Red and Mitchell Hill Lake Trails, Jefferson Memorial Forest, Kentucky - Hiking and walking trailheads on Waymarking.com

The Red and Mitchell Hill Lake trails both leave from the same site in the Horine Section of the Jefferson Memorial Forest

The Red Trail, if hiked in its entirety, is a 4.5 mile loop. It is listed as strenuous by the park's trail guide, but it's not quite as long or as challenging as the nearby Mitch McConnell loop (and it's prettier too). Much of the Red Trail is on broad, relatively flat trails that follow old unpaved fire access roads. Still there are two sections of the trail where you will wind down into valleys, and then of course that means you have face a challenging ascent up the other side. You can decrease the distance by turning left at Junction Marker 2 and following the Orange Trail, which cuts your distance down to 1.7 miles. Or stay on the Red Trail and take the shortcut to complete the loop in 3.1 miles.

The Mitchell Hill Lake Trail (Blue) is a shorter walk of 1.5 miles which takes hikers out to Mitchell Hill Lake and back. There are benches and picnic tables at the lake for you to sit, watch the birds, and enjoy some food before the walk back. The trail is listed as moderate by the trail guide. I took the loop portion of the trail in the clockwise direction (turning left at Junction Marker 10) and faced a long and tiring climb on the return trip (which was funny because I didn't remember coming downhill that much).

Both of these trails are well-marked and well-maintained. In a couple areas of the Mitchell Hill Lake Trail I had to walk through tall grass overgrowing the trail (this was in September). But the trails were always clearly visible and marked, and I never got that creepy feeling of not knowing which way the trail actually went.

The park is open to visitors from 8:00 am to dusk. HOWEVER, this section of the park requires a permit that must be acquired from the park's visitor center. The visitor center opens at 8:30 Monday through Saturday and at 10:00 on Sundays and holidays. So before you hit the trail, stop by the visitor center for your permit. It is located at N 38° 05.102 W 085° 46.031. It is also a waymark itself, so your visit will serve two purposes.

Parking is in a gravel lot just past the turnoff for the conference center. Display your permit in your front windshield. From there follow the gravel road to the right at the end of the parking lot for the very short walk to the trailhead.

Parking: N 38° 04.669 W 085° 45.490 Trailhead/trail website: [Web Link] Trail allowances or restrictions: Dogs are allowed on leash. Not allowed are bicycles, ATVs, hunting, trapping, shooting, or carrying of firearms. No alcoholic beverages. Trail type: Dirt, but portions of the trail have exposed rock and/or loose gravel that can make descents a little tricky.

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