Fort Boonesborough State Park

The second leg of our adventure south took us further down the I-75 through Cinninnati, Lexington, and into Fort Boonesborough State Park which is near Richmond, KY. It was  a little on the cool side but that didn't matter cause it was a beautiful sunny day. The trip is just over 222 miles or 358 km and took about 5 hours with a couple of stops for the dogs and some much needed stretching exercises.

We arrived to the park and was greeted by a campground host singing Christmas carols. I guest you can never be too early for Christmas. We found our site got parked and set up.

We are only here for one night so I have some exploring to do. Fort Boonesborough State Park is located on the banks of the Kentucky River. The campground is open year round and offers 166 sites that range from water and electricity to 18 full hook-up sites. The primitive area is closed indefinitely due to major flooding last year. The park hosts several functions throughout the year in a large activities building. Service buildings provide showers, restrooms, and laundry facilities. They are quite dated but very clean. The park provides WiFi but I was unable to get on. The campground store is well stocked with the essentials including ice cream, groceries, and souvenirs. A short walk from our site is an 18 hole mini golf course equipped with lights for playing in the evenings. The cost is $4.50 adults and $3.50 children.

Kentucky River

Campground Store

Miniature Golf Course

One of Three Picnic Shelters

Fort Boonesborough was the final terminus for Daniel Boone and his band of trail blazers as they carved out a trail that became known as Boone Trace. This trail was only large enough for those travelling by foot or horseback. Boone and his party of early settlers arrived in April 1775. Their preliminary camp was a site called Sycamore Hollow near the Kentucky River.

Sycamore Hollow

Three weeks later when Richard Henderson arrived it was decided to move the camp to higher grounds close to where the permanent fort was constructed. Boonesborough was chosen because of it's close proximity to the Kentucky River. A rock wall marks the site of the forts first position. By late 1775 Fort Boonesborough consisted of 26 one story log cabins laid out in a rectangular shape with a blockhouse in each corner.

Footprint of Fort Boonesborough

Rock Wall

A replica of the fort was build about 0ne-half mile away and is open to the public. However, it closes for the season on 1 November and reopens 1 April the following year. As my walk was coming to an end I noticed a number of other sites in the park. All in all it is a great place to stay for one night or several. We will definitely stay here again.