Best Land Between the Lakes Hiking Trails

Explore the charm of Western Kentucky and parts of Tennessee, where Land Between the Lakes (LBL) unfolds across a sprawling 170,000-acre inland peninsula. With some of the best scenery in the area, LBL is a haven for nature enthusiasts with meticulously marked hiking trails that meander through historical sites, lakeshores, and forests.

Distance from Paducah, KY: 28 miles
Distance from Nashville, TN: 95 miles
Distance from Evansville, IN: 109 miles

My husband and I love spending time at Land Between the Lakes. It’s become our favorite go-to spot for hiking in Kentucky ever since our first date there in 2020. And yep, we went on a hike! These are our favorite easy to moderate hiking trails in Land Between the Lakes.

Barkley Canal Full Loop
Barkley Canal Lower Loop
Barkley Canal Upper Loop
Hematite Lake
Honker Lake
Central Hardwoods

Barkley Canal Full Loop

Mileage: 10.5 miles
Elevation gain: 882′
Loop trail
Dogs: allowed on a leash

Barkley Canal Lower Loop

Mileage: 5.3 miles
Elevation gain: 541′
Loop trail
Dogs: allowed on a leash

Barkley Canal Upper Loop

Mileage: 6.5 miles
Elevation gain: 446′
Loop trail
Dogs: allowed on a leash

The Barkley Canal Loops trails are great for when you’re in the mood for a good distance hike, and maybe not sure how far you want to go. We keep these trails downloaded on our AllTrails app so that we can easily change our route up after we see if we’re feeling froggy or not.

There are several different areas where you can hop on these trails too. For the biggest parking lot area with restrooms, vending machines, start at the North Welcome Station. Depending on the trail you’ve chosen, there are trailheads that start right there in the forest, and also across the street. There’s a map by the parking lot for reference too.

Hematite Lake*

Mileage: 2.5 miles
Elevation gain: 108′
Loop trail
Dogs: allowed on a leash
Restrooms: yes
Water: no

Hematite Lake Trail is great for hikers of all ages and abilities. We brought our 6-year old niece here for her first ever hike, and she absolutely LOVED it. The little stepping stones at the beginning of the trail, if you go counter-clockwise, are so much fun! The middle of the trail has a swampy area with a really nice boardwalk and bridges. Keep a lookout for all kinds of wildlife and birds in this area!

Feel like having a picnic? There are several picnic areas surrounding the gravel parking lot, and along the water.

This hike is great in the spring because there are butterflies taking advantage of the wildflowers along the way!

For a little bonus add on and history lesson, there’s a .30 mile hike called the Center Furnace Trail that’s nearby this area. There are old artifacts and historical education stations.

Honker Lake

Mileage: 4.4 miles
Elevation gain: 291′
Loop trail
Dogs: allowed on a leash
Restrooms: no
Water: no

We park in the lot below the Woodlands Nature Station to access the Honker Lake trail. There is parking at the Nature Station, but there’s also a gate that closes after hours. It’s less than a mile from the Hematite Lake trailhead, so you could easily do both hikes if you wanted a twofer!

I’d recommend wearing waterproof hiking shoes/boots for this trail. There are several wet areas along the trail. One of them is in the beginning. There’s a small swampy area after the trail goes into the woods where you can see beavers, if you’re lucky. The other area that it can get wet is by the lake, depending on the rainfall.

This hiking trail also has some stair climbing involved.

Pro tip: Avoid this hike in the summer. There are so many mosquitoes!

Central Hardwoods

Mileage: 15.8 miles
Elevation gain: 1,190′
Out-and-back trail
Dogs: allowed on a leash

Start at the Golden Pond Visitor Center for restrooms and water access for this out-and-back trail. I love the variety that this trail offers. It winds through the woods, and also has a paved portion alongside the highway. Great view of Lake Barkley! Remember to watch out for mountain bikers.

Always, always, ALWAYS adhere to Leave No Trace guidelines while hiking in LBL, and well everywhere else too! It costs $0 to be respectful of these public lands. Learn more about Leave No Trace.

*May be closed seasonally, depending on the weather

Note- a lot of the hiking trails in Land Between the Lakes are shared by mountain bikers, horses and 4-wheelers.