Explore the best rated trails in Elizabethtown, KY, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Ohio River Greenway and Big Four Bridge . With more than 8 trails covering 74 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
We rode the Riverwalk section and the Big Four Bridge. The bridge was great, the Riverwalk was not. It is true they had major flooding about 3 weeks ago and, understandably, this was not yet fully remediated. But even in unaffected areas the majority of the trail goes through dilapidated inner city and industrial sections with only minimal and unmaintained landscaping, hardscaping, or other park amenities. If you want a much better southern Riverwalk trail experience, go to Chattanooga TN or Columbus GA.
We crossed the Big Four Bridge while riding the River Walk portion of the Louisville Loop trail. The bridge was way better than the trail.
Stopped and checked out passing through town for the first time. Exited off I-64 and parked near YMCA. I will go 10th and Floyd if I am inclined to ride it again. Kinda short for me, but beefed it out a little by crossing the Big Four Bridge. Nothing very remarkable but it was a nice day.
Since the completion of this trail. You can ride from the Big Four Bridge to the Amphitheater in New Albany with only a couple of street crossings. 7 miles one way. You can take the 6th Street ramp up into New Albany to find many restaurants and the Saturday Farmers Market. Very enjoyable ride.
We had rode the trail from the River Park Marina to Swanee . The trail was in need of some repairs but the views of the river and downtown was very appealing. However, after the McAlpine lock and dam, the trail became questionable. We encountered numerous camps, piles of trash, motor bikes / ATVs on the trail and very questionable surroundings, we turned around. I would suggest on to avoid this path pf the trail close to Swanee park
I live about 30 minutes away from the trail and just discovered this fantastic opportunity. I rode the east side portion that goes from HWY 60 at the community garden trail head and goes south to end at Bardstown road hwy 150. It’s about 18 miles one way. The mile markers on the route must be part of the proposed final solution as they start at something like 74 and when you reach the end is around 56, at Bardstown road area. Best trail I have encountered so far. Much shade to enjoy but also open areas with scenic views. Super nice bridges to cross as you ride along the water. Rolling terrain, so yes there are moderate hills for the novice rider. Concrete or blacktop all the way. Very clean and well maintained. It certainly gets a 5 star rating in my view.
I rode the entirety of the Parklands of Floyds Fork section on a very sunny spring day. I have ridden trails in many states and this was one of the best trails I've ever experienced. It is very well maintained, has breathtaking scenery and has multiple trailheads many of which have some of the cleanest bathrooms I've ever seen on a trail.
I started at the Beckley Creek trailhead which made the first few miles very hilly. As a mostly rail-trail rider this trail has many hills, curves and switchbacks. I very much enjoyed the challenge this provided but some of the hills will surprise you. I also found the trail mostly easy to navigate but the first few miles my wife and I made a few wrong turns until we found the Loop. I ended at the Broad Run Park trailhead which was much less hilly so starting there would make the beginning of your ride much easier.
After the first few miles which also seemed to be the busiest the trail starts to flatten out and become more rural. The scenery changes from playgrounds to fields of wildflowers, farms and wooded areas. There was never a dull moment in the scenery or the trail itself as it does require you to pay attention due to the hills and curves.
The trail is perfectly paved and there are trailheads every few miles. Most trailheads had shelters and bathrooms which gives plenty of options to start and end your ride. Residents of Louisville are very lucky to have this gem of a trail right outside of their city.
On a chilly morning in late October with a temperature hovering at forty degrees, I ventured out onto the Louisville Loop's Parklands of Floyds Fork portion of trails. The Parklands is made up of five sections in a rural setting, and I rode four of them out and back.
BECKLEY CREEK PARK
First of all, this section is surprisingly hilly at the start and toward the end. Even the bridges over the creek were steep! Thank goodness for my Swytch pedal assist! It's especially picturesque with beautiful creek and woodlands views. The calls of birds will accompany you throughout this section.
(Unfortunately, the connecting trail to Pope Lick Park was closed as of October 23 due to construction, so back up the trail, pack up the bike, and drive to the next trailhead.)
POPE LICK PARK & THE STRAND
If you're averse to hills, then these are the sections for you. If you're also into sensational creek views and crossing over bridges, you'll be in heaven.. These two sections also contain beautiful scenery of wooded hills, farmland with field of corn, and a few charming country homes. Keep your eyes peeled for turtles. I saw about a dozen of them sunning themselves on a log extending into the creek. Rust colored fuzzy caterpillars with a black collar and black rear tip were also all over the trail. By far, these portions of the trail were the busiest with bicyclists and walkers.
TURKEY RUN PARK
Again, if you're not into hills, this is not a good section for you. With my pedal assist it was not an issue, and it was especially fun going through the woods and seeing the multitude of squirrels with nuts in their mouths scampering across the path and up trees. Of course the silo at the top of the hill is one of the stars of this section and is most definitely worth the climb to the top. From there you can see the trail head down through Turkey Park to the north, and the trail also heading down to the south and Broad Run Park (which I didn't have time to do).
CONCLUSION
All in all, I did 31 miles in this superlative park. The trail is superb: wide, smooth, and curvy which adds to the fun and interest! The park has real restrooms that are clean and have sinks. No porta-potties for The Parklands! This park system is obviously much beloved by the community. There were many happy, friendly folks utilizing it on a weekday. It's evident that a great deal of thought and planning went into this treasure! It's a model of what a park should be. The rest of the country should come and study it. It is most certainly a destination bike ride. I came all the way from California to ride this, and I have no regrets! What a gem of a park and trail system!
(This was the 49th state I've ridden my bike in. Thanks for making it a great one, Louisville! On to Hawaii!)
The downtown section west from the Big 4 Bridge was awful. Poorly maintained and a lot of sketchy areas. Do yourself a favor and ride across the Big 4 Bridge into Indiana and ride the trail west from there. Nice trail and some nice views of the river.
We only did the short section due to the heat, but it was actually really pleasant underneath the green shaded path! We did run into two downed trees that required going around as they were pretty big. (There was a big storm two nights ago and lots of cleanup going on in the area.). Took a few detours to the campground and the green river ferry crossing. We also ended up on a road that was closed off to cars but a national park bus came down and dropped off some serious cavers. We watch them gear up and go down into the bowels of the earth. Not for the faint of heart! I believe it was called the wild cave tour. Total of 9.6 miles over 2 1/2 hours for a wonderful morning ride! Loved it all.
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