Three Bridges Trail

Three Bridges Trail

Carter Caves State Resort Park is known for its geology. The Three Bridges Trail highlights some of the best bridges the area has to offer. As frequent visitors to the Red River Gorge area, we may be a little jaded when it comes to bridges and arches. Even so, we found this trail to have some spectacular features.

This trail is a loop and can be started directly from the campground, the Welcome Center, or the Lodge. As campers, we like being able to leave for a hike without having to drive anywhere. We hiked the trail in the clockwise direction. This had us heading downhill for the steepest sections and made our final climb more gradual. Those with bad knees may prefer the opposite direction. The official length of the trail is 3.5 miles, but our GPS clocked us at just under 4.

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A Camping and Hiking Bucket List

A Camping and Hiking Bucket List

We aren’t necessarily attempting to visit all the national or state parks, but it is kind of fund to track those we have visited and see how much there is still to explore. Of course this list neglects many of the state and national forests, historic sites, recreation areas, and other wonderful public lands.

⛺️- camped in the park
🥾- hiked in the park

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Patoka Lake State Park

Patoka Lake State Park

This was our second attempt at Patoka Lake. We had reservations last summer that we cancelled to go to Colorado. Honestly, after the wonders of Colorado we kind of forgot about Patoka Lake.

As the long President’s Weekend approached, the weather in the Ohio-Indiana-Kentucky area seemed to be doing its normal midwest thing. South of us, a few inches of snow and rain were expected. North of us, nighttime temps dropped into the teens. Western Indiana seemed to be in a sweet spot. It would be winter camping, but temperatures wouldn’t dip much below freezing and precipitation would be minimal.

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Winter Camping

Winter Camping

I belong to a lot of camping groups on Facebook and one of my greatest annoyances is the trope that it is impossible to camp in the winter. Frankly, one of the reasons we bought a trailer is to have a heater. We have tent camped every month of the year, but our propane heater makes subfreezing temperatures not just something to endure, but a whole new season of camping that we can enjoy.

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Camping Resolution Accomplished!

Camping Resolution Accomplished!

One of our 2018 camping goals was to become better camp chefs. As tent campers, our meals were functional; what could we get in our bellies quickly after a long day of adventure? We ate a lot of simple steaks, hot dogs, and one pot meals. We also tried to minimize dishes and the amount of cooking gear we brought along. With the trailer we have been able to acquire a whole new set of tools stored in the trailer and we have really started to slow down and enjoy our meals.

So in 2018 we really invested in our technique and our tools. I spent a lot of time learning about campfire cooking and thoroughly scoured Pinterest for the best recipes. If my scale is any indicator, I would say our efforts were a total success!

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Dog Slaughter Falls

Dog Slaughter Falls

The Dog Slaughter Falls trail consistently ranks among the top trails in Kentucky. On our last trip to Cumberland Falls, we tried to reach Dog Slaughter from the Visitors Center – about 5 miles each way. The mid-June 90º weather was not on our side and we gave up about halfway in favor of the watermelon in the cooler and a trip to the pool.

This time, we approached from Forest Service Road 195, a thoroughly rutted and pot-holed dirt road off of KY-90. The first trailhead is .8 miles down the road, but I strongly suggest continuing another 2 miles to the second trailhead. From there, the falls are a little under 1.5 miles. Continue reading “Dog Slaughter Falls” →