Hiking to the Kentucky River at Raven Run Nature Sanctuary Near Lexington

Hiking to the Kentucky River at Raven Run Nature Sanctuary in Lexington, Kentucky

After lingering a couple of days in Maryland, we finished our spring road trip in Lexington, Kentucky. Before our trip, I learned about Raven Run Nature Sanctuary just on the outskirts of Lexington. The preserve featured meadows, woodlands and streams offering an idyllic opportunity to begin our day in Lexington with the tranquility and grace of nature just waking up to spring.

Hiking and savoring nature's splendor.

We began our trek at the nature center which I highly recommend. The nature center affords a chance to orient yourself, ask questions about trails and learn about native wildlife. We did receive a few trail suggestions which made navigating easy. We picked up a map as well and noted pictures of wildflowers to help us with identifying trail discoveries.

From the beginning, we found Raven Run Nature Sanctuary to be picturesque. Despite being early spring, we enjoyed vibrant moss and new buds and leaves just emerging. At one spot, we located an old stone wall probably from early 19th century settlers. Remnants from earlier settlers can be spotted in other locations in the preserve.

Pausing to Admire a Waterfall:

We began to hike down to a stream.The trails were muddy in spots as well as rocky in spots. So, hiking shoes were welcome! We walked along the steam and reveled in a zen moment admiring a slight waterfall. While there were a few hikers enjoying the trails, this was a relatively quiet moment enjoying peace and beauty.

Moss draping trees and rocks.

From here, we began our climb up along the ravine towards the overlook for viewing the Kentucky River. I paused at points in the hike to admire the moss adding brilliant green to rocks and trees.

What a View!

Stunning view of the Kentucky River from the overlook.

The view of the Kentucky River is stunning at the overlook! The overlook establishes another great spot to pause and marvel at nature. Since we were limited on time and wanted to spend time enjoying Lexington, we turned back at this point. The trails are fairly well marked and we took another trail back. Overall, there are about 10 miles of trails at Raven Run. So, you can spend plenty of time wandering. As always, familiarize yourself with open trail hours before heading out.

Slightly rocky path through the woods.

Raven Run Nature Sanctuary bestows a nature oasis with plenty of space to hike and as well as sit and contemplate. The wealth of trails throughout the preserve gift explores a variety of nature experiences. We loved our visit to Raven Run Nature Sanctuary enjoying a varied hike over rocks, down to streams and more coupled with fantastic views.

**Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.