Skip to content

Moderate Hiking Trails near Lexington

The directory currently contains 14 quality-checked routes matching this guide near Lexington. Their average mapped distance is 3.1 km and average recorded ascent is 75 m (246 ft); the longest route in the set is 8.8 km.

This subset represents 54% of the 26 quality-checked routes near Lexington. Its average distance is 3.1 km, compared with 2.6 km across the full local set.

Every route in this set is rated moderate by the directory’s distance-and-elevation model. Technical terrain and live conditions are not part of that rating. Within this set, 0 routes (0%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 8 (57%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

0.5 km

Palisades Loop

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

18 m

Heritage

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

4 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

Geranium carolinianum, taken at the Kentucky River Palisades, Mercer County, KY, May 21 2016.
Moderate

Kentucky · United States

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
176 m
Typical duration
1 hr 9 min
  • River
  • Coastal
Geranium carolinianum, taken at the Kentucky River Palisades, Mercer County, KY, May 21 2016.
Moderate

Kentucky · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
31 m
Typical duration
8 min
  • Waterfall
  • Long-distance path
Moderate

Kentucky · United States

Distance
8.8 km
/ 5.5 mi
Elevation gain
123 m
Typical duration
2 hr 1 min
  • River
Moderate

Kentucky · United States

Distance
7.8 km
/ 4.9 mi
Elevation gain
135 m
Typical duration
1 hr 50 min
Moderate

Kentucky · United States

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
102 m
Typical duration
1 hr 6 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
Moderate

Kentucky · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
18 m
Typical duration
25 min
Moderate

Kentucky · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
24 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Kentucky · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
49 m
Typical duration
21 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Kentucky · United States

Distance
5.9 km
/ 3.7 mi
Elevation gain
134 m
Typical duration
1 hr 26 min
Moderate

Kentucky · United States

Distance
3.0 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
143 m
Typical duration
50 min
Moderate

Kentucky · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Typical duration
10 min
  • Alpine meadow
Moderate

Kentucky · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
32 m
Typical duration
20 min
Moderate

Kentucky · United States

Distance
0.4 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
14 m
Typical duration
7 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
River RoadKentucky4.2 km176 m1 hr 9 minModerateApril to October
Palisades LoopKentucky0.5 km31 m8 minModerateApril to October
PellyKentucky8.8 km123 m2 hr 1 minModerateApril to October
TanyardKentucky7.8 km135 m1 hr 50 minModerateApril to October
Shawnee RunKentucky4.6 km102 m1 hr 6 minModerateApril to October
HeritageKentucky1.9 km18 m25 minModerateApril to October
Jessamine Creek Gorge PreserveKentucky1.9 km42 m28 minModerateApril to October
OsageKentucky1.6 km46 m24 minModerateApril to October
HollyKentucky1.4 km49 m21 minModerateApril to October
AndersonKentucky5.9 km134 m1 hr 26 minModerateApril to October

River Road, Palisades Loop, Pelly currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

Plan with more confidence

All planning articles →

Related guides

Other shortlists covering the same area or the same kind of terrain.

People also search for