Fort Knox Military Reservation: Tioga Falls Trail (Blog Hike #173)

Trail: Tioga Falls Trail

Hike Location: Fort Knox Military Reservation

Geographic Location: Fort Knox, KY (37.96884, -85.96121)

Length: 1.8 miles

Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)

Date Hiked: May 2017

Overview: An out-and-back mostly along old roads to an impressive waterfall.

Trail Information: http://www.radclifftourism.org/tiogafalls.shtml

Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=616025
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From the junction of SR 44 and US 31W, go south on US 31W for 4.5 miles to a flashing yellow traffic light.  Turn left onto a narrow paved road.  Follow this road for 0.5 miles to the trailhead parking area on the left.

The hike: When people think of Fort Knox, most people think of either military maneuvers or a gold vault.  Indeed, the 109,000 acre military base serves as the home for the First Armor Brigade and the 16^th Calvary Regiment.  The base also serves as the home of The Gold Vault, where the United States government stores its gold bullion.  Tours of the outside of the vault can be arranged through the base.

            Many people are not aware that 59,000 acres of the base are potentially open to public recreation.  Hunting and fishing can be conducted on specified sections of the grounds, and two National Recreation Trails can be hiked on the northwestern edge of the property.  The Bridges to the Past Trail takes hikers one mile each way (two miles total) on the old Louisville-Nashville Turnpike, the predecessor to I-65.  The trail is paved and gently sloped.  This hike describes the other National Recreation Trail, the Tioga Falls Trail, a pleasant stroll to a worthwhile waterfall.

Tioga Falls Trail trailhead

            Begin at the marked entrance to the Tioga Falls Trail located adjacent to the information board at the parking lot.  The government does reserve the right to close the trail for military training purposes, and any such closures will be posted here.  After only 0.1 miles, you reach a well-marked and well-barricaded trail detour.  Follow the detour by turning right, hiking a few hundred feet on the shoulder of a paved road, and then turning left at the signed resumption of the dirt trail.

Trail detour

            The dirt trail climbs rather steeply through a beautiful mixed hardwood forest that contains maple, tulip poplar, beech, and even a few shagbark hickory.  At 0.5 miles, the trail curves left and crosses a railroad track.  This track represents an active rail line, so listen carefully for oncoming trains and cross at a right angle.

Climbing toward Tioga Falls

            The climb continues after crossing the track as the trail begins following an old road and takes the hill straight on.  After 0.2 miles of climbing, the trail reaches its highest point, nearly 300 feet above the trailhead elevation, and descends gently along an old rocky road.  After skirting a ravine, look backward and to your right to see the rock retaining wall you just walked above.  This wall confirms that the treadway you walk is in fact an old road.

            At 0.9 miles, the trail curves left and comes out at the base of the falls.  You will not likely be alone on warm summer days, as many local people come to view the falls and sit in the ravine, dangling their feet in the cool waters.  The falls tumble 40 feet in a series of two drops, but the first drop is far enough away that it looks much larger than the actual measurement.

Tioga Falls

            The trail used to cross the stream and form a loop back to the paved road you walked along before, but some signs tell you that the trail now ends at the waterfall.  Thus, your only option is to turn around and retrace your steps for 0.9 miles to the parking lot.  While you are here, consider hiking the Bridges to the Past Trail, which departs from the same trailhead and starts under another trestle of the same railroad.