Outdoor
Whether you just admire the great outdoors for its scenic splendor, or you prefer flinging yourself into sports, games and rugged activities, there are rewarding diversions for you in and around Winchester: horseback riding, hiking, canoeing, disc golf, geocaching, and golf courses that make the most of the majestic sweep of the local terrain.
Parks, Recreation, and Sports Resources
Winchester and Clark County maintain more than 100 acres of recreational land, and a variety of sport and outdoor recreation facilities. This land is divided among nine public parks and the Kroger Youth Soccer Complex. Most parks feature picnic shelters, baseball diamonds, playgrounds, grills, basketball courts, and walking trails. Tennis courts are located at Lykins Park, College Park, Community Park, and Wiseman Park. An outdoor Junior Olympic-size pool is located at Community Park. For directions and more information on each of Winchester’s parks please visit the Winchester-Clark County Parks and Recreation Department website at www.parks.winchesterky.com
College Park Gym and Natatorium
College Park Gym is located at 15 Wheeler Avenue and houses the offices for the Parks & Recreation Department. The building, constructed in 1925 as the Spencer Gymnasium, was originally used as an athletic complex for Kentucky Wesleyan College and later Southeastern Christian College. After being acquired by the city, the building has undergone extensive renovation. Recently added to the gym is an elevated walking track (15 laps = 1 mile) which is open to the public on a limited basis 7 days per week. The facility include an indoor pool for local swim teams. Please visit the Parks & Recreation website for hours of operation or more information.
Kroger Youth Soccer Complex
The Kroger Youth Soccer Complex, located on Van meter Road, was dedicated in 2008, and is a 27-acre district park with 5 soccer fields, room for additional fields, and a concession building with restrooms. This park serves as home to the Winchester Youth Soccer League.
Golf Courses
Southwind Golf Course and Cassell Creek Golf Course are both 18-hole public courses in Winchester, and there is a driving range next to the Cassell Creek Course. The Winchester Country Club is a private, 18-hole course, with an Olympic swimming pool and tennis courts for members.
Ironworks Hills Disc Golf Course
Ironworks Hills, a nine hole disc golf course, opened in 2008 on the Clark County Fair Grounds about five miles east of Winchester on KY15. Admission to the course is free.
Skate Park at Lykins Park
Located within Winchester’s largest park, the skate park at Lykins Park provides a variety of obstacles for skaters of any skill level and contains several quarter pipes, rails, and ramps for skaters.
Three Trees Canoe-Kayak Rental
Located on Athens-Boonesboro Road about 8 miles south of Winchester, Three Trees offers canoe or kayak rentals for beginners and more advanced paddlers alike. Visitors can paddle on the Kentucky River through the breathtaking Kentucky River Palisades, and enjoy unique views of the spectacular rock formations along the river. Visit www.threetreeskayak.com to make a reservation.
Kentucky Equestrian Center
This state-of-the-art horse showing facility opened in August 2008 to host the United Mountain Horse World Championship. The 20-million dollar facility is situated on 380 acres of land about 10 miles east of Winchester. Visit www.kyequinecenter.org for more information.
Hiking in Winchester and Clark County
Winchester offers a variety of hiking trails at any difficultly ranging from more primitive nature trails to paved or graveled park trails. Most of the county’s nature trails can be found near the Kentucky River about eight miles south of Winchester.
The Civil War Fort at Boonesboro includes a moderately strenuous, wooded one-mile loop trail that provides panoramic views of the Kentucky River valley. Interpretive panels along the trail give insightful historical information about the Boonesborough area, as well as information about local plant and animal species. There is a picnic area and restroom facilities in the park, where the remains of a Union Army earthwork fortification can be seen. The park is open from dawn to dusk. Visit www.tourwinchester.com for more information.
Lower Howard’s Creek State Nature Preserve contains several miles of nature trails that wind through several historic sites and allow hikers to see a variety of rare plant and animal species. The preserve is open by appointment only at present. Visit www.lowerhowardscreek.org for more information and for special events occurring at the preserve.
College Park, centrally located in one of Winchester’s most historic neighborhoods, features a graveled walking path equipped with a parcours obstacle course.
The first of its kind in the state, the Winchester Traveling Trail opened at its first location on the corner of Colby Road and the Bypass in April of 2008. The trail, situated within a large meadow of Kentucky bluegrass, is nearly a mile long and contains shaded areas with benches. The trail will “travel” to different locations across the county to encourage citizens of the county to stay healthy. The park is open from dawn to dusk. Leashed and tagged dogs are welcome. Visit www.travelingtrail.org for upcoming events at the site.
Other nearby outdoor options include the Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve, located about 17 miles east of Winchester off of KY 15. This preserve contains a moderately strenuous 2 mile loop hike to the summit of Pilot Knob, the point from which Daniel Boone first viewed the “beautiful level of Kentucky” in 1769. It offers breathtaking views of the rolling Bluegrass and mountainous Knobs regions of Kentucky. Across the Kentucky River is Fort Boonesborough State Park, which contains a number of nature trails and provides camping facilities. The site of one of Kentucky’s first white settlements, the park features a reconstructed pioneer-era fort with daily living history reenactments.
