Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area: Otter Creek Trail (Blog Hike #172)

Trails: Otter Creek, Valley Overlook, and Red Cedar Trails

Hike Location: Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area

Geographic Location: west of Muldraugh, KY (37.94032, -86.04891)

Length: 7.5 miles

Difficulty: 7/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: April 2005, May 2017

Overview: A long hike with only one difficult section passing several overlooks above and along Otter Creek.

Park Information: http://fw.ky.gov/Pages/Otter-Creek-Outdoor-Recreation-Area.aspx

Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=188129
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Muldraugh, located southwest of Louisville on US 31W, go west on SR 1638 for 2.8 miles to the Otter Creek Park entrance.  Turn right to enter the park.  Follow the main park road 1.3 miles to the Nature Center on your right.  Park in the Nature Center parking lot.

The hike: Located 28 miles southwest of Louisville as the crow flies, Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area (known as Otter Creek Park up until 2011) measures 2600 acres.  The worn-out farmland was originally purchased by the federal government in the 1930’s as part of the Fort Knox military base located just east of the park.  Throughout the 1930’s the CCC worked to turn the land into park land, and their efforts can still be seen in the park today.  In 1947, the land was donated to the City of Louisville in recognition of its contributions to World War II and later became part of the Metro Parks.  The park was transferred to the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2009.  

            The main attractions at Otter Creek are the recreational opportunities.  The park contains a large, shady campground, several picnic areas, a disc-golf course, overlooks of the Ohio River, and 20 miles of multi-use trails.  All trails in the park are open to mountain bikes and hikers, while one, the 7.9 mile Red Cedar Trail, also allows horse traffic.  The Valley Overlook Trail provides a fairly easy 3.9 mile hike to several overlooks.  The 8.1 mile Otter Creek Trail traces the perimeter of the park and offers a wide variety of scenery.  The hike described here uses parts of all three of these trails.

Main trailhead

            Begin on the Otter Creek Trail as it crosses a grassy area northwest of the nature center and heads into some young pine forest.  At the edge of the woods, pass a post with the letters OCT (for Otter Creek Trail) and the designation O-1.  Intersections at Otter Creek are marked by these posts and numbered to identify the trail.  “O” stands for Otter Creek, “R” for Red Cedar, and “V” for Valley Overlook.

            The trail maintains a constant elevation as it passes through some wet areas and, at 0.2 miles, crosses the main park road.  Be especially careful on this crossing, as the trail crosses right at a curve where motorists coming from the left might not be able to see you.  The trail reenters the pine forest across the road and for the next 0.75 miles maintains a fairly constant elevation with the campground visible through the pine trees on your right.  At 0.7 miles, come to an area where the trail has been rerouted closer to the campground to avoid a highly eroded section.

            At 1.0 mile, the trail passes beside the horse camp.  Though horses are supposed to be restricted to the Red Cedar Trail, some reminders along the Otter Creek Trail confirm that not all riders mind that restriction.  At 1.2 miles, the trail reaches post O-4 which marks a side trail that exits left to Morgan’s Cave.  Choosing to follow this trail to the cave will add 0.4 steep miles to your hike, but the cool air blowing out of the cave makes for a refreshing break on a warm summer day.  Back on the Otter Creek Trail, the trail passes above a cliff sometimes used for repelling.

Heading toward Ohio River bluffs

            1.6 miles into the hike, reach a major trail intersection at post O-5.  A campground connector trail heads off at a sharp angle to the right, while another trail leading to the conference center exits at a gentle angle to the left.  Our trail angles softly right and climbs moderately to cross the main park road.  For the next 0.5 miles the trail traipses a gently undulating course through the cabin area as it heads toward the Ohio River bluffs.  When the bluffs are finally reached, some striking views can be had to the left down to the Ohio River some 260 feet below you and to the farms in Indiana on the opposite bank.  The hillside appears to drop straight down to the river, but in fact a railroad track lies between the bottom of the hill and the river.

