Kentucky River in Kentucky

Trip Overview

Hey Folks,
This Tuesday I had hoped to put in the Kentucky River near Valley View Ferry. The neatest thing about that is getting to ride the ferry across the river, which happens to be the oldest continuing running business in the state. We did ride the ferry across, but the put in place did not exist as my map said it did. So we went west down the river a ways and put in below Wilmore at High Bridge. Which was neat also, as we went from crossing the oldest operating ferry around, to putting in at the highest known rail bridge.

We paddled up stream a bit and turned up Dix river. The Dix had been dammed to form Lake Herrington and we were in the tail waters. We paddled about two miles before we hit class II white water that we weren't able to paddle up, so we beached. We hiked up to what had to be the largest spill way that I've ever seen in my life. Folks, the family and I went to Washington, DC this past week-end to enjoy the buildings and Smithsonian's, and this spill way was more immense and fine in detail than any of the fine structures man has built in the Capital. And of course, we had to climb it.

Curtis, in his youth, almost flew up this massive structure. I, on the other hand, had to wrestle with my fears of climbing up ice covered ledges that sometimes were as small as five feet and sometimes as high as thirty feet to the next ledge. I wasn't so worried going up as I was with the thought of coming back down. But once up, the view was incredible. Some of the rock plates on the way up were up to two hundred feet across and sixty foot wide. They were large enough to put a band on and still have a really nice ball room sized dance floor left over. And there was plate after plate, each one a little smaller than the one below it. And there were crevices in them that would drop down to almost darkness. Just one of the features that you can expect from limestone at the mercy of large volumes of water rushing over it.

A really great day. But I can't even begin to describe how bad my thighs hurt from not being used to climbing like that. Curtis and I have decided that next Monday we are going to drive to this location and hike it all day to work the leg muscles that have obviously been ignored. Plus, it is one of those areas that need a bit more exploring to see all that it has to offer.

Later folks, have a great day!
Bruce

Fees:

$2.00 for kayaks and canoes

Directions:

South on 68 out of Lexington, take south on 29 above Wilmore, take all the way till ends in river

Launches:

Concrete put in ramp