This state park has so much to offer! The trails are well maintained and easily accessible, the…read morelodge is beautiful with a delicious restaurant inside, and there are even cave tours! Some caves only run seasonally, but I took two tours on a Sunday, and it felt like a good amount at a time. Tickets for tours are purchased at the Welcome Center, day of. There's a self explore cave, too, but you need two adults minimum in your party and each with a flashlight. The arches and natural bridges in this park were amazing sites, scattered along the park. I took on the challenge of hitting each arch / bridge, and it was doable in under 5 miles if you move between accesses.

I started visiting Carter Caves State Park when I was young. Fast forward to 2024. I planned a…read morevisit with my nieces and their kids when I was in town. None of my great nieces and nephews had been inside a cave. We arrived at roughly 11:15 AM. I purchased tickets at the Welcome Center for everyone to tour Saltpetre (AKA Saltpeter) Cave at 11:30 AM. It was $54 for three adults and four children. We followed our tour guide across the street, up a hill, then down the stairs and into the earth we went. This cave was used in the War of 1812 to make gunpowder. We got a history lesson from our tour guide who was so patient with the kids. This cave was the driest of all the caves at the park, so no stalactites hanging from the ceiling. But bonus was, no water on our shoes. If you want to see bats, this is not the cave. The cave used to have thousands of bats. The park conservationists are working to increase bat living in this cave. After the tour, we had to turn up our feet, one at a time, so the tour guide could spray the bottom of our shoes with soap and water. He told us this was done to prevent carrying germs/bacteria out of the cave that could harm the bat population at the park. The tour lasted roughly 45 minutes. It was worth the time and money! The kids had a blast. Only one was scared when the lights were turned off momentarily so we could experience total darkness and silence. My nephew Cooper lasted about 3 minutes, then, in his little whimpering voice, he asked if the lights could be turned back on. I can't say enough great things about our cave guide. We left the Welcome Center and headed to the public pool. The pool was free for those camping and staying in cabins. We went on a Monday, so everyone was $3. Pretty good deal! The pool was clean. Only light snacks available, icecream, chips and soda. I highly recommend you add Carter Caves to your summer fun list!

Everyone about this trip was amazing! The park has some of the best trails! Some are harder than…read moreothers but worth the sites! We went to a bunch of amazing restaurants and met wonderful people kind people! We will be back again and recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors!!!

This will have been our 2nd time to Red River Gorge, except we took our fam plus some. I love…read moreviews, mountains, family, and good food! We rented out thee most cutest cabin. We took a hike one day and rested another. When we go again, the itinerary will look different, trying other places we didn't get a chance to experience.

Very pretty park with lots of different activities available. There is the pioneer museum,…read moreshelters, boat ramp to the Licking River, Lodge and Restaurant. There are also several trails including the short Buffalo Trace trail. Lots of history amid a beautiful setting. We hiked a couple of trails and visited the museum. The museum covers a wide range of history of the area- from fossils to mastodon tusks to Native American artifacts and pioneer life. There is no entrance fee for the park, but there was a small Museum fee- which was definitely worth it.

We stopped and visited the lodge and the gift shop. We did not eat or stay at the lodge so the…read morereview does not address a stay. We had brought a picnic lunch and had a picnic at the state park. It was a nice on the way from Lexington Ky. to Maysville. We did not tour the museum but drove by the river.

It's a nice little spot to relax. Nothing installed at the time I was there there for someone to do…read moreoutside of appreciating the views and scenery, but that's not a knockdown. I enjoyed walking through and taking some pictures and videos. The geese were actually super cool too and let me get pretty close without hissing at me or anything

It was a nice stop since we were driving by and scouting for places to walk the dogs in shade…read more Unfortunately the trail is very short. The grounds are good, some beautiful plants. But I've been to other gardens like this that were much better. The grounds need a little work and the pond is overgrown with algae.

We hiked the fern valley trail. It was pretty easy. Well suited for little ones and adults. There's…read morea few spots near the lake where you might have to help smaller kids but our daughter and her friend managed well enough. Saw a lot of little toads on the trail. Lots of butterflies and squirrels. We managed to see a Heron fishing and flying. That made the trip in my opinion. We walked around the lodge. Not too much to see in there. Looks like a decent enough place to stay. Staff wasn't very friendly but I guess you can't expect much out of government employees having to work a holiday.

We had lunch at Anglers Cove today. The buffet was delicious and our waitress, Jayden, was…read morewonderful!

WOWWW!!!! I could have spent forever here! Who knew? This park looks very small and possibly…read moreun-inviting, however I like a good adventure. This place is ginormous! Spectacular! *NKY doesn't offer the "oh the places I can go" any season of hiking! Loveeee this place! It's def a hidden gem! Serene and peaceful - this is it! Perfect for family fun & an escape to nature! I can't wait to go back!

Pretty park. Moderate to heavy use. Multiple playgrounds and shelters. Two Frisbee golf courses…read more Pretty well maintained.

I was looking for a short hike. The trails by the lakeside were a bit overgrown on my visit; not so…read moremuch as to be impossible but enough to needlessly increase the tick and poison ivy risk. The activity du jour seemed to be boating, and there were plenty of people taking a dip in various parts of the lake as well. It's probably good for that, but the sights weren't amazing and I wasn't convinced that the calories burned were worth the trouble.

I've hiked Lake Vesuvius many times and it is always quiet, clean and well kept. You have to be…read moreaware of conditions, but I live close by, si no worries. Love this lake hike!

Very rude, was asked to leave because of my leashed very well behaved dog. I can pay thousands in…read moreproperty taxes and the city of Richmond can give out free Narcan but I can't go for a walk with my dog. Mind you there was one car in the parking lot which was the security guards car.

So many rules. New To Richmond, I went here looking for a relaxing place to put my hammock up. I…read morewalked into the visitors center To ask questions and get info. I was told by a man that I wasn't allowed to hang a simple hammock because it kills the trees. I understand the passive perspective, but What is the point of a beautiful park if you don't want anyone to use it. I've found several better, more friendly, places that don't mind a quiet lady with a hammock and a book.