Franklin: Trails, Art, and Bourbon Culture

Hiking trails, outdoor art, historic homes, and paddling routes give Franklin its many facets. Options range from a paved trail in Frankfort to paths through natural areas and experiences on the water. To plan your trip, you can first decide whether nature, culture, or a particular activity will be your focus.

Hiking Trails and Natural Areas

Cove Spring Park and Nature Preserve encompasses around 240 acres of wetlands, streams, springs, waterfalls, and wooded ravines, along with other natural and historic features. The park has three miles of natural-surface trails and elevated boardwalks with informational signs. This means you can choose between trails through the landscape and boardwalks where signs provide additional guidance.

A different type of trail can be found in Frankfort: the Thorobred Trail is 0.8 miles long, paved, and connects downtown with Kentucky State University. It is for pedestrians only; motorized vehicles and bicycles are prohibited. This clear restriction on use sets it apart, for example, from the West Sixth Farm trail network, which spans around four miles and is intended for mountain biking, trail running, and hiking.

West Sixth Farm is situated on 120 hilly acres in Franklin County. It offers a farm tour on the first Saturday of each month; check the date before your trip. Franklin County has around 40 miles of hiking trails. This figure applies to the county as a whole, while the three miles in Cove Spring Park and the roughly four-mile network at West Sixth Farm refer to individual locations. These figures therefore represent different scales.

Outdoor Art and History

Josephine Sculpture Park combines artworks with trails through the landscape. More than 70 artworks are spread along two miles of mowed trails through 40 acres of native meadows, fields, and woods. Admission is free; the park is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Here, art and the surroundings are part of the walk together, while the trail length offers a concrete reference for planning.

For a look at history, Liberty Hall Historic Site features two houses: Liberty Hall and the Orlando Brown House. Frankfort Cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These sites represent different aspects of local history; the cemetery’s listing indicates its status on the register. At Capitol View Park, the view turns to the Kentucky River, with a scenic outlook over the river.

River, Paddling, and Bourbon

On Elkhorn Creek, The Palisades is an eight-mile stretch with Class III and IV rapids. Water levels affect paddling difficulty and conditions. You can also paddle 17 miles on Elkhorn Creek, from Forks at Elkhorn in Frankfort to the Kentucky River. When planning, information about the route and rapids helps distinguish the different paddling options; water conditions remain a separate important factor at The Palisades.

Bourbon Paddle Tours includes a guided paddle trip on the Kentucky River through Lock 4, as well as a tour and tasting at Buffalo Trace Distillery. This is different from the offerings of Kentucky River Tours: a bourbon history tour on the water is offered aboard the Bourbon Boat or the Bourbon Belle; reservations are required. This lets you distinguish between a guided paddle trip with a distillery stop and a tour aboard one of the named boats.

Bourbon is also part of the local history on land. Frankfort is considered the birthplace of the Kentucky Bourbon Ball. Whiskey Thief Distilling Company is located on the 127-acre Three Boys Farm in a rural area of Franklin County. Along with the offerings on the Kentucky River, these illustrate different facets of the subject: a culinary tradition, a farm location, and bourbon history experiences on the water.

Plan Your Stay Around Your Interests

If you’re looking for a hotel in Franklin, first decide which experiences interest you most. For trails and scenery, the information about Cove Spring Park, West Sixth Farm, and the countywide trail network offers options at different scales. Art and history take center stage at Josephine Sculpture Park, the two houses at Liberty Hall Historic Site, and Frankfort Cemetery. For a day on the water, paddling routes, rapids, and the boat tour that requires reservations are distinctly different options. This lets you tailor your choice of experiences to your travel plans without conflating the different offerings.

Discover more destinations: Frankfort, Christian County, Floyd County, Jessamine County, McCreary County, Boyd County, Bullitt County, Montgomery County.

For the broader travel overview: Kentucky.