May 3, 2025 We took the Spring Valley Trail which is a 10,8…read moremile loop. We waited out a rainstorm for about an hour in the parking lot. It had rained a lot and the trail was fairly muddy. I wouldn't want to take it in anything other than hiking boots. When we came to the fork we went to the right. About two miles in, where the trial and the lake intersect we saw a fishing camp. I think these guys leave it up all summer. They had huge coolers, cots and pop up weekenders. About a quarter to a half mile further we took a light trail to the left and found our campsite. I have zero idea how it got there but it had an actual full size picnic table. There are no labeled campsites but if you pay attention you'll spot the side trails leading off from the main trail. The trail is incredibly well marked and even if it wasn't a blind person could follow it. You could take a large four wheeler if you had to. It rained all night so the trail was wet and muddy. There are some cool rock formations, some great water features and some good views of the lake. We came across an old stone building that was pretty cool. Some interesting signs along the trail about the history and region. We didn't see any mountain bikers or horse people but there were obvious signs that they use the trail. Trail had very little trash. Hiked it with full packs and even with the mud it was pretty easy. There were only two blow downs that blocked the trail. There were quite a few streams that crossed the trail, but we only had to put on our sandals for the very last one and I imagine if it hadn't rained so much we could've crossed it in our boots. Saw a box turtle, plenty of squirrels and chipmunks. Heard lots of birds.

This huge forest has a lot to offer and doesn't charge for admission!…read more Within the last couple months, I've hiked, camped, canoed, fished. Once I got there, there was no other charge. There are also horse trails that I saw people using. There are 200,000 Acres & 266 Miles of Hiking Trails here!

This is a nice park/golf course located in Bedford. The main entrance will take you to the golf…read morecourse section. You will find a little amphitheater near the front entrance. You will find a club house with a grill near the back of the course and two open cement picnic areas that look kind of like forts in between. The park was gifted to the city in 1935 by Fred Otis, a local newspaperman. you will find a lot of historic limestone features at this park. The course is very nice and well maintained. It is considered one of the state's best. The golf course is also home to a disc golf course. It looked like a really nice course. I do not know how much play it gets because not many people know about it. If you are looking for the playground and soccer complex you have to go an an entirely different way. You have to take US 50 to Leatherwood Road. You will find the soccer and playground's parking lot just off of Leatherwood Road. It is a very nice parking lot with tons of spots. The soccer fields at the complex are really nice. the nets are portable and seem kind of small. The playground is on a bed of wood chips and has a bank of ADA, toddler, and traditional swings, a couple of sit and spins and a jungle gym with slides, bridges and number games. It is a nice playground area that is well maintained, but is very small. There is a shelter on that side that has a bunch of picnic tables under it. It is also nice as is most stuff on this side of the park. This is not a destination park unless you intend on golfing. It is still nice though and a decent place to pass some time.

I could easily give this park a four star rating if the parks department of Bedford had better…read moreinformation. It lists the address as if the golf course were the main park. I went to Tunnelton Road and couldn't see the playground or soccer fields from the entrance. All I saw were a marker about the origin of the park, and an under utilized limestone band shell on the west end of the golf course. What I discovered after returning home is that if you drive just a short distance to the west on US 50 to Leatherwood Road, you can gain access to a nice parking lot with access to the soccer fields, the playground, and some open shelter areas (no roofs) for picnics. The setting, even in winter, is picturesque since the golf course maintains the grounds and is part of the largest park in town. I only wish the address of the park was listed on Leatherwood so that I could have found the other amenities. Review #2012

We had Vivi as our tour guide and she was very educational for my husband and my first cave tour…read more It lasted close to an hour and the average temp was a very comfortable 54 degrees on a summer day! We saw a transparent cavern fish that you can see their spine and a frog and a bat.

It was the day before mine and the wife's 30th anniversary and I was looking for something fun and…read moredifferent to do. Enter Bluespring Caverns Park. So on our Anniversary Eve I told her what time we needed to get up and what time we needed to leave to make the drive from Louisville to the park. She had no idea where we were going. When we pulled in to the parking lot she said "Well, this looks fun!". We were fortunate enough to arrive about 10:45 am and were the last two booked for the 11:00 tour. The entre fee is around $25 per person, but being a Veteran I was able to get a $4 discount (I'm also told that the Veteran discount is the only discount they offer any more). The tour starts with a walk down a hill that I couldn't help but think would be GREAT on a sled in the winter. It's a helluva walk (both down and up), but VERY scenic. As you descend you can feel the air cool. On a 90° degree day it felt REALLY nice. Once you're down to the bottom you board a boat and start the tour. Sam was our tour guide and he was Most Excellent. Sam has been doing tours at Bluespring Cavern for about 9 years and he shared all kind of facts and trivia during out tour. As I recall our tour was about 5/8 of a mile at a very leisurely pace. Caverns are such amazing, wonderful places. They're their own little, secret underground world. No matter how many I my brain goes into overdrive trying to imagine how it was hundreds/thousands of years ago, how incredibly still and quiet it must be when empty, and how completely isolating they can be. Sam educated us as we went along and entered different "rooms" in the cavern, giving us history and safety tips (DO NOT drink the water) along the way. We even got to see a few bats on our journey. Our boat tour got over a lot sooner than I expected, then it was time to walk back up the hill I think it'd be a blast to sled down. No worries, I'm in pretty good shape. A quick visit to the gift shop and we were on our way. (I added another shot glass to my collection of over 700). We did the boat tour, but they also offer kayak tours and have an overnight room where groups can actually sleep overnight in the cavern. That would be SO freakin' cool! The staff was friendly and funny, the tour was great, and the gift shop wasn't overdone or kitschy. Bluespring Caverns is SUCH a cool place, and we will absolutely visit again.

