The Elkhorn Creek has been as involved in American History as any of our frontiersmen heros like Daniel Boone. Throughout all of the western expansion of our country, this creek has played (and continues to play) a vital role in the lives of those on and near the river. Among it’s accomplishments are the area where Jesse James was born; the first church and the first paper mill built west of the Appalachians; a spring where bourbon was invented; trails along which trekked Daniel Boone and buffalo described by poet Walt Whitman; numerous mills and dams which turned corn into meal; the route Santa Anna was taken to his war crimes trial; the Switzer Covered Bridge; and sites of confrontations among settlers and Native Americans.

This beautiful creek is located just minutes from the state’s capital (Frankfort, KY). A family run outfitter (Canoe Kentucky) services the river with rentals and shuttles.

Once the Kentucky River bed, the Elkhorn's geologic stories are revealed by its 200-foot shear limestone cliffs; its numerous fault lines; its scenic vegetative splendor giant Sycamores, Water Maples and Oaks; major springs, caves and karst features, all of which inspired artist Paul Sawyier's early 20th century paintings. And don't forget your fishing rod for the famous Elkhorn Creek mineral-fed, small mouth bass (which motivated Frankfort jewelers to invent the reduced gear casting reel in the early 1900's) leading to its rank among the top ten such streams in the USA.

This beautiful creek is located just minutes from the state’s capital (Frankfort, KY). A family run outfitter (Canoe Kentucky) services the river with rentals and shuttles.

Various sources claim that the Great Salt Creek, as the river was known to earlier explorers, was named Licking by Simon Kenton, while others say Daniel Boone gave the river its name. All agree that they called it Licking because of the numerous natural salt licks found along its banks. Salt was important to the frontiersmen’s economy as oil is to todays. Aside from it use as a spice, it preserved food well and provided essential minerals the body is not able to create from other sources. According to author Clark B. Firestone, "The Indians knew it [the Licking River] as Nepernine", which some say literally translates as salt seeping waters. The Licking River served as the main thoroughfare for Northern Indian Tribes to attack settlers in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. The last battle of the Revolutionary War in Kentucky was fought on the Licking River at Blue Licks.

As a side note, the Licking River was also the basis of the original name given to what is now known as Cincinnati, OH. Prior to it’s modern name, pioneer surveyor John Filson called the new village Losantiville. L stood for Licking (of the river fame), os is a Latin word for mouth, anti is Greek for opposite, and ville is French for city. Hence, Losantiville (today known as Cincinnati) was the city opposite the mouth of the Licking River.

The Licking River (just 30 minutes south of Cincinnati) feels like it is 2 time-zones away from the city. The Licking River Watershed Watch has been monitoring this river for pollution other modern hazards. Thaxton’s Canoe Trails services the Licking River.

The Kentucky Division of Water listed several sections of the Licking as Outstanding Resource Waters. The Licking River supports many species of fresh water mussels including several on the Endangered Species List. The South Fork of the Licking is rated as one of Kentucky's best small mouth bass streams. The Licking has earned a reputation as being the river that couldn't be tamed. The devastating flood of 1997 all but destroyed Falmouth, shut down 152 businesses and killed five of the city's residents. Though the South Fork has a half dozen or more low head dams, the Middle Fork and Main stem of the river have only one, Cave Run. Licking River Watershed Watch has additional information on the Licking River. Thaxton’s Canoe Trails services the Licking River.

While most of the first settlers of our country were busy building the early cities on the east coast like Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Charleston, a small number of hearty frontiersmen and their families were heading west into the ‘wilds’. Whenever possible, the means of transportation was by river. It is not an accident that virtually every city and fort they made was on a river or creek - Louisville on the Ohio River, both Lexington and Fort Boonesboro on the Kentucky River. Today, when you want to get from one place to another fast, you hop on the interstate highway system. The frontiersmen of yesteryear hopped on a river or creek.

This web-site has a listing of Kentucky Outfitters that service river (highways) of Kentucky.

The bustle of a coal mining town. The clank of the coal cars. The shout of men’s voices as they finish their shifts below ground, showering in the communal showers before heading home. Kids fishing and splashing in the river. Women washing the coal stained clothes over and over, never quite getting out the dust that permeates the atmosphere. Then silence. The mine shuts down, and the town along with it. Houses sit abandoned, slowly being reclaimed by nature. The old coal tipple becomes home to birds and other animals. Floods come and go, working their havoc among the abandoned buildings. And then, within the lifetime of the men and women that lived and worked in the town, the area is given a new life. The National Park Service has given the rest of us a chance to look back in time and get a glimpse of what a coal mining town was like in the 1940's. A self-guided tour winds through the grounds, visiting ‘ghost structures’ that represent the old buildings. Recorded tapes give first hand accounts from the people who used to live and work in the town, many of whom still live locally. Take the Big South Fork Scenic Railway from Stearns, KY down to Blue Heron, or canoe the 5-mile stretch of the Big South Fork river that begins at Blue Heron and ends at Yamacraw.

Sheltowee Trace Outfitters services the Big South Fork River where Coal was once King.

A curved ray of white light rising out from the mist of a 65 foot waterfall in the middle of the night. A phenomemom rarely seen elsewhere in the world. How far would you travel to see such a sight? Visitors to Kentucky have only to travel to Cumberland Falls State Resort Park during a full moon to see one of only 2 moonbows regularly seen in the world. The moonbow at Cumberland Falls is the only one in the Western Hemisphere (the other one is at Victoria Falls in Africa). What is a moonbow? It is similar to a rainbow, but it occurs with the light of the moon rather than the sun. The mist from the Falls provides the necessary refraction for the creation of the moonbow. It is generally seen as a white light, although with a particularly bright moon and clear atmosphere, it can show colors as well. Visible for 2 evenings before and after the full moon, visitors must wait for the moon to rise up over the ridge of the mountains before the moonbow can be seen. A clear night is also necessary for there to be sufficient light for the moonbow to appear. Sheltowee Trace Oufitters offers a Rainbow Mist trip that travels from the beach down below Cumberland Falls up to the base of the Falls. Although not offered at night, it is a wonderful way to see the power and beauty of the Falls up close. Canoeing trips above the Falls and Rafting trips below the Falls provide an intimate view of the river not seen from other modes of transportation.