greenbo Lake State Resort ParkA 225-acre lake, sixteen miles of moderate to difficult bike trail, and a reading room devoted to poet…
Jenny Wiley State Resort ParkAn Appalachian resort on Dewey Lake named for a legendary pioneer woman, with lodge rooms, cottages and a…
John James Audubon State ParkThe woodlands where Audubon studied birds from 1810 to 1819, with a museum of his art and personal…
Kenlake State Resort ParkOn the mid-west shore of Kentucky Lake, with a full-service marina, a lodge, cottages and camping. Rent a…
Kentucky Dam Village State Resort ParkKentucky Lake's 160,000 acres at the doorstep, reachable by road, boat or airplane. Play the championship 18…
Kincaid Lake State ParkOpen woodland shelters a quiet campground with modern conveniences, beside a lake made for fishing and…
Kingdom Come State ParkAt 2,700 feet on the crest of Pine Mountain, the highest state park in Kentucky, with eight overlooks and a…
Lake Barkley State Resort ParkBarkley Lodge's grand post-and-beam hall carries three and a half acres of glass facing the lake. Cottages…
Lake Cumberland State Resort ParkMore than 60,000 acres of water and 1,225 miles of shoreline make this one of the finest fishing and boating…
Lake Malone State ParkSandstone rock walls and a waterfall line easy wooded trails along the lake. Look for Big Twigs, a family of…
Lincoln Homestead State ParkThe original home of Abraham Lincoln's mother, among the rolling hills of central Kentucky. Tour replicas of…
Mineral Mound State ParkA quiet shoreline on Lake Barkley with a historical link to F. Scott Fitzgerald, given over largely to 'The…
My Old Kentucky Home State ParkFederal Hill, one of the inspirations for Stephen Foster's ballad, shown by costumed guides through the…
Natural Bridge State Resort ParkA sandstone arch spanning 78 feet and standing 65 feet high, near the Red River Gorge. Hike up or ride the…
Nolin Lake State Park155 acres along the northern edge of Mammoth Cave National Park, on a 5,795-acre lake impounded from the…
Old Fort Harrod State ParkA full-scale replica of the fort James Harrod raised in 1774, its cabins and blockhouses furnished with…
Paintsville Lake State ParkSteep cliffs and wooded coves ring 1,140 acres of eastern Kentucky water. Rent a kayak — there is an ADA…
Pennyrile Forest State Resort ParkA back-to-nature hideaway with a sandy swimming beach and three good trails: Lake Trail, Clifty Creek and…
Pine Mountain State Resort ParkOne of Kentucky's first four state parks, opened in 1926 on a mountaintop above Kentucky Ridge State Forest…
Rough River Dam State Resort ParkA 5,000-acre lake with some of the finest fishing in the state — largemouth, white and Kentucky bass…
Taylorsville Lake State ParkTwenty-four miles of multi-use trail shared by hikers, mountain bikers and riders, with equestrian-friendly…
Yatesville Lake State ParkA 2,300-acre mountain reservoir with what the park calls the best bluegill fishing in eastern Kentucky, plus…

Historic sites & museums 8

Big Bone Lick State Historic SiteStill-active salt springs, a re-created Pleistocene marsh with life-sized mammoth and mastodon, and a living…
Dr. Thomas Walker State Historic SiteA replica of the first cabin built in Kentucky, raised by the frontiersman who preceded Daniel Boone here by…
Isaac Shelby Cemetery State Historic SiteThe smallest park in the Kentucky system: a half-acre stone-walled burial ground in the Lincoln County…
Jefferson Davis State Historic SiteThe birthplace of the Confederate president, marked by a 351-foot obelisk set on a bed of Kentucky limestone…
Old Mulkey Meetinghouse State Historic SiteThe oldest freestanding log meetinghouse in Kentucky, built in 1804 during a religious revival, its twelve…
Perryville Battlefield State Historic SiteThe site of the most destructive Civil War battle fought in Kentucky, on October 8, 1862, and one of the…
Waveland State Historic SiteA Greek revival house completed in 1848 by Joseph Bryan, a grandnephew of Daniel Boone, with tours focused on…
Wickliffe Mounds State Historic SiteA Mississippian archaeological site dating to A.D. 1100-1350, near where the Ohio meets the Mississippi. The…

Trails & scenic stops 2

Dawkins Line Rail TrailThe largest rail-to-trail in the state runs 36 miles from Hagerhill to Evanston, crossing 24 trestles and the…
Pine Mountain State Scenic TrailForty-four miles of designated footpath along Pine Mountain, forming a key link in the Great Eastern Trail…

2 New Year’s Day hikes in Kentucky, 2027

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Kentucky: 37 state parks, 8 historic sites and 2 state trails

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Camping & facilities

Parks & natural areas 37

Historic sites & museums 8

Trails & scenic stops 2

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