Bad Branch Falls State Nature Preserve
Bad Branch Falls is a moderate 2.4-mile round trip hike in Kentucky’s Bad Branch State Nature Preserve. We arrived at the trailhead early in the morning on a midsummer day. It was already pretty hot and very humid. The parking area was small, but only one other car was there.
Hiking to Bad Branch Falls
After a quick drink of water, we started up the trail. It climbs pretty steadily and is heavily forested. We passed dozens and dozens of beautiful, blooming white great laurel bushes. Several giant hemlock trees appeared to have been spared the saw when this ear was logged in the 1940s.
- Trail Name: Bad Branch Falls
- Trailhead Location: Bad Branch State Nature Preserve
- Distance: 2.4 Miles Roundtrip
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: ~500 Feet
- Type: Out & Back
- Features: Waterfall, Wildflowers
- Dogs: Yes
About 0.8 miles in, we came to split. A short spur took us up a very steep section to the base of Bad Branch Falls. The waterfall drops 60 feet over a sandstone cliff. To get the best view of the falls, we scrambled over a few rocks past trees that blocked the view.
We spent about 20 minutes enjoying the falls, taking our shoes off and putting them in the creek. We had the falls all to ourselves the entire time!
If you want a longer lollipop loop, head towards the beautiful vistas offered at High Rock. Or you can take a left and head back towards the trailhead.
It took us about an hour and a half to hike to the falls and back, including our break at the falls.
If you want to spend some time in the area, I recommend checking out nearby Kingdom Come State Park. We camped there the night before we hiked Bad Branch Falls and had an incredible time.
