A quick hike...

I've been looking for a place to take the kids for their first tent camping trip. Requirements include convenience (close to home in case we bail), good sites, privacy, activities, and a nice view. On Saturday, the kids were at a friend's house and Mama was napping, so I slipped over to Fort Boonesborough to have a look around.

Front entrance to replica fort

Fort Boonesborough, as you might guess from the name was the site of a fort constructed by Daniel Boone along the banks of the Kentucky River. It's since been converted into a state park complete with boat ramp, RV parking, large picnic shelters, a beach and a swimming pool. It also has a couple miles of trails as well. There are a small number of primitive tent camping sites, and a guidebook that I consulted indicated that they were pretty nice.

Unfortunately, due to the immense amount of rain we've had lately, they were also nearly all underwater.

However, the rest of the park was not, and it appears that it will suit the purpose well. In addition to the abovementioned features, there's a small camp store that has firewood, a miniature golf course and a playground. The park also has a replica of the fort (situated much higher up the hill than the original) and a museum, but there's a fee to enter these two.

Pioneer Forage Trail

I spoke briefly with the campground attendant, drove around the lower part of the park, and then hiked the 1/2 mile trail up the hill to the fort to have a look around. It having just rained, the forest had that wonderful shade of green I love so much, but fortunately the trail was dry enough not to be a horrible mudhole.

The trail from the campground follows the right fork of a stream up a valley before crossing and doubling back to follow the left fork up the hill to the fort. From there, you can take a paved trail back down the hill to the picnic shelters at the other side of the parking lot. A nice, stiff mile of up/down hill, just enough to get the heart rate up.

Creek on Pioneer Forage Trail

I enjoyed this visit, and I think it will make for a good place to start the kids off, if for no reason other than it's only 1/2 hour from home if they bail. Somehow, I don't think they will, though.