This fall when you’re traveling to a Kentucky Wildcats football game, visiting a distillery in the Bluegrass region or simply out and about, a stop-over at Bernheim Forest makes a lovely little side trip.
Bernheim Forest and Arboretum has more than 16,000 acres you can explore by going on a driving tour, taking a hike on one of many trails (there are 40 miles of them) or participating in a nature program offered at the visitors center.
Its gardens and foliage are especially lovely in the fall, but every season in Bernheim has something beautiful to offer. Its outdoor art installations are striking as well.
Bernheim Forest is located at Clermont, Kentucky, (Bullitt County) very near the Shepherdsville exit on Interstate 65 about 30 minutes south of Louisville and close to the Jim Beam Distillery.
A little history
Bernheim Forest and Arboretum is nearly a century old. It was founded in 1929 by Louisville distiller and businessman Isaac W. Bernheim, originator of the I.W. Harper label, whose goal for it was to connect people with nature.
The German-born Bernheim was a notable philanthropist in his day and was able to purchase the land for the forest park at a bargain price ($1 an acre) because it had been previously stripped for mining iron ore.
Two years later, the Frederick Law Olmsted (of Central Park design fame) landscape architecture firm started work on designing the park, which opened to the public in 1950.
Bernheim Forest was given to the people of Kentucky in trust and is the largest privately-owned natural area in the state. Bernheim and his first wife, Amanda, are buried at the forest arboretum beneath the “Let There Be Light” memorial created by George Bernard Grey.
Things to do:
Forest Giants. These very large wooden sculptures (made from recycled wood pieces from the region) installed in 2019 by Danish sculptor Thomas Dambo for the forest’s 90th birthday celebration are still in place but may not be for long. When they were installed the plan was for them to remain until they were no longer aesthetically pleasing or deemed to be unsafe.
The three sculptures (Mama Loumari, Little Nis and Little Elina) drew thousands of people to the forest when they were first placed. The Forest Giants are within walking distance of each other and it’s an approximately two-mile round trip loop to see all three on foot. But parking is also available near each Giant if walking isn’t a preference. The visitor center has information and there’s a trail map on the Bernheim website.
Canopy Tree Walk. This short boardwalk extends into the forest canopy, suspending visitors about 75 feet above the forest floor. The vantage point offers a breathtaking view of the Knobs region, and on a clear day downtown Louisville may be visible. In the fall the foliage colors are stunning.
Playcosystem. This is a new 17-acre natural playground designed in harmony with nature to provide children with “open-ended, physically challenging and unstructured play opportunities.”
Acre. This project is a piece of “living art” in the form of redbud trees planted to delineate a one-acre boundary in memory of the old-growth forest that was previously devastated by the iron ore industry (“an acre a day” of trees was needed to fuel the iron and salt furnaces in the area). An opportunity to add a native Cerci’s canadensis “Merlot” redbud tree is available to the public.
Sensory Garden. The garden features five garden beds, each devoted to one of the senses, plus a quiet space for those who need a calming environment. Garden signage includes Braille and pictograms.
L+A+N+D (Land + Art + Nature + Design). This is a new area launched just this year in the forest that celebrates innovative design concepts. It has 10 immersive and thought-provoking experiences addressing beauty in the landscape, biodiversity, conservation, sustainability and climate change. The large-scale experiences are placed along new trails meandering through the open spaces and wild woods in Ten Toms Loop area and Magruder Meadow.
Fire Tower. Like the Canopy Tree Walk, this historic structure — the oldest in the park — gets visitors up above the forest for spectacular views. When the Fire Tower is open, a volunteer naturalist leads visitors 961 feet up the flights of stairs to view the knobby landscape surrounding Bernheim.
Edible Garden. This is a 2.4-acre garden just across from the Visitors Center that serves as a living class, produces thousands of pounds of food annually and engages visitors in gardening. Things grown in the garden include sweet potatoes, potatoes, onions, shallots, cucumbers, bush beans, long beans, turnips, radishes, zucchini, squash, tomatoes and herbs.
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Bernheim Forest and Arborteum is open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset. Admission is $15 per car. Its Visitors Center, a gift shop with lots of nature-themed items and Isaac’s Cafe are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Information: Bernheim.org
