Big Bone Lick

Big Bone Lick is a great place to visit.  The 512-acre Kentucky state park is recognized as the birthplace of American vertebrate paleontology.  The U.S. Secretary of the Interior has also recognized Big Bone Lick as a National Natural Landmark.

Big Bone Lick is significant for its combination of salt springs and late Pleistocene bone beds.  Ancient creatures like the mammoth, mastodon, ground sloth and bison once roamed here through mineral springs and swamps, now grassy plains covered with trees and shrubs.  Your can learn the history of Big Bone Lick in a new museum with displays of fossilized bones and artifacts from the last 18,000 years.

The park features several nature trails, including the Outdoor Museum with Discovery Trail that includes a boardwalk around a marsh bog diorama with recreations of a woolly mammoth and other scavengers feeding on carcasses and skeletal remains.  The Discovery Trail winds through several habitats, including grassland, wetland and savanna, and is accessible to the physically-challenged.  A small bison herd is also maintained on-site.

There are 62 campsites with utility hookups, grills, swimming pool, playground, showers, rest rooms and laundry.  There is a 7.5-acre lake filled with largemouth bass, bluegill, and catfish for bank fishing.  An 18-hole miniature golf course includes a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside.  Nearly 40 acres of picnic grounds with tables, grills and a playground are ideal for family outings.  Tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, softball fields, and horseshoe pits are available for the enjoyment of park visitors.

Things to Do at Big Bone Lick
Big Bone Events

TheBassmaster95 posted a video on YouTube showing him fishing at Big Bone Lick State Park.  Here is his report:

“I guess fishing was just okay.  Not one of my good days though.  The bluegill in there are pretty small, as you can see.  The first time I went to Big Bone Lick State Park, I was catfishing.  Well, I thought the place was just abundant with catfish until I actually hooked what I thought to be a catfish.  It was a bluegill.  That was what had been biting my chicken liver.  So I decided to go bluegill fishing down there.  Like I said, it was a slow day.  I was using size 8 or 10 eagle claw salmon egg hooks.  They are a great hook for bluegill because they are so small.  Another good thing to have is a small bobber.  If you are fishing with a lot of bait stealers, you need to be able to detect those tiny bites that you can’t detect with a big bobber.  Some times your bobber may only be moving in a direction and you don’t even know that that is a fish biting.”

Big Bone Lick State Park is one of the few places in the world where one can find the federally endangered plant, Running Buffalo Clover.  The clover appears to depend on woodland disturbance created by large animals, especially the bison.  Unfortunately, the loss of wild roaming bison, increase of invasive species and agricultural practices have pushed this plant to the verge of extinction. 

Running Buffalo Clover (Trifolium stoloniferum) is a perennial clover native to the eastern and midwestern United States.  This plant has upright, unbranched flowering stems, typically 4-20 inches tall.  The stem is topped by a round flower head, subtended by two leaves.  The flower heads are white, sometimes tinged with purple, and about an inch in diameter.  It flowers from mid-May to June and fruits in July.

You are invited to join the naturalist staff at Big Bone Lick State Park on Sunday, July 5 to help save this endangered species.  There will be a short presentation, followed by onsite habitat restoration for the Running Buffalo Clover.

Phone (859) 384-3522 or email todd.young@ky.gov for more information.

Big Bone Lick is a 512-acre state park in Boone County, Kentucky.  The park has many fun and educational activities for families and nature lovers:

	Buffalo Herd. The American buffalo, or bison, is the largest of all North American land mammals.  Hunted to near extinction, the last wild buffalo was seen in Kentucky around 1800.  The park’s herd is an effort to re-establish these magnificent animals at Big Bone Lick.
	Camping. Spacious campground features 62 campsites with utility hookups, grills, swimming pool and playground.  Showers, rest rooms and laundry.
	Discovery Trail. Recreated grasslands, wetlands and wooded savannas lie along the trail leading to a "bog" diorama.  Shown going into or struggling inside the marsh bog are a woolly mammoth, a mastodon, a giant sloth, bison, various skeletal remains, and scavengers feeding on the carcasses.  Open year-round.
	Fishing. A 7.5-acre lake contains largemouth bass, bluegill, and catfish for bank fishing.  A Kentucky fishing license is required.  Open year-round.
	Gift Shop. The gift shop at Big Bone Lick is as unique as the park.  You’ll find caps, T-shirts, fossils, books and more.  Hours vary by season.
	Hiking. There are 3.5 miles of hiking trails around the lake and Outdoor Museum area.
	Indoor Museum. Learn the history of Big Bone Lick in our brand new museum with displays of fossilized bones and artifacts from the last 18,000 years.
	Mini-Golf. An 18-hole miniature golf course, with a commanding view of the surrounding countryside, is near the entrance to the campground.  Open to all visitors, April through October.
	Outdoor Museum. The mile-long outdoor museum continues on the paved Big Bone Creek Trail wanders through the original swampland, now growing wild with brush and flowers, and the last remaining salt-sulphur spring.  Open year-round.
	Picnicking & Playground. Nearly 40 acres of picnic grounds with tables, grills and a playground are ideal for family outings.  The two picnic shelters have tables, grills, water and electric, and may be reserved for rental up to one year in advance.  Available year-round.
	Sports. Tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, softball fields, and horseshoe pits are available for the enjoyment of park visitors.  Available year-round, weather permitting.
	Swimming. An outdoor swimming pool is available at the campground for campground guests only.  Summer only.

Check out the Big Bone Lick State Park website