05.20.2024

Today’s Forecast

It’s adventure time

Happy trails: Our guide to Louisville hiking trails

The best time to visit Tioga Falls is after rain in the springtime. | Photo by LOUtoday

From quick and easy loops around town to drives that take you to fantastic cricks and knobs, our city has so many options to hit the trail. Now that summer is right round the next bend, we’ve compiled a hiking guide for the Louisville area with 14 routes and trails to help you plan your next adventure.

Note: While parks and trails may be listed as open, we recommend checking park websites before visiting for further info, current trail conditions, and safest practices for the area.

Key: Easy = 🥾| Moderate = 🥾🥾 | Hard = 🥾🥾🥾

East of Louisville

Goose Creek Trail, E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park, 300 Freys Hill Rd.

Difficulty: 🥾
Length: 1.25-mile loop
Wheelchair accessible: Portions — some paved sections
Pet-friendly: Yes, leash required, dog park available

White-tailed deer and American turkeys are often spotted on this trail that winds around most of the 554-acre park. Expect to travel across open fields + lightly wooded areas along the creek.

LOUtoday_forest giants — Little Elina is one of three forest giants at Bernheim.
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Photo by LOUtoday

South of Louisville

Forest Giants Trail, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, 2499 Clermont Rd., Clermont

Difficulty: 🥾
Length: 2 miles out-and-back
Wheelchair accessible: Limited
Pet-friendly: Yes, leash required

Many visitors to Bernheim Forest head straight to this trail dotted with three giant sculptures of woodland creatures made by Danish artist Thomas Dambo using recycled and repurposed materials. Once you’ve seen the giants, you can finish the rest of the Lake Nevin Loop for a slightly longer excursion.

Fall foliage at a park. — Cherokee Park provides a pastoral setting amid rolling hills, open meadows, and woodlands of the Beargrass Creek valley.
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Photo by Louisville Tourism

Central Louisville

Iroquois Park Overlook, Iroquois Park, 521 New Cut Rd.

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 1.2 miles out-and-back
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Pet-friendly: Yes, leash required

Get sweeping views of downtown LOU at the summit of this paved route which is closed to vehicular traffic, except for select weekends. Plus, you can stop by the 86-year-old Iroquois Amphitheater for a concert or outdoor movie.

Find your new favorite hike

Asked

What is most important to you when choosing a hike?

A. Level of difficulty
B. Time to complete/number of miles
C. Unmatched views
D. It’s all about the hiking location
E. How far away it is

Take the first step

Events

Monday, May 20

Ripple Effects Photography Workshop | Monday, May 20 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Waterfront Park, 1101 E. River Rd., Louisville | Free | Students ages 6-18 will learn photography basics through the lens of LOU’s waterways from award-winning photographer John Nation.

Tuesday, May 21

Music Under The Pavilion: Keltricity | Tuesday, May 21 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Locust Grove, 561 Blankenbaker Ln., Louisville | $5-$15 | Enjoy local musicians performing Irish + Scottish music in the kickoff concert of the summer season.

Wednesday, May 22

Bourbon Tasting with Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall | Wednesday, May 22 | 5:30-7:30 p.m. | German American Club, 1840 Lincoln Ave., Louisville | $25 | Enjoy tastings of Woodford Reserve whiskeys with an expert in her field.

Thursday, May 23

Poetry Night Downtown | Thursday, May 23 | 7-9 p.m. |Lou Rae Riverside Arts + Events | 611 West Main St., Louisville | $10 | Enjoy spoken-word poetry that will move you to the core.

Friday, May 24

27th Annual Greater Louisville Koi & Goldfish Show | Friday, May 24-Sunday, May 26 | Times vary | Greater Louisville Koi + Goldfish Society, 3821 Huntsinger Ln., Louisville | Free | See dozens of tanks featuring ornamental fish from around the country and visit seminars, vendors, and food trucks.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Sports

Xander Schauffele won the PGA tournament this weekend with a record-setting low score — remember, that’s good in golf. He was the first player in almost 20 years to win the Championship with a birdie on the last hole to win by one. (WHAS11)

Coming Soon

The Ohio-based Barry’s Bagels chain will open it’s first Louisville location in the Galleria of St. Matthews (4123 Oechsli Ave.) later this year. The location will offer 17 varieties of bagels, plus soups + sandwiches. Franchise owners say they could bring seven or eight locations to the Louisville area. (Louisville Business First)

Festival

Do you have your “Ticket to Ride?” Abbey Road on the River is returning to Jeffersonville’s Big Four Station Park this weekend. The world’s largest Beatles and classic rock music festival takes place Thursday, May 23-Monday, May 27 and will feature 50 bands performing 200 concerts on six stages.

