Dupree Nature Reserve in Jessamine County

Relaxing, relatively short hike. Not highly traveled so it makes for a great place to enjoy nature without much distraction.

Duprees is located in Lancaster (Garrard Countyoff of US 27, approximately 15-20 from the main road. There is:Main Trail: A gravel trail from the parking lot that connects with the Overlook, Cliff, River and Brooks-Schwantes Trails. A little elevation change. Goes through a couple of open grassy fields and wooded areas.Overlook Trail: A dirt trail that goes through a wooded area and connects to the Meditation and Cliff Trails. It has a couple of overlooks of the Kentucky River, and not much elevation change.Meditation Trail: A dirt trail with little elevation change that has a meditation bench that overlooks the Kentucky River.Cliff Trail: A very steep trail that connects the River and Overlook Trails.River Trail: A rocky roadbed trail that takes you down to the river. Has a large elevation change, but is not very steep.Brooks-Schwantes Trail: A trail that can be used as an alternate to the Main Trail for some distance, with similar features.Great place for hiking!

Went early, around 7 am for a photoshoot! Sunrise was perfect around that time.The park was clean and well kept

Nice trails, some are more challenging, if you have a hard time going up and down hills.

Very cool spot to hike.... perfect for my family, including small children. Great views and well maintained and marked trails. Highly recommend!

Very nice place to enjoy God’s creations

This was my first time here. There were lots of wild flowers, overlooks, benches and picnic tables at different places along the way and a view of the Kentucky river and palisades. There was also a neat area that I could see being used as an outdoor classroom (pic included).

Love it there! Pine of our favs in the world.

Weve been coming to this place since 2015, we have walked the trails and scouted the deer heard there. And to say there least.... Weve enjoyed every opportunity that we get the chance to..

Nice well kept trails with views of the river and palisades.

Great place to go hiking! Nice trails and very secluded!

Lots of lovely wild flowers on this September day, and many pretty butterflies visiting them.

What an absolutely beautiful place! Fields of wildflowers and several different trails that wander down to the Kentucky River. A must-stop adventure!

Great spot to get away and spend sometime with nature. Nice trails but my only complaint is that the trails arent all clearly marked but they all connect so its not a big deal. Great views of the KY river and the palisades, reccomend checking this spot out!

Hike it!!!

Nice

Nice hike and very pretty surroundings.My only issue was someone fired a shotgun very close to the trail we were on....didnt see them but I believe they were on the sanctuary property!!!

Great place to hike and just get away. I love that the trail is gravel.

Yeahh

Great preserve. Good trails!!

This place is amazing so beautiful and so peaceful

The gun shots are from Bluegrass Sportsman League which is directly West of the river. McConnell Springs also is noisy at times with blasting and heavy machinery, none the less I still frequent that park. I havent been here but giving a rating seemed to be the only way to leave a comment.

Great trails and variety of landscape (fields, woods, river). Also enjoyed the tree diversity. There are little informative signs posted through the preserve that help educate hikers about the natural aspects of the area.

I only got to walk a short trail because it was an accidental find on a rainy day and I was without boots. I had the whole place to myself, with just the drip, drip, dripping of the leaves all around me. Ill be back to hike them all.

Mainly I am responding to a review that states the lack of wild life is due to shots being fired from across the river, where there is a supposedly a shooting range. First, I have no knowledge of a shooting range in that area, but it could be so, or just someone target shooting. At any rate, if you want to avoid the bang bang, arrive in the early a.m. and during the week. Second, being an avid shooter,hunter and nature lover who loves to hike and view wildlife not be served. I can totally assure all, big bang bang from across the river does not clear out wildlife from this nature preserve. I have witnessed numerous times deer crossing shooting ranges as shooters were present. Along with a host of other critters that make their presence known during shooting hours. As to why a individual might not see wildlife at any one given time. Well, the reasons are to numerous to list here. Be sure to get your facts straight before blaming this for that. We just came back from a hike at dupree nature preserve on 7/4/16. One hour hike in the early p.m. and I was impressed with the recent expansion and upkeep. Plenty of animal tracks and trails and very lush growth of all plant types. Three distance gun shots from different points, but hey, this is the country. Highly recommend! To view wildlife it is best to arrive near sunrise or sunset. Identify animal trails, wind direction, a little cover and wait with patience. With a little luck and learning the signs you just might see something amazing. Enjoy!

Gorgeous woods with great trails but there is a gun range directly across the river. Its all you can hear and because of it there is no wildlife. Would recommend brining ear plugs.