The skatepark needs repairs and improvements. To be honest, it needs completely redone…read more The ramps are over 20 years old. They are rusty and dangerous because the lips to the ramps are lifted off the ground. Also, the asphalt is not smooth, and there are large cracks running all the way through the park. Nothing noticeably wrong with tennis, swimming, and basketball court area

There is a lot to do at Thornton Park. They have an aquatic center (seasonal), skate park, tennis…read morecourts, basketball courts, and a playground. They also have a community center and shelter accessible from Q Street with plenty of parking. Parking also is available off Brian Lane Way on the west side of the park. The only negative I had was that I found all the fencing around the different sections of the park (tennis, aquatic area, and skate park) made it difficult to reach the other side of the park without driving out and around the neighborhood to the other side. One bonus though was the pair of limestone guardian heads along the path up to the playground. Very cool! Review #1982

This is a small park that you will find across the street from Otis Park Golf Course. There is not…read moremuch to this park. It runs along Leatherwood Creek and gives you some decent views of the creek and a steel bridge. You will find a few picnic tables and benches that are positioned to overlook the creek. The park does not have a designated parking lot, but there is tons of places to park here. The park has a dirt area to park, some green space to play and a small play ground area. The playground is on a bed of wood chips and the equipment includes a double slide, a tire swing, a small bank of traditional swings, a net climber, a log roll and a hold and spin. There is a bench just outside the play area where caregivers can sit and watch their littles. The park is well maintained and the equipment is in great shape. This park does not have any shelters, restrooms, or water sources, so plan accordingly. My littles enjoyed their time here and it is not a very popular park in town, so it is never really crowded. definitely worth a visit if you have some time to kill and you find yourself in the area.

This park seems like an afterthought. Across the street from the entrance to the golf course at…read moreOtis Park, there is a steep inclined driveway down into the gravel lot for parking. There is a slide and a couple swings for the playground. There is a picnic table, but no shelter on the site. The park runs along the creek and there is a steel bridge that spans the creek that no longer allows vehicular traffic. I didn't see any signs telling people to stay off the bridge, but it does have a number of road barriers in place to discourage anyone from going there. I can imagine that after heavy rains, the park has flooding issues as well. Not much to do unless your kids just love running around and creating their own fun. Review #2011

I don't know what's going on here being a visitor to the town, but when I look at pictures from…read morewhen the park was dedicated in 2012 to a veteran, this park has slid downhill...hard! The playground is gone. The play area has been bulldozed down to the dirt. All that is left is a small shelter and a bench. No parking. Bad location next to a recycling/trash area. I can only hope that the park is being renovated and I just visited at a bad time. Signs could help if that's the case! Review #2005

This is a nice little neighborhood park with a small playground, shelter, and a soccer field…read more There is a limited amount of parking along the roadside. The soccer nets were down for the winter, but there seemed to be a decent playing field for the kids. The playground had swings and a climbing/slide structure in the center of the mulched area. Review #2006

This is a decent neighborhood park. The park is pretty spread out with lots of available parking…read more In one area of the park you will find that playground area and club house that can be rented for special events such as birthdays.. There is also a small shelter with restrooms there , but there was not any picnic table under the shelter. The play ground has a duck rocker, a bank of traditional/toddler swings, a sandbox, a sit and spin, a medium jungle gym with slides, spiral pole slide, and tic-tac-toe, and a large jungle gym with tunnel, bridges, monkey rings, and slides. One of the slides is closed with a piece of plywood through. The equipment is well maintained, with the exception of the broken slide. You will find a bench and a picnic table just off of the playground area where caregivers can sit and watch their littles play. The park dates back to 1917 and was originally named Washington Park. In 1918, it was give its current name Wilson Park, for Woodrow Wilson, who was president at the time. The park is also home to a bunch of horseshoe pits, with a small shelter next to it. There is also a very nice baseball field located in the park. It is really nice and has an electric scoreboard and dugouts. Calling all pickle ball players! This park has 4 very nice and newly installed pickleball courts. The courts are fenced in and there are benches just outside the fence for people to sit. I really like this low key park. It is a hidden gem and has a lot to offer. It is a borderline destination park and is easy to get in and out of. I highly recommend checking this place out.

This somewhat older park is tucked away behind a neighborhood and is spread out. The main features…read moreare a baseball park, a series of horseshoe pits, and a fairly new playground on the northeast end. There are numerous old buildings (limestone) that were locked for the winter making it difficult to tell if they were shelters, or possibly restrooms and concession stands for the ballpark. It could be a nice place for a walk if the traffic for the ballgames wasn't too heavy. Lots of trees and some hills in the park. Review #1983

This small tribute park/plaza is located on the south side of the courthouse. It has plantings and…read morelimestone bench seating and an informational marker letting visitors know the history of the location and that the park is the oldest publicly owned park in the county. Although there isn't much here, it blends well with the surroundings and adds a softened touch to the heavy limestone structure behind it. Review #2008

This is a seasonal park that is run by the Lawrence County Boys and Girls Club. The park is mainly…read moreused for baseball from what I could see. Unfortunately, the website doesn't list the season that the park is accessible, so I wasn't able to explore the park to see what other amenities were available. What I could see was in good condition. Note that if you are having trouble finding this park, it appears to be called Dickinson Park on Google, but I can't find any reference to that name elsewhere on the internet. There is a large marker placed at the entrance that is carved in limestone calling it Wiley Youth Park dedicated in 2000. Review #1981