Five-Star Trails: Louisville and Southern Indiana. Valerie Askren
restrooms, phones, water, picnic tables, and other basics at or near the trailhead.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS
Notes paved sections or other areas where persons with disabilities can safely use a wheelchair.
COMMENTS
Here you’ll find assorted nuggets of information, such as whether or not dogs are allowed on the trails.
CONTACTS
Listed here are phone numbers and websites for checking trail conditions and gleaning other day-to-day information.
Overview, Route Details, Nearby Attractions, & Directions
These four elements compose the heart of the hike. “Overview” gives you a quick summary of what to expect on that trail; the “Route Details” guide you on the hike, from start to finish; and “Nearby Attractions” suggests appealing adjacent sites, such as restaurants, museums, and other trails (note that not every hike profile has these). “Directions” will get you to the trailhead from a well-known road or highway.
Weather
As a river city, Louisville can get quite hot and humid during the summer. For that reason alone, hiking during June, July, and August can be less than ideal. During this time of year, you may want to consider a shorter trail or one with a reprieve from the heat, such as a nature center. Fall and spring are by far the most popular times of the year for hiking. Colorful leaf and wildflower displays always draw crowds. During these months, try to avoid hiking the more popular spots on holidays and beautiful weekends. If possible, hike during the week, after work when the days get longer, or on a less-well-known trail.
For many hikers, wintertime presents an excellent opportunity to get out on the trails. Crowds (and bugs) disappear, cliffs and rocky outcroppings are easier to see, and the contours of the earth become more apparent. And if we get a good snow, animal tracks along the trails, birds at their feeders, and ice formations on the waterways make for wonderful sights along the way.
The following chart provides a month-by-month snapshot of the weather in the Louisville area. For each month, “Hi Temp” shows the average daytime high, “Lo Temp” gives the average nighttime low, and “Rain” lists the average precipitation.
Water
How much is enough? Well, one simple physiological fact should convince you to err on the side of excess when deciding how much water to pack: a hiker walking steadily in 90º heat needs about 10 quarts of fluid per day—that’s 2.5 gallons. A good rule of thumb is to hydrate prior to your hike, carry (and drink) 6 ounces of water for every mile you plan to hike, and hydrate again after the hike. For most people, the pleasures of hiking make carrying water a relatively minor price to pay to remain safe and healthy, so pack more water than you anticipate needing, even for short hikes.
If you find yourself tempted to drink “found water,” proceed with extreme caution. Many ponds and lakes you’ll encounter are fairly stagnant, and the water tastes terrible. Drinking such water presents inherent risks for thirsty trekkers. Giardia parasites contaminate many water sources and cause the dreaded intestinal ailment giardiasis, which can last for weeks after onset. For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: cdc.gov/parasites/giardia.
In any case, effective treatment is essential before you drink from any water source along the trail. Boiling water for 2–3 minutes is always a safe measure for camping, but day hikers can consider iodine tablets, approved chemical mixes, filtration units rated for giardia, and ultraviolet filtration. Some of these methods (for example, filtration with an added carbon filter) remove bad tastes typical in stagnant water, while others add their own taste. As a precaution, carry a means of water purification in case you’ve underestimated your consumption needs.
Clothing
Weather, unexpected trail conditions, fatigue, extended hiking duration, and wrong turns can individually or collectively turn a great outing into a very uncomfortable one at best—and a life-threatening one at worst. Thus, proper attire plays a key role in staying comfortable and, sometimes, in staying alive. Some helpful guidelines:
Choose silk, wool, or synthetics for maximum comfort in all of your hiking attire—from hats to socks and in between. Cotton is fine if the weather remains dry and stable, but you won’t be happy if that material gets wet.
Always wear a hat, or at least tuck one into your day pack or hitch it to your belt. Hats offer all-weather sun and wind protection as well as warmth if it turns cold.
Be ready to layer up or down as the day progresses and the mercury rises or falls. Today’s outdoor wear makes layering easy, with such designs as jackets that convert to vests and zip-off or button-up legs.
Mosquitoes, poison ivy, and thorny bushes found along many trails can generate short-term discomfort and long-term agony. A lightweight pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt can go a long way toward protecting you from these pests.
Wear hiking boots or sturdy hiking sandals with toe protection. Flip-flopping along a paved urban greenway is one thing, but you should never hike a trail in open sandals or casual sneakers. Your bones and arches need support, and your skin needs protection.
Pair that footwear with good socks! If you prefer not to sheathe your feet when wearing hiking sandals, tuck the socks into your day pack—you may need them if temperatures plummet or if you hit rocky turf and pebbles begin to irritate your feet. And if it’s cold and you’ve lost your gloves, you can adapt the socks into mittens.
Don’t leave rainwear behind, even if the day dawns clear and sunny. Tuck into your day pack, or tie around your waist, a jacket that’s breathable and either water-resistant or waterproof. Investigate different choices at your local outdoors retailer. If you are a frequent hiker, ideally you’ll have more than one rainwear weight, material, and style in your closet to protect you in all seasons in your regional climate and hiking microclimates.
Essential Gear
Today you can buy outdoor vests that have up to 20 pockets shaped and sized to carry everything from toothpicks to binoculars. Or, if you don’t aspire to feel like a burro, you can neatly stow all of these items in your day pack or backpack. The following list showcases never-hike-without-them items—in alphabetical order, as all are important:
Extra food: trail mix, granola bars, or other high-energy snacks.
Extra clothes: raingear, a change of socks, and depending on the season, a warm hat and gloves.
Flashlight or headlamp with extra bulb and batteries.
Insect repellent. For some areas and seasons, this is vital.
Maps and a high-quality compass. Even if you know the terrain from previous hikes, don’t leave home without these tools. And, as previously noted, bring maps in addition to those in this guidebook, and consult your maps prior to the hike. If you’re GPS-savvy, bring that device, too, but don’t rely on it as your sole navigational tool—battery life is limited, after all—and be sure to check its accuracy against that of your maps and compass.
Pocketknife and/or multitool.
Sunscreen. Check the expiration date on the tube or bottle.
Water. As we’ve emphasized more than once, bring more than you think you’ll drink. Depending on your destination, you may want to bring a container and iodine or a filter for purifying water in case you run out.
Whistle. It could become your best friend in an emergency.
Windproof matches and/or a lighter, as well as a fire starter.
Finally, don’t forget your sense of adventure!
First-Aid Kit
In