Land Between Lakes

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When we were putting together our plans for our shift from Florida to the Dakotas, our next stop was going to be in the Paducah Kentucky area. As we investigated camping options, we weren’t super impressed with what we were finding close to town. We often use another couple’s blog posts for inspiration about where to stay. WheelingIt was a couple that traveled in a 40 foot class A motorhome and have very similar hiking, biking and other outdoorsy interests as we do. They have recently sold their rig and moved to Europe but their information is still germane. In checking their camping map (Wheelingit Camping Map), we saw they had stayed about 30 miles east of Paducah at Hillman Ferry Campground. We investigated the area a bit more and thought it sounded ideal. It would be close enough to Paducah so Chris could check out the National Quilt Museum, but would let us do all sorts of hiking and biking in close proximity to the campground. 

Hillman Ferry campground is part of a large National Recreation Area called Land Between the Lakes (LBL). Large is an understatement. It’s comprised of 170,000 acres of land or roughly 8 miles wide by 39 miles tall bounded by Kentucky Lake to the west and Lake Barkley to the east. LBL straddles 2 states - Kentucky and Tennessee. The campground itself is rather large too with 380 sites. They have a variety of loops ranging from full hookup to water and electric only. 

We figured the drive from Nashville would be NW along I-24 over the top of LBL and then back south into the campground since it is on the northern end of the park. Our Garmin RV760, which is programmed with all our dimensions and weight, for some reason would not route us that way. Even if I put in an intermediate waypoint in the town just north of the campground, it still forced the route to come in from the south. Across US-68 and then up a road called The Trace. Our reluctance in going that way was that it had us driving through 20 miles of LBL on what seemed like a minor road. But we followed our GPSr and discovered our fears were unfounded. We found The Trace to be a fine road with some hills and curves but nothing to be concerned about. 

We had reserved one of the full hookup sites in the “T” loop. The layout of this loop was a bit odd with 3 concentric circles forming a series of pull through and back in sites. The place is very wooded but we had no real issue backing into our spot. One of the first things we noticed when we arrived, other than it was quite busy being a Friday afternoon, was that there were a large number of golf carts being driven around. It’s one thing to see golf carts at big RV resorts but in our experience, it’s not typical to see that in a federal campground. We would discover the reason later in the week when we walked thru the campground. Most of the sites are seasonal people. They have built decks and appear to keep their campers there for the season if not for year after year. None of these seasonal sites in the loops by the water have sewer hookups, so it seems like the golf carts are primarily used to pull their blue boys (small portable waste water tanks on wheels) from their camper up to the dump station several times per week.

On our first full day, we drove 10 miles or so over to the Woodlands Nature Center to check out the place and do a hike. We found the center itself charges a fee and we figured we have seen our fair share of nature centers, so we passed this one up and did some short hikes to a few nearby geocaches. After a picnic lunch, we drove a mile to the Hematite Lake picnic area to do the trail that goes around the lake. There were a couple geocaches along the way to attempt as well. There are a series of concrete stepping stones across the top of the lake near a spillway so we head that direction and plan on doing the lake hike in a clockwise direction. It started out as a nice hike with some open fields and some woods to walk through. 

Spillway at Hematite Lake

Watch your step!

Pretty View

Overcast Day

As we got to the west end of the lake, the ground was a bit wetter but nothing to impede our progress. When we got to the first section of boardwalk that is to take us over the wetland area on this side of the lake and found a large tree fallen across it, we probably should have taken that as a sign to turn back. But not us, there was a geocache just on the other side of the marsh area and we didn’t want to have to backtrack all around the lake. We simply crawled over the limbs and continued on our way. We ran into multiple sections of boardwalk that were either missing or moved out of place by past flood waters. Getting through this couple hundred foot stretch took us 15 minutes or so as we tried to figure out how to get across without falling in. We successfully kept dry, found the cache and continued on a nice trail back to the parking area. Along the way, we spotted a sign saying the trail is closed at the boardwalk. If only they would post a sign for people heading the other direction! 

Our First Obstacle

Boardwalk or Balance Beam?

Hmmm, Now What?

Sign Needed in Opposite Direction

Remains of Center Furnace in LBL

We checked out the visitor center on the north end of LBL. We asked about other hiking and biking in the area. We also asked about the route from the park just up the road. She assured us that there are no limited weight or height bridges which would have explained why our GPSr routed us around that area. Based on her recommendations, we head south the next day with the mountain bikes to the Golden Pond Visitor Center and Planetarium near the middle of the park. It’s not quite 20 miles from the campground. From the parking area, we pick up the Central Hardwoods Scenic Trail. It is an east/west trail that is supposed to be an easy bike trail. We head the shorter direction to the west just to see what it is like and figure we can go the other way after lunch if we feel like it. The trail is hilly and twisty but surprisingly isn’t just dirt. They have spread fine crushed gravel over the length of the trail. It turned out to be a very nice ride although it was a bit more strenuous than we imagined since we were thinking it was going to be more like a rail-trail. By the time we got back to the car, we had gotten in a little over 10 miles. We decided riding the other direction could wait for another day.

Bridge Near West End of Bike Trail

We switched out of our cycling clothes, had lunch then drove further south thru LBL into Tennessee and a place called Homeplace. It is an historical farm set in the 1850’s. It isn’t free, but it’s only $5 per person, so it doesn’t break the bank. There are numerous displays in the entrance building but the real attraction is out back. It is a working farm with an assortment of farm animals: pigs, horses, goats, duck, chickens and oxen. There were also several interpreters dressed in the period clothing doing chores around the buildings and ready to answer questions we might have. The pigs were inquisitive as we approached while the goats wanted nothing to do with us. The two oxen we my favorite. They are so large. It would have been fun to actually see them pulling a plow through the field but they were resting while we were here. It was a fun stop with all sorts of interesting things to see and worth the hour and a half we spent there.

