Walk Across Kentucky
What is The Walk Across Kentucky?
The Walk Across Kentucky is a diverse and unique Kentucky native plant collection and a living museum that captures the spirit of the Commonwealth’s landscape. It was first planted in 1991 after extensive plant collection efforts in the 1980’s, which sought to secure the botanical diversity from across Kentucky, and cultivate it in a common location for research and conservation efforts.
A two-mile paved pathway meanders through over 80 acres of wild-collected native plants that represent the 7 physiographic regions of the state. There are over 2500 trees and shrubs in the collection and efforts are being made to further develop the interesting ecosystems found across Kentucky, including tallgrass prairies, wetlands, savannahs, and glades.
The Seven Physiographic Regions:
The Arboretum Woods
The Arboretum Woods is a 15-acre remnant Inner Bluegrass Woodland and is an especially valuable part of the Walk Across Kentucky Native Plant Collection. It includes over 60 species of trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers including some ancient trees aged between 200 to 400 years. There are ongoing efforts to remove invasive plant species, such as wintercreeeper (Euonymus fortuneii), and restore The Arboretum Woods to a more ecologically sustainable condition. A half-mile trail provides access through the woods, and we ask that visitors remain on the trail to preserve the forest understory.
Arboretum Map
