Kentucky trails · Blue Heron Loop Trail
Blue Heron Loop Trail
A 6.4-mile network in Kentucky, with 540 ft of climbing. Reaches Blue Heron Overlook and other viewpoint destinations.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 44% of the ascent falls between mile 5.0 and mile 7.5. It gives back about 713 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Blue Heron Overlook (viewpoint)
- Devils Jump Overlook (viewpoint)
Getting there
Blue Heron Loop Trail access — parking nearby. 36.67791, -84.53027 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:41 a.m., the sun rises at 7:08 a.m. and sets at 8:08 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:34 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 00 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 6.4-mile route takes roughly 2 h 39 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:46 a.m. — 10 h 21 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Blue Heron Road (Mine 18 Road) + Blue Heron Campground Spur (Old) + Blue Heron Loop Trail — 7.9 mi loop, 1,113 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Kentucky Trail (Segment E) — 1.5 mi
- Cotton Patch Loop — 4.0 mi
- Buffalo Canyon — 11.3 mi
- Nathan Mcclure — 25.1 mi