Lost River Valley, Bowling Green, KY

This 23 acre woods is home to many species of deciduous trees
which have grown in a valley formed by an ancient collapsed cave.
The trail is in the form of a figure 8 with a spring at one end and
a cave at the other.
If you take your time and enjoy the walk it should take you about
one hour to see the blue holes, powder house, a birding station,
a butterfly habitat, and the Lost River Cave entrance.  To go through 
the cave, you will have to see someone in the Visitors' Center/Gift Shop.

Directions:  To get here, get off of I-65 onto Natcher Parkway going west.  Take 31W
going north toward Bowling Green.  Lost River Cave is just after Cave Mill Road, on the right.

Address:   2818 Nashville Rd, Bowling Green, KY  42102

Across the parking lot from the Gift Shop is this walking trail, which is the 
beginning of the Greenway that goes along the top of the Lost River Valley.

A short walk on this walkway will take you to the Treetop Bridge
which you will cross to get to the trailhead (see map, below).

Click this map to enlarge it.

If you'll look at the map this trailhead is next to the
Cave Tour Starting Point.  We went left on the Ridgetop Trail,
which takes you to the Butterfly Junction (see map).

Take a few minutes to step into the Butterfly House!

Click to enlarge.

This is a great habitat for butterflies.  Walk around and note
the flowering plants used as a food source for the butterflies.

A Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Different chrysalids are glued to the sticks so that
you can watch the butterflies emerge.

A Buckeye chrysalis glued 
to a piece of wood.

A Buckeye Butterfly (Junonia coenia)

Chrysalids (or chrysalises)

A Monarch Chrysalis!!

Click here to see a Monarch caterpillar make a chrysalis!!!!
This is amazing!!!

Monarch Butterfly...male or female?

Male monarchs have a black spot on each hind wing, like the
one on the bottom left of this photo.

This is an ideal place to teach your kids about butterflies.

Painted Lady

This rock fountain is a continuous water source for the butterflies.

Some Spiderworts

Click to enlarge

A view of the Butterfly House from the Trading Post.

We went left, walking clockwise around this loop.

Heading toward the Lost River Spring, Kai spots
a Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Photo taken from the Cornell Site.

Click here to hear a nuthatch and learn about them.

This is the Lost River Spring, the spot where water exits
from an subterranian stream.  This spring is at the far right
on the map below (click the map to enlarge it).

Blue Hole #1

There are four blue holes is this Lost River Basin.  These "holes"
are areas of the subterranean river which became exposed to 
the surface as the rock layer above the holes eroded.  

Blue Hole #2

Walking toward the Lost River Cave,
away from the spring. 

The trail to the left takes you under the bridge that you
walked over at the beginning.

We walked over to the bird observation area where they had
many different bird feeders (see photo below).

We saw Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice.

Click here for info about chickadees, 

and listen to their songs.

Info on Titmice

We went left to get to the cave.  If you go right you will be
back at the trailhead next to the bridge. 

Going under the Treetop Bridge.

Heading toward the cave entrance.

This is Blue Hole #4 near the cave entrance. 

The Lost River Cave entrance. 

Contact the people in the Gift Shop about tickets 
to go into the cave.  

Walking away from the cave entrance along the river.

This trail goes up to the parking lot.

Spotted an old acquaintance on my way out.

This is a great short walk through some interesting landmarks.

If you're in the Bowling Green area take some time 

to visit The Lost River Valley.  

Get out and explore your natural world.