One Southern State's Unique Trail Towns Are Vibrant Hubs With Shops And Eateries Near Iconic Sites

Meandering across the vast green grasslands, dense forests, and cave-studded crags that make up the Kentucky Wildlands, a web of trails has been woven through the Southern state's diverse landscapes. Often misunderstood, reduced to its rolling bluegrass hills and its charm-filled underrated towns, this Appalachian stomping ground is packed with varied landscapes. Banding together to place the spotlight on their glorious surrounds, 25 destinations have joined the list of certified Kentucky Trail Towns.

Selected by the Office of Adventure Tourism in the Kentucky Cabinet for Tourism, Arts, and Heritage, these hubs are dedicated to promoting their outdoor attractions. Spanning from Dawson Springs in the west to Elkhorn City in the east, the breadth of the Kentucky Trail Town map is plotted according to each spot's access to paths through the woods and the waters of the state. Pick and choose your favorites to plan an outdoor voyage across Kentucky, or go all in and set out on a stunning road trip route.

If you're hoping to explore the state's western trails, the most convenient city to start in is Louisville. Over 40 U.S. airports run flights directly to the vibrant city on the Indiana border. If you're coming from the east, set out from Lexington, which has easy air access from 12 different states. No matter which direction you're coming from, and which Kentucky Trail Towns you decide to include on your tour, you'll be treated with peaceful nature escapes, quirky small town stores, and authentic eateries fueling weary explorers.

Each of Kentucky's designated Trail Towns comes with its own protected selection of outdoor adventures, enticing both intrepid hikers and low-octane scenic walkers. On the edge of the very best of the state's canopy-covered hiking trails, Stearns is a former mining town hidden in Kentucky's river gorge. Starting out in the small, serene spot, you'll be surrounded on all sides by woodlands, encompassing Daniel Boone National Forest hiking routes and national recreation area activities. Its backcountry trails bypass soaring sandstone arches, weave alongside babbling streams leading to concealed waterfalls, and reward explorers with vistas over the rushing Big South Fork River.

Nearby Campbellsville also sits within a web of weaving trails, with 50 miles of hiking and biking paths spanning out from the small town hub. Roam along the water's edge on the Green River Lake State Park trail or explore the historic Kentucky backcountry on a Clay Hill Memorial Forest trail, before recouping in charming downtown Campbellsville. The college town is packed with restaurants serving statewide favorites like indulgent fried chicken and barbecued meats that drip off the bone. Further along the Green River you can follow the trails out to attractions like Kentucky's own Stonehenge in the trail town of Munfordville, or head straight into Mammoth Cave National Park nearby.

Not solely selected for their hiking opportunities, Kentucky's Trail Towns are also lauded for their array of water-top activities. In Elizabethtown, an under-the-radar Kentucky city offering unique shops and tasty eateries, you'll find the best of the trail town's downtown attractions before setting out on a kayak excursion. Browse the eclectic selection of stores in town, touting curated collections of knick-knacks and unique decor, and fuel up on classic Southern dishes at the town's excellent eateries before setting out into Freeman Lake Park.

Paddlers can also roam the state's rushing rivers from more of the designated Trail Towns. Set out over the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River from the tiny town of Hyden, navigate more than 80 miles of peaceful waters running by Dawson Springs, or kayak Cave Run Lake near Morehead. Yet more of Kentucky's action-packed Trail Towns include adrenaline-spiking rapid runs. Face the whitewater torrents, classified between class II and class IV, that thrash through Elkhorn City's "Grand Canyon of the South," or battle regular rapids on a multi-day paddling adventure beginning in Livingston.

Close out your tour of Kentucky's waterways in Manchester in the Appalachian heartlands. The rivers here are overhung by swinging bridges and filled with large muskies, winding 30 miles through the serene forests of the state's scenic southeast.