After our adventures in the alpine lakes of Wyoming and Colorado, we headed back East. Stops along the way home included Denver and Topeka for some sightseeing, no paddling. We added Kentucky as a canoe stop before the final stretch of driving home. We also wanted to add a river to our summer trip. This would be the Kentucky River.
The Kentucky River Palisades consist of about 100-miles of blueway. The limestone cliffs are a part of a 450-million year old ecosystem. Sounds pretty cool. Most of the Palisades are remote. There’s not much development along the river. It’s quiet, but also feels really eerie. Research and beautiful aerial photos convinced us that this would be THE SPOT to canoe in Kentucky.
The Boat Ramp
We arrived at the boat launch around 10am. We used the High Bridge Boat Ramp, located at Lock 7. The ramp is situated in a trailer park. A locked box requests $4 on the honor system. Motorhomes on the property and on the surrounding roads waved Trump flags, confederate flags and made us uneasy. A VW station wagon with Connecticut plates was standing out like a sore thumb.
There is a hill to walk down to get to the river. The hill was straight mud. Along the riverside of the hill we were able to find some stable land, but prepare to go in wetfoot (wearing shoes and socks you can get muddy and wet). Unable to drive the car closer, we walked, then dragged the canoe down to the banks of the river. Our journey into the Kentucky River was off to a rough start.
Exploring the Palisades
Once in the water, we noticed a considerable amount of trash floating by and a murkiness that barred Rigby from her traditional romp in the water. When you see this you can’t help be question what else is floating in the water that you can’t see.
The limestone cliffs were awesome, but following a trip to the Tetons, it’s hard for a place like this to hold up to what we’ve already experienced. Our expectations were too high at this point. We committed a few hours to river, hoping we’d come across something that took our breathe away. Eventually we turned around to head back. I love nature, no matter where we’re taking it in, but there was this odd sense of deflation on this paddle. I guess that happens.
Getting back to the boat ramp meant bringing the canoe UP the mud hill. Three young men were fishing from the top of the boat ramp as we pulled up. We unloaded our gear and Rigby to bring it up to the car before the boat. Once we were left with just the two of us and the canoe we started strategizing the route up. One of the young men offered some help which we were glad to accept and it turned a tricky situation into somewhat smooth sailing up the ramp.
Maybe we didn’t give the Palisades enough of our time and attention. Maybe there were more stunning views around the next bend in the river. The lesson learned for us, is that when we’re canoeing in epic places, like the Tetons or the Boundary it might be best to head straight home. If the Kentucky River Palisades were our only destination, this may have come out a different story.
