Louisville Hiker: April 2012

Posin' like a pro!

It costs $3 a person to get into Otter Creek, but it's well worth it. The park has a lot of trails for hikers, horseback riders, and for mountain biking and if that wasn't enough to get you to drive to Fort Knox, there's fishing and disc golf too!

Make sure to grab a map at the gate on your way in. Also, you'll want to bring your hydration pack and someone who knows how to navigate, because all the trails intertwine and while it's pretty well marked, I can see someone who is directionally challenged getting lost out there.

The route we took was about 6.5 miles and it took us less than 3 hours.

We started at the parking area near Otter Creek, which is a popular fishing spot. We hiked along the creek and enjoyed the sounds of the of the flowing water. Along the edges of the creek there are millions of flat rocks perfect for skipping, so of course, we took a break to enjoy some rock hopping.

From there, we took the Red Cedar and Valley Overlook trails. Here's the thing about overlook trails- they tend to run uphill a lot. This trail was no exception! There were spots were we were running out of breath, but I prefer to think about all the calories we were burning. The view from the top was pretty sweet and we all agreed that we will be returning in the fall to see the autumn colors.

This trail had a lot of cool things to see along the way to keep the trek interesting such as gigantic birds, dogwood, random structures, and leftover woods of terror props.

My only complaint would be about horse poop. That's just what you get when you share trails with horses. I will definitely be going back this September/October.

I definitely recommend spending a day at Charlestown State Park. The entrance fee is $5 per car load for Indiana residents and $7 for out-of-staters, but it's worth it. They have more than 12 miles of hiking trails available that run along Fourteen Mile Creek and the Ohio River.

I spent the weekend camping there with my folks and I wasn't that excited about the campgrounds. The area we were in was packed and there wasn't any privacy, but I hear there are better tent sites.

The trails, on the other hand, did not disappoint. Due to rain storms I only made it out to trail #2 and #6, but I'm guessing they are the best out of the 6 out there.

Trail #2: It took me less than an hour to hike this trail and according to my phone's GPS I hiked 1.57 miles before reaching my car. The park's brochure calls the trail "moderate", but I found it to be kinda easy. There were a few hills, but nothing that made me loose my breath.

The trail itself is beautiful. The mid section runs along this tiny creek and features small cascading falls. The sounds of the babbling brook is very relaxing.

The palest slug I've ever seen!

Trail #6: We initially had troubles finding this trail head, so I'll give you a hint. One end is near the boat ramp parking and is blocked off with a red gate. The other end is across from the Riverside Overlook and is marked with a post that can be seen from the road. If the trail is wet, I'd recommend starting at the post. That's the way we went and we were happy with our choice. The slickest terrain was uphill and the downhills were mostly rocky, which made our trip less treacherous.

This trail took me and my Dad about 1 1/2 hours to hike. According to my GPS we hiked 2.74 miles. This trail was steep in spots and due to rain it had some slick, muddy areas too, but it wasn’t too difficult. I've been on "moderate" trails at Tom Wallace that were harder than this!

This is a great hike for the spring time. There is an abundance of lucust and buckeye trees, as well as morel, thistle, mustard, columbine, honeysuckle, and more! There was a ton of butterflies too!

Honeysuckle

Buckeye trees (and the Ohio River)

Columbine

Mustard

Butterflies on a locust tree

All the trails at Charlestown are nice and wide. You never have to brush any trees (which means you'll come out with less ticks and chiggers). Plus the trails are really well marked, so there is no danger of getting lost.

This hike offers views of the Ohio River, great rock formations, a bridge going over a small waterfall, and plenty to discover along the way. I loved this hike. It's one of my favorites in the area.