            The trail passes through an area plagued by windfalls from a 2004 thunderstorm and at 2.3 miles reaches post O-9 and North Point.  Though designated as an overlook, the trees on the hillside below obscure the view, and several better views have already been had from the bluffs.  The rocks do make a nice resting spot before beginning the most difficult part of this hike.

            From North Point, the trail makes a steep rocky descent, losing 180 feet of elevation in just 0.15 miles.  This descent will include sliding down brief patches of bare rock and should not be attempted by those with physical ailments.  An alternative to the descent is to take the Valley Overlook Connector from North Point, heading directly for the Valley Overlook Trail and by-passing Otter Creek.  For those who choose to descend, a different world awaits at the bottom, as at post O-10 the trail intersects the Red Cedar Trail in the floodplain of Otter Creek.  A left turn and 0.7 miles of walking would take you to Hughes Landing where Otter Creek flows into the Ohio River.

Otter Creek

            A right turn at post O-10 will continue along the main trail and lead you upstream toward the Garnettsville Picnic Area.  How difficult the walking will be along Otter Creek depends on how much rain the area has received recently.  Since the trail follows in the creek’s floodplain, this trail will be very muddy and perhaps even impassible after a heavy rain.  Thus, since there are several choices as to when you want to leave the Otter Creek Trail and head for higher ground, you can choose how long to stick with the creekside trail depending on the conditions you find.  If you encounter lots of mud right after you descend, there will be lots more waiting further upstream, and you should exit with the Red Cedar Trail at the first opportunity.  If the creekside hike is pleasant, stick with the Otter Creek Trail until post O-14.  This post marks Blue Hole, a tranquil, wide area of the stream perfect for swimming.

Hiking near Otter Creek

            Whether you exit the Otter Creek Trail early or late, you will eventually end up at Sycamore Flats on the Valley Overlook Trail.  This recreation hall is marked by post V-7 and represents the 3.7 mile marker for this hike.  The Valley Overlook trail heads south from the Flats and parallels the park road on the left.  After 0.25 mile of level walking, the trail ascends moderately, crosses the park road at post V-8, and continues ascending more steeply to reach the Valley Overlook at mile 4.1.  Sitting on rocks atop a cliff, you can look east and see Otter Creek flowing 170 feet below you as well as part of the Otter Creek Trail down in the valley.  This point makes for a great place to have a trail snack near the midpoint of the hike.

            The Valley Overlook Trail continues to climb gently and at post V-9, 4.3 miles into the hike, intersects the Red Cedar Trail.  While this hike turns left on the Red Cedar Trail, note that you could continue straight on the Valley Overlook Trail and return to the Nature Center in 0.75 miles, thus short-circuiting the hike.  This description will turn left on the Red Cedar Trail.  You will need to dodge a few wet spots created by horses, but overall the trail does not suffer much from the horse usage.

            After 0.75 miles of level hiking, the Red Cedar Trail reaches post R-11 where two options are available.  Turning left will lead the hiker downhill along the horse trail and intersect the Otter Creek Trail just before the Garnettsville Picnic Area.  However, this option adds another mile and hill to the hike and offers little in the way of scenery.  This description will suggest turning right and intersecting the main park road.  Turn left on the park road, avoid the picnic area access road that heads left, and in 0.25 miles intersect the Otter Creek Trail at post O-21 where it crosses the main park road.  Turn right to rejoin the Otter Creek Trail.

Hiking under pines

            The remainder of the Otter Creek Trail passes through a large CCC-era red pine planting as it heads back toward the Nature Center.  At first the trail ascends gently with noisy SR 1638 heard through the trees on the left, but soon the trail curves away from the road and levels out.  At 6.8 miles, the disc golf course can be seen on the left.  At 6.9 miles, the trail reaches post O-24 and crosses the main park road.  A short level jaunt through the grassy front yard of the Nature Center is all that remains to close the loop and complete the hike.