Jefferson Memorial Forrest Orange Trail

Last Monday we hiked the Orange Trail in Jefferson Memorial Forrest. I called before we got out there to see what the trail conditions were like since it had been raining so much recently and it was great. We've never ventured over there before because it's pretty far from Oldham but it was definitely worth the drive. 

With the foliage just now starting to emerge we ended up seeing lots of unique flowers and plants that we've never noticed before. 

This trail was marked as two miles, but from the parking lot it ended up being more like 2.5. 

The trail was beautiful, clearly marked and very peaceful. There was one GIANT hill that nearly got us- especially now that the baby is getting so much bigger! 

Coppiced wooded trail at the Parklands of Floyd's Fork

Today we did the Coppiced Woods Trail at the Parklands of Floyd's fork which was a total of 1.87 miles. We had a crew today of 5 kids 12, 10, 5, 5 and a 9 wk old baby!  The trail was a little steep at times and is also a mountain biking trail so there was that to look out for as well. Overall we had a blast. It was maybe a smidge long for the first hike of the year. The trail was very clearly marked and very nicely maintained. Definitely easy to navigate. The trail begins near the Shelbyville Rd entrance and was super easy to find. 

Here we go! For the record the moby wrap gets sweaty fast. And we need to come up w a better water bottle system because I can't wear the camelback and a baby! 

This was everyone's favorite part for sure about .25miles in. 

Everyone's second favorite part our troll bridge a great break spot about at .6 miles. 

Always a favorite, a hole in a tree. 

Tough like Bear Gryllis, we found some dead squirrel parts along the trail. Of course we had to stare at them a little too long. :)

At the end a fancy drainage ditch. 

Cherokee Park in Louisville

Cherokee park is amazing and had a ton of memories for me. We decided to go there today and try out some of the trails there and it was a blast. We started at "big rock" and ended up going a total of 1.74 miles. They did great! I can't believe how much better they've gotten already, they were running at one point even. I also am loving how much more comfortable they are outside already, sliding in the dirt, exploring holes in trees, jumping rocks. 

Beautiful trail following a ledge area, there was some mountain bikers around but other than that we were pretty much alone on the trail even though the park was fairly crowded. 

I had this PDF on my phone to show me the trail but honestly it was a little too small and i didn't want to go to far without the ability to loop around. 

Isaac investigating the trail marks....

He also found this bunny rabbit and wanted me to take a picture of it. 

Looking for bats.  

One part was a little steep and they slid down on their bottoms. 

Isaac found this hamburger :)

Looking for mice friends

I wouldn't let them get in the creek because honestly it smelled a little like sewer water. But they played on the rocks. 

E.P. Tom Sawyer state park

Today we went to Tom Sawyer state park in the East End of Louisville. The trailhead for Goose Creek Trail is in between Westport and Old Lagrange rd on Hurstborne Ln. The trail we took today was 1.25 miles and was a mix of wooded and grassy areas. It was fairly easy to navigate although the KY State Park App with its GPS map of the trail helped a lot when we'd cross with other trails. Also that app was really cool to show Ben and Isaac (4yo) about maps and compasses. 

The trail itself had one tiny incline of a hill and a creek crossing that we didn't have to go over but we did a couple times.  Some highlights were the creek for sure, it was beautiful and we saw fish. There were information signs around the trail to look out for certain wildlife which the boys always love. Also, there is a mental hospital cemetery there from the 1800s, which is creepy and we skipped over but could be interesting with older kids. 

The trailhead is located right off North Hurstborne Ln. 

First wildlife? A slug. We watched it for like 10 mins. 

Forgot my hat but there were hardly any bugs. No Mosquitos or ticks today (but we did wear bug spray). 

This map was awesome. The trail we followed was the orange route on the map. 

Ben with his robot hand (a stick), talking to his "bird friends". 

Isaac leading the way across the creek. 

We may come back here with towels sometime and creekwalk. It's a clean creek with wildlife such as crawfish (is that the same as crawdads?)

Another favorite today was a vine in the middle of the trail. 

The Anchorage Trail

Anchorage Trail is located in downtown Anchorage in the East End of Louisville in Middletown.  Its a beautiful paved trail which I believe is a total of 2.2 miles.  I also think there is some wooded paths along the way, we've gone down one, it was a short 1/4mi cut through.  Theres a little sign post with the wildlife people have seen near the front as well as one near the pond about wetlands.  

This is a great place to go if you have little ones learning to ride their bikes (its a little long but the boys do well) and also is perfect for strollers.  Highlights include the bridges, a pond, a wetland, stream exploration, big rocks to climb on and wooden swings.  

We love all the "rustic" swings around the trail- they'd be great for some professional pictures too!

The best part of the trail is a marshy wetland area about 1/2 in, there is a deck with information on the wildlife and stairs down to the pond where the kids can go exploring.  Also there are hundreds of what look like iris bulbs popping up, we'll have to go back again soon and see if they've blossomed. 

There are different kinds of areas to the trail, a pond, forest and meadows.  This was one I tried to snap of 5 deer.

Being brave with daddy on a "dam" (which seems more like a bunch of sticks against a fallen tree, but Issac assured me beavers made this.

Perfect Day

Morgan Conservation Park

Today we went to Morgan Conservation Park, operated by Oldham County Parks and Recreation.  They have about 3 or 4 miles of wooded trails that are clearly marked at the trailhead and throughout.  There is a bit of an incline here and there but for the most part it was good for my two four year olds, Ben and Isaac to do.  There was also some creek crossings. Also, there was literally no one else there!

Morgan Conservation Park Brochure

There was a good map at the front of the trail and I had snapped a photo of their map online before we left. We ended up taking the Connection to the Primary Loop and went about a mile today and turned around.  A lot of the area was just a grass path once we got on the main loop and we weren't really prepared with tall socks or bug spray... and we ran into some ticks. 

Its becoming a thing now that someone goes first and then we switch.  Its been nice to see how much more comfortable they are in the woods already.

Headed out on the trail! 

A water fall we ran into- this would be beautiful after a rain!

Our favorite spot of the day, a bridge over a little creek.  We took a few minutes and sat there listening to the sounds of the forest. 

Me and my guys

Isaac wanted me to snap a picture of the creek we passed over many times.

How will we get across!?

So proud!