Get in touch with Kentucky’s beautiful nature at the 734-acre Raven Run Nature Sanctuary. The sanctuary offers more than 10 miles of hiking trails and access to meadows and streams. The sanctuary preserves part of the Kentucky River Palisades and some of Kentucky’s rich history.
Located at 3885 Raven Run Way in Lexington, the sanctuary is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with closures on major holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas. The trails do close at 4:30 p.m. each evening and visitors are required to sign in and sign out at the nature center.
Inside the preservation areas, you’ll find remnants of our 19th century settlers, as well as over 600 species of plants and over 200 species of birds that like to visit.
The 10 miles of trails range from easy to difficult and are marked with different colors. First, next to the parking lot is the Freedom trail which is paved and marked as easy. Green and Orange are both easy trails that run through the meadows. Blue trails connect other pathways to each other and are relatively easy. Yellow trails are noted as difficult, but are worth it as they offer views of the flower bowl preserve. Red is the four-mile long loop that connects with the white trails which take hikers out to points of interest.
While you’re getting in touch with nature, you can reconnect with yourself with Yoga at Raven Run program. On Saturdays, the park hosts free yoga and can provide mats for up to 10 participants. During the summer months, the classes are often conducted outside. Please call 859-272-6105 for dates and times and to register for a session.
Raven Run hosts a variety of special events and programs throughout the year. Find the calendar of events here.
