Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest: Lake Nevin and Sun & Shade Loops (Blog Hike #637)

Trails: Lake Nevin and Sun & Shade Loops

Hike Location: Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest

Geographic Location: south of Shepherdsville, KY (37.91845, -85.66876)

Length: 2 miles

Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: May 2017

Overview: A pair of loops, mostly through a sunny arboretum.

Area Information: https://bernheim.org/

Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=613668
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: South of Louisville, take I-65 to SR 245 (exit 112).  Exit and go east on SR 245.  Drive SR 245 east 0.9 miles to the signed arboretum entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the arboretum, pass the gatehouse, and bear right at the first intersection.  Where the road becomes one-way (against you), turn right to park in the Garden Pavilion parking lot, where this hike begins.

The hike: Located on the south side of the Louisville metro area, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is the legacy of Isaac W. Bernheim.  Bernheim emigrated from Germany to Kentucky in 1867 with $4 in his pocket, and he made his fortune by establishing the I.W. Harper brand of whiskey.  In 1928, Bernheim purchased 14,000 acres of strip-mined land south of Louisville for $1 per acre.  The Frederick Law Olmsted landscape architecture firm started work on designing the arboretum in 1931, and the site opened to the public in 1950.

            As its name suggests, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is divided into two parts: a manicured arboretum and a natural area research forest.  The area is a paradise for hikers, as 35 miles of trails offer something for every ability and interest.  The site’s signature hike is the 13.75 mile Millennium Trail, which gets its name because it opened at the start of the new millennium.  I had intended to do a hike in the forest section, but the helpful man at the Visitor Center suggested I hike in the arboretum due to some heavy rainfall the previous day.  Thus, this hike describes two of the shorter trails in the arboretum, and it is designed to whet your appetite for the hiking Bernheim has to offer.

Trailhead: Lake Nevin Loop

            Start at the right (north) side of the Garden Pavilion parking lot where a tall information kiosk announces the start of the Lake Nevin Loop.  Most of the Lake Nevin Loop is exposed to the sun, so this hike will be hot and sunny during the summer.  The wide gravel trail heads north through a mowed-grass area with the lake on your left.  The arboretum features several sculptures, some of which sit near the trail, and signs help you identify the arboretum’s trees and shrubs.  A large flock of Canada geese were poking around in a wet area looking for a meal on my visit.

Canada geese

            As you round the north end of Lake Nevin, ignore the Green Path that exits right and leads to the arboretum’s maple and crabapple collections.  Now heading south, you cross the concrete bridge over the lake’s spillway at 0.5 miles.  The mowed-grass surroundings change to a nice tallgrass prairie after you cross the spillway.  Large numbers of butterflies and dragonflies were flittering around this area on my hike. 

Lake Nevin

            At 0.8 miles, the trail curves left to cross two of the lake’s feeder streams on wooden footbridges.  In between the two creeks, you pass Sunset Amphitheater, which has a nice lakeside setting.  Immediately after crossing the second bridge, look for the narrow, dirt Sun and Shade Loop exiting right.  There is a sign for the Sun and Shade Loop here, but it is sufficiently surrounded by dense green understory that you need to be looking for it to find it.  Turn right to begin the Sun and Shade Loop.

            Marked with red plastic triangles, the “shade” half of the Sun and Shade Loop provides the closest thing to a nature trail on this hike, as the narrow dirt trail passes through older growth forest.  After crossing a small creek on a wooden footbridge, the trail climbs steeply but only for a short distance.  Near the top of this hill, some interesting moss-covered boulders sit beside the trail.

Moss-covered boulders

            The trail curves left and descends gently as it passes through the upper reaches of a ravine.  Next, you exit the forest to reenter the arboretum and begin the “sun” half of the Sun and Shade Loop.  The main arboretum road comes very close on the right before the trail descends slightly to return to the Lake Nevin Loop.  Turn softly right to continue the Lake Nevin Loop.  The trail surface briefly turns to asphalt as you approach the Lakeside Studio.  After curving right, a gentle ascent brings you back to the Garden Pavilion parking lot to complete the hike.