Class II Kentucky River, KY

Herds of buffalo roaming across Kentucky carved rudimentary roads into the Earth later used by the pioneers during the settlement period of our state's history. Many modern roads still roughly follow the paths carved by the huge bison as they made their way from stamping grounds to salt springs. One of these buffalo trails ran from McConnell Springs in Fayette County and forded the Kentucky River at a shallow bar near the now extinct community of Leestown. This trail is now roughly U.S. 421 or Leestown Road. The distillery located there is called Buffalo Trace in recognition of this historic crossing. After crossing the river, the buffalo climbed the river hills to the northwest, making their way toward the Ohio River. The movement and their wallowing scraped the vegetation from a prominent knob in the area, making it appear "bald." This moniker is still used to describe the northwestern part of Franklin County. Paddlers may float over this famous buffalo crossing in the first stretch of Pool 3 of the Kentucky River. With peak autumn colors approaching, the next few weeks make fantastic times to paddle Pool 3. Canoeists and kayakers have several floats to view the last of the Kentucky River Palisades on this pool. (KYFWR)