It's not very long, and it's certainly not well known, and it's hiding one of the more spectacular attractions in all of Louisville.
It's called Fairmount Falls, and I can only describe it with a single word;
WOW.
Before I let you in on this secret, lets look at some facts.
The Fairmount Falls trail (not Fairmont, like the sign at the trail head spells it) is approximately 1.1 miles long, located off of Thixton Lane in southern-central Jefferson County. The property was acquired by Metro Parks in 2002 and the trail was opened in 2004.
The trail encompasses a small box canyon that includes the 40 foot namesake of the trail, Fairmount Falls. Currently, the trail can only be accessed by permit which you must apply for at the JMF Welcome Center, or you can fill out the form and fax it to them for approval. (For the details, you can check out the Metro Parks page for the park here.) You have to wait 2 days for approval of your first application, but afterwards, your application will stay on file and you can apply for a permit with a simple email to the JMF staff. You must specify a date for the permit as currently, the park has limited access to only 3 cars PER DAY.
Faimount Falls Trail Map
With the limited access, most days you will get to enjoy the park in relative solitude. I visited Wednesday Aug 5th, the day after the record rainfall in downtown Louisville and spent a good 2 hours by myself enjoying this amazing park.
Fairmount Falls
The trail itself isn't terribly challenging or steep, but it is directly adjacent to some cliffs that drop 40-50 ft, so be very careful. The trail also crosses the stream not 10 ft from the head of the falls, so you will get your feet a little wet if the water is running high. Even on the day after the rains that hit Louisville this week, the stream was easily crossable although a bit slippery.
In addition to the falls, the trail includes some interesting habitat. The first short section near the parking lot contains a variety of moss and fern covered boulders. I spotted some wild Columbine plants without their flowers this late in the year among the rocks as well. After this short section, you will cross Hidden Creek Lane and then 100 yards or so later, you will come upon the falls.
After crossing the stream above the falls, you'll proceed to the lower section of the trail as it runs the property line along the cliff face of the canyon and downhill to a small loop at the end of the trail. This area is quite moist, and an excellent area for spotting mushrooms. On my excursion, I spotted a rather rare white coral tooth fungus, another first for me this year.
White Coral Tooth Fungus
Fairmount Falls is truly a wonder to me. As a life long resident of Louisville, it was really cool to find something as spectacular and hidden as this short trail is. It's like finding an emerald in your own backyard. Take my advice and book a permit as soon as you can.
(Thanks to Bennett Knox, Parks Administrator for the background info)
No comments:
Post a Comment