Winter Carter Caves State Resort Park Run

The descent to the Lodge

In late December my family and I stayed in a cabin at Kentucky’s Carter Caves State Resort Park, and I managed to work in a 14 mile run within the Park. The temperature was in the high 30’s to the low 40’s, and the Park was almost deserted, so I had the roads and golf course to myself that morning.

I felt daunted as I contemplated a run there as we made our way to the cabin in the dark the night before the run. I am from Carter County and remember the Park fondly from numerous visits during my childhood.  The narrow, hilly, winding roads to and within the Park are etched in my mind along with the beautiful, natural scenery of cliff walls, lush forest and the rocky stream that greets one upon entrance to the Park.  I particularly remember the sharp left turn and ascent to the lodging area just past the Welcome Center and Gift Shop.

As we entered the Park, my husband noted the unlikelihood of me running in that area and suggested I find some trails the next morning.  I am not a trail runner unless I’m on the American Tobacco Trail or in Umstead State Park, which have wide trails of crushed gravel.  When we made it to the cabin, I read about trail conditions in a brochure: “All of the park’s trails are hilly, and many pass near high cliff areas.  For your safety, stay on the