Open

The Louisville Zoo’s annual Butterflies n’ Blooms exhibit opened over the weekend and will remain open until Sunday, Sept. 15. The 1,000-sqft outdoor flight house contains hundreds of native butterflies flying freely. Bonus: Use the zoo’s butterfly identification guide to name the butterflies in your own backyard.

Kids

The Louisville Public Library’s annual summer reading program begins next Saturday, June 1. The program is free to all local kids up to 12th grade. Participants who read the required number of books for their age group will receive passes to local museums + sports teams and be entered into prize drawings.

Giveaway

Time is running out to secure tickets for Locust Grove’s Pappy Raffle. One winner, drawn on Saturday, June 1, will receive a six-bottle flight of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Bourbon. Tickets cost $100, with proceeds supporting the National Historic Landmark’s education + preservation programs.

Pets

Louisville Metro Animal Services (LMAS) will offer a vaccination clinic this Saturday, May 25 at Highview Park (7008 Briscoe Ln.) from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Services include $10 rabies vaccines, $25 microchipping, and discounted pet licenses. Did you know? Dogs, cats, and ferrets must be licensed with LMAS.

Health

Metro Public Health + Wellness will host a Naloxone 101 workshop this Wednesday, May 22 at the Bon Air Library (2816 Del Rio Pl.) from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Learn how and when to use the over-the-counter treatment for opioid overdoses and receive a free Narcan kit.

Sports

Basketball prospects are still visiting LOU to see if they want to make the Cardinal commitment. Get game coverage, analysis, insights, interviews and more from local experts of the Cards with Locked On’s daily podcasts.

Home

You deserve beautiful, energy-efficient windows and doors. Renewal by Andersen^® is offering buy one, get one 40% off + $200 off your order for a limited time.*

Traffic

Government

A new plan to improve Preston Highway

A rendering of a street with isolated bus and bike lanes.

The 2023 Preston Corridor Plan proposed narrower lanes, wider sidewalks, and protected bike lanes. | Photo via Louisville Metro

If you’ve ever felt like driving on Preston Highway could be just a little bit better, now’s your chance to speak your truth.

A new study is underway to improve a seven-mile stretch of KY 61 between the Gene Snyder Freeway and Watterson Expressway. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) project is intended to compliment Metro Government’s 2023 Preston Corridor Plan. Both plans prioritize making the highway safer and more pleasant + serviceable for the Louisvillians who drive it every day.

Want to weigh in? The public comment period for the new phase of the project will kick off Tuesday, May 21 at the South Central Regional Library (7300 Jefferson Blvd.) from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Fill out a written survey at the meeting, or online afterward. Comments will be accepted through Tuesday, June 18.

If you miss the meeting, displays + materials will be available at the KYTC office at 8310 Westport Rd.

The Buy

Group B, The Buy 5.20.24 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

An excellent summer hydration bottle: Hydro Flask’s 32-oz. stainless bottle with a flex straw lid. Color “Sugar Crush” is only available for a limited time, and it’s so cute and summery, we’ve got all the heart eyes for it.

Answered

Last week, we asked you what your favorite art piece from the Outsider Art Museum + Gallery’s “Everyday Prophets” exhibit. The resounding winner was Minnie Adkins’s “Red Fox” with 90% of the votes.

A wooden carving of a fox with bared teeth — Minnie Adkins’ “Red Fox” shows off her penchant for stylized representations of Appalachian wildlife.
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Photo by LOUtoday

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Declan

From the editor

Between Abbey Road on the River, Uncle Boojie’s Roots Review, and of course Gazebo Festival, it’s going to be a busy musical Memorial Day weekend in LOU. If you stand in exactly the right spot, maybe you’ll be able to hear a brand new fusion of classic rock, Bluegrass, and pop hits.

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