Cave Run Lake Region

The Big Turtle Trail Races are an annual tradition for me to enjoy the northernmost sections of Sheltowee Trace. There are three distances - 50 miles, 50 kilometers, and 10 miles - and all deliver a great trail running experience with fast and fun downhills and the occasional uphill grind. The 10-Miler is pretty straightforward - a grueling opening climb followed by lots of short-ish ups and downs before finishing downhill back to campus.

These wetlands were an entertaining stop with one Canadian goose wreaking havoc upon its neighbors. It was also sunrise part two with the sun cresting above the eastern knobs to provide a gorgeous morning scene.

Nearly all the views on Twin Knobs’ shoreline are south or west facing, but this little spot just off a picnic area was perfect for sunrise. Situated between the group campsites and the beach, this little walk was ideal for sunrise.

This was the perfect way to close out a great day on the trails around Cave Run Lake. Sunset was beautiful, and all the views along the shoreline leading to that moment were fantastic. This is an easy hike that can be made much shorter with the many connector trails from the various campground loops.

Back in the day, this used to have a tower on it. Not anymore:-) What remains is a nice fitness trail to the top of the west knob of the Twin Knobs Recreation Area. With steady elevation gain, it’s ideal for hill training and makes a super cool GPS map on your fitness app.

Eagle Lake is a beautiful patch of water on the north side of Morehead State University’s campus. This is a nice trail to stretch the legs whenever visiting town and is the first trail town stop for Sheltowee Trace southbounders.

This is a great fitness trail with plenty of elevation gain to get you ready for some mountain hiking. It also has a fascinating tree that had a burl break open. No views, no arches, no waterfalls - just a nice cardio and strength building trail going from holler to ridge and back.

When it comes to municipal parks, this one is a gem! A nice, short path with a little ruggedness set in the holler:-) There were plenty of wildflowers on display, a playful creek, and all the facilities you’d expect. Stop in for a quick walk or add Martin Branch Trail to get the heart rate up.

After visiting on a snow covered day in Winter, I was hoping to find a user trail to the arch. Aaaand, there isn’t one:-) While the arch is spectacular with some incredible color, it’s a difficult reach thanks to a very steep soil final ascent with very poor footing. Be sure to read the notes and cautions below before heading out.

Most connector trails are pretty boring, but this one provides a gorgeous view of Twin Knobs across Cave Run Lake. Paired with sunrise at Zilpo Mountain, it turned out to be a fantastic morning on the trails.

This was the perfect way to start the day - a nice uphill hike to get the blood flowing and a gorgeous view of Cave Run Lake’s south side. While sunrise was obscured by trees, the scene was magnificent - and this might be the best sunrise view in the region come Autumn.

Though the fire tower is closed, a pair of overlooks make this a great place to enjoy a big view of the many knobs on the south side of Cave Run Lake. This trail is highly developed with a ton of stairs marching their way up this gorgeous rock outcropping.

I thoroughly enjoyed this hike and the arch was more beautiful than expected. Most of the hike is on forest roads and trails, but the portion ascending to Bertis Arch and dropping down the other side of the knob does NOT have a trail. That final approach was dicey today with slick terrain thanks to a blanket of snow and frozen/icy ground and rock. I would suggest hiking this in dry weather for better footing and a much safer hike.

This is a great stop whenever visiting this section of forest, as it’s only a few dozen paces off the road. Zilpo Arch is officially classified as ‘irregular’ just like a similar arch a little south - Devil’s Market House Arch. Arches like this are oddities, and explaining their formation would be clumsy at best, but hey, maybe this was a coffee table for giants:-)

This is a classic Kentucky waterfall with plenty of height to impress along with some beautiful cascades just upstream from the big plunge. The area is highly developed with shelters, picnic tables, paved walkways, and railings. Just take care to keep children close as soon as they exit the vehicle - trouble can be found only steps from the parking lot.

Devil’s Market House Arch is one of the most beautiful and distinctive arches in all of Kentucky. And, while KY-122 is relatively short in height, the sandstone patterning on the back side of the arch is phenomenal. For an easier day, skip KY-122 Arch and save half the mileage while still catching a highlight reel arch.

I look forward to this race every year - great race, great town, and great beer! The course is challenging, but very runnable, and the town of Morehead is on the come up. As trail towns go, this one checks all the boxes, and in terms of races, this is an ideal Spring tune-up with wildflowers, dogwoods, and redbuds setting the scene.