The Wood Shed

Spinning Wheel

The Big House

Pigs Check Us Out

Mule Walks Over to Us

Mule Saying Hello

Traffic Jam at Chicken Coop

Ox at Barn

Lazy Day for Oxen

Split Rail Fence Around Crop Field

Great Western Iron Furnace in Nice Shape

The following day we headed back to bike the Central Hardwoods Scenic Trail to the east. It was a fun ride but does have some elevation change especially when compared to the flat trails we had been doing in Florida. The round trip was about 15 miles and a good workout. It still amazes me that the trail is somehow maintained with the crushed gravel even though there don’t seem to be very many vehicle access points to get the gravel in. It does make for a nice trail surface and we’re glad they put the work in to maintain it so well.

That evening we ate a quick and early dinner so we could make it to the elk and bison viewing area a couple hours before sunset. It costs $5 per vehicle to enter although it is possible to get reduced rates for multiple pass cards. Nobody was at the entrance gate, but they have a fancy kiosk that accepts cash or credit. There is a 3.5 mile paved road that meanders through the 700 acres of prairie. The sign at the entrance states there are 44 elk and 32 bison living in the preserve. We slowly drive along the road keeping a watchful eye out for big animals. The first one we came across wasn’t an advertised resident but the turkey was fun to watch as we went by. 

Turkey at Elk/Bison Viewing Area

Most of the drive is one way so at least we don’t need to be concerned with vehicles approaching from the opposite direction although the road is wide enough to easily have another vehicle pass. They have numerous pullouts around the drive with some information signs. To be safe, they ask that you stay in your vehicle if the animals are within 200 feet of your car. If they are further away, you are allowed out of the car but should stay within 10 feet of the car. At interpretive stations you are permitted to get out and read the signs if animals aren’t close by. It didn’t take very long before we started to see our first elk. They never got real close to the car but at one point, a large one in the field slowly worked its way towards us and got 50 feet or so from the car. It was close enough that it could hear my camera’s shutter. We eventually made it the whole way around the loop and saw dozens of elk along the way but didn’t spot any bison. We still had some daylight left so we went around the loop a second time but still didn’t spot any bison. Given where we are headed this summer, we should have numerous bison sighting chances so the fact we missed them here isn’t a big deal.

#753 and #735 Notice Us

Velvet Antlers

#171 Stares Us Down

The next day we head back to the east side of LBL to do the recommended hike around Honker Lake. We could have parked at the Woodlands Nature Center and picked up the trail from there but we opted to drive to the Honker Bay day use area instead. This was a much more pleasant walk then the one we did at Hematite Lake. This one came in around 7.5 miles after we walked up to check out nearby Bobcat Point.

Along Honker Lake Trail

Scenic Honker Lake

Narrow Causeway at North End Honker Lake

Chris wanted to go to the National Quilt Museum in Paducah but this wasn’t high on my list of must do’s. So instead she dropped me off at the northern visitor center so I could hike back down the North-South Trail and back to the campground. This was a very nice hike and came in at another 7.5 miles by the time I got back. There are a few remote campgrounds along the way that are fine for small trailers but way too small for us. Chris continued on to Paducah and spent the afternoon exploring the various quilts.

17 tigers hidden in here

100% done by hand

Intricate Detail of Hand Applique and Quilting

Double Sided - Front

Double Sided - Back

A Wooden Quilt - Yes, Wood Carving!

Our last day in the area wasn’t the best of weather so we decided to drive up towards Marion Kentucky where there is a small Amish community. We had stayed at nearby Cave-in-Rock State Park campground back in 2014 and had come across the Ohio River to get some Amish baked goods. The drive from LBL is a bit further and there aren’t any direct routes but we enjoy the drive. We attempted to go back to the same Amish shop as before, but it turned out we ended up at a much smaller and more remote store, but they still had plenty of good things to choose from including a loaf of cheese bread that was just out of the oven. 

On the way back south, we take a different route and head to the Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland in Calvert City Kentucky. The only reason this place even showed up on our radar was the fact there is a geocache hidden on the premises. To be polite, this was quite the eclectic place. In other neighborhoods, this would be the junkyard. There are all sorts of outdoor displays and according to the owner’s wife, there are stories behind each “piece of art”. Maybe fortunately for us, the husband was chatting with another visitor, so we could wander around at our own pace. There are a couple out-buildings that house smaller displays that need to be out of the weather. The toyland building was jam packed with thousands of toys. There were some that I remembered but it seemed like most of them, while old, were not old enough to be from my childhood. If you happen to drive by the place, stop, but I probably wouldn’t call it a must see.

I Miss My Beer Can Collection

Art?

Mowers Planted for Spring

Sewing Machines Too!

Shoe Collection

Inside "Toyland"

More Toys

As we head back to LBL, we are real near the Kentucky Dam. We hadn’t investigated this place but figured we could give it a try. This is the dam on the Tennessee River that creates Kentucky Lake. There is a nice visitor center with various displays about all the nearby dams and how they are used by the Army Corps of Engineers to try to prevent flooding downstream on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. We had a long chat with the volunteers that were working the center about our full time travels - they too are campers. There are windows into the dam control room although just about everything is now controlled remotely for this and the other dams so the efforts can be better coordinated. As we walked around outside, it was clear that the water level was quite high. Some of the walkways on the output side of the dam were completely submerged. It wasn’t at all clear where the water level is normally. 

Output Side of Kentucky Dam

High Water

Submerged Walkway

The Lock at Kentucky Dam

Land Between Lake the Lakes was a very nice stop. It would have been fun to be here for longer and with better weather conditions to get in even more hiking and biking. It will go back onto the list of places to come back to.