Boone Cliffs State Nature Preserve

This was an awesome hiking spot. Great, great views and a very well kept trail made this a must see for any serious hiker or outdoors person. I wouldn’t recommend this for families with young children because of some tricky spots on high, rocky hills that would be a bit dangerous for young children. But the views are absolutely breathtaking if you’re willing to work you way up to them. I loved it.

Wow! Wow! Wow! This place is fabulous! If you want a fantastic workout in the presence of nature, this is the place to be!
Burlington’s #1 Best kept secret!
Just a little piece of heaven! Great place to make family memories! Enjoyed every minute! Come prepared & bring the water! This is a good hike!

Awesome hike! This is a great beginners trail nestled in the back woods. I have lived here for twenty years and never knew this place existed! Super glad we found it. We Have been back several times for a nice easy hike.

Trail was clear… Nice walk in the woods. No one else there which was great. There were no views of anything. Other than the steep walk at the beginning, you wouldn’t know there were cliffs around. We walked it in about an hour.

Getting out to Boone County Cliffs is a bit off the beaten path, but I’m already planning on going back when I have more time to hike this again as well as the nearby Dinsmore Homestead. The road getting out here IS two way and from experience, 2 cars will (barely) fit.
The parking lot will be on your left and it is tiny, but paved now, and right at the trailhead. This is a pretty straightforward 2.5 mile loop trail with an incline at the start, a hike around the ridge and a trek back downhill to the road. We hiked it in about an hour, but we were moving at a good clip. There are plenty of benches along the trail to rest or take in the gorgeous scenery, which had the sun not been setting, I would have loved to do because it’s stunning landscape. Wildflowers were blooming at the end of the trail next to a creek, and we even spotted a handful of deer just off the main road in.
One of the cool things about this preserve is just how remote it is. It’s one of the first parks I’ve been to in a while where you don’t even get a hint of «civilization» noise. No traffic noises, soccer or baseball field noise, just the sound of your feet crunching over leaves and the rustling of the wind in the treetops. I’ll definitely be back.

Looking for a great hike that virtually no one else knows about? Here it is! It’s a great trail and it’s perfect to teach kids about the local environment. While you’re there, I suggest you head down to Dinsmore as it’s also a great find!

This park is a gem.
It’s located in the back of the back end of nowhere — I seriously thought I had a bad address and was looking for a spot to turn around when I came across the gravel parking lot and the wooden State Park placard/​kiosk in between two houses.
For being a State Nature Preserve, no one seems to be entirely sure who is responsible for it. The County says it belongs to The Nature Conservancy, the Nature Preserve says it belongs to the County Parks system, the State says it belongs to the County Fiscal Court, and no one has an adequate website for it –although the County Parks office did have a respectable map. Not that you’d need one, as visitors are required to stay on the trails. Trail. Singular.
Perhaps for this reason, it receives a staggering lack of attention. A few years ago a large tree once fell at the trailhead, totally concealing it to all but very careful examination, or unless you already knew where it was. And it stayed concealed for six months until I got disgusted and brought tools with me on my next visit. The facilities boasted are a grand total of two benches.
If you visit, you may be frustrated by the evidence of several other, longer trails, now closed to the public. Curious after several visits, I followed one (shh!) and discovered that the often-​cited «fragile nature of the environment» had washed the old trail right off of a hillside, and it was apparently too much work to re-​route the trail, dig out the old one, or build stairs. So the public is stuck with the one ridge trail.
After all that, you ask, how can this park still get 5 stars?
Because it’s *gorgeous*!
The cliffs are a relic of the Ice Age, a form of natural concrete, identical to the more famous Split Rock conservation park in Petersburg. The trail is stunningly beautiful, listed as a «moderate», and makes for a very pleasant but still challenging walk or jog. And because of its location and layout (not to mention the size of the parking lot) you’re all but guaranteed never to see anyone else while you’re there.

This 74 acre state nature preserve is owned by The Nature Conservancy, an international non-​profit agency dedicated to preserving ecologically important lands and waters. Boone Cliffs is a wonderful retreat into the pristine backwoods of Kentucky yet is only a short scenic drive (about 20 – 30 minutes) from Interstate 75.
The «cliffs’ of this park rise 20– to 40-​feet above the valley floor, creating a scenic view of the flora and fauna below. Hiking, photography, birdwatching and nature study are welcome at Boone Cliffs. However, rappelling, rock-​climbing, camping, horseback riding, mountain biking, and ATV riding are strictly prohibited. Pets are also prohibited from the park.
The preserve sits toward the back of a residential road and isn’t very well marked. The beginning of the trail is easy to navigate for hikers of most skill levels. Over two miles of trails are appropriate for moderate to advanced hikers, with several steep slopes near the top of the cliffs. A rudimentary map is available at the trailhead, though it isn’t overly helpful.
Plants such as slippery elm, white ash, and basswood can be located in the forest, while redback and dusty salamanders, as well as over 90 species of birds, can be spotted in their natural habitat.
I highly recommend nature lovers check out Boone Cliffs, one of the most idyllic preserves in Greater Cincinnati.