Day #3 – A Beautiful Day on a Kentucky Blueway! – A day trip on Green River

We know that everyone claims that their paddling trail is a blueway; you might call Hart County’s Blueway on the Green a blue hole blueway  – with blue holes all along the way. Let us explain…

According to Wikipedia, “a blue hole is a large marine cavern or sinkhole, which is open to the surface and has developed in a bank or island composed of a carbonate bedrock (limestone or coral reef).” While we’ll be the first to admit that there are no coral reefs in Hart County, we are totally limestone central! Here in Kentucky’s Cave Area, our beautiful rolling landscape is karst terrain underlain with limestone and dotted with sinkholes, caves, and underground streams and rivers.

Green River bisects our county from east to west, winding wildly but flowing gently. It makes a great place for a paddling day tip, kicked back in a canoe or kayak. And along the way you can search for the blue holes in the Green River that are natural markers of water fed from underground caverns.

We have seven options with downloadable/printable maps that include Hart County Paddling Trails trip lengths, launch and takeout sites, safety tips, and points of interest along the way. In addition to the blue holes, the spectacular 300 Springs is along three of the trips. Only accessible by the river, 300 Springs is a series of small waterfalls that are a glorious benefit of the paddle. The shortest trip that includes 300 Springs is 9 ½ miles, but well worth it.

While there are three public sites in Hart County where you can launch or end your trip, to pass the 300 Springs site you’ll need to make arrangements ahead to access the privately-operated Lynn Camp Launch.  And if you need equipment and livery access, we have an option for that, too – Big Buffalo Crossing Canoe & Kayak.

After a fun day off paddling, treat yourself to a little of Hart County! Grab something to eat at a local restaurant. Stop by Jammin’ on the Porch at the historic Thomas House downtown Horse Cave on Thursday evenings at 6 pm.

And stay overnight with us if you need to rest your arms! Our lodging options include Conestoga Wagons, an rv park/campground, and hotels (one with an indoor pool!).

After refreshing, you can even extend your adventure with us at Mammoth Cave National Park, Hidden River Cave/American Cave Museum, or Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo. Not enough time for that on this trip? Just plan a return with another paddling trail and loads of adventures.