Middle Creek Park Trail 1 Loop

Overview. By far, the most popular hike at Middle Creek Park is on Trail #1. At just short of 3 miles, the loop takes you from the bottomland forest along the creek to the hilltop and back while providing that deep woods feel. Along the way, you’ll pass one of the largest and oldest sycamores you’ll find in the area, and the park is home to an enormous variety of wildflowers.

Route Type | Loop
Total Distance | 2.9 miles
Overall Difficulty | Moderate
Map of Middle Creek Park

Trailhead. The trailhead is located across from the Dinsmore Homestead/Dinsmore Woods State Nature Preserve off KY-18. [map]

Trail navigation. From the southwest corner of the parking lot, take the trail down to Middle Creek and turn left onto double wide trail marked with #1 blazes affixed to trees. Continue until reaching the bridge across the creek and turn left here to hike the loop clockwise. The trail is exceptionally well marked with blazes appearing about every 1/10th of a mile. Intersections are also clearly marked, so continue following Trail 1 until you return to Middle Creek. Here, turn right and follow the creek back to the bridge. Retrace your steps to return to the parking lot.

CAUTION - Horses. Middle Creek Park is affectionately known as Muddy Creek Park. This is due in large part to shared use with horses that leave deep hoof-pocks and increase the overall muddiness of the trails. Should you encounter a horse on the trail, yield to the downhill side of the trail. Leave a wide berth, speak calmly, and move slowly to avoid spooking the horse.

Recommended footwear. Because of prevalent mud - particularly on North facing trail sections, it is highly recommended to wear appropriate trail shoes or boots with substantial lugs. I wore some Columbia Montrail FKT 2 trail running shoes that have 6 mm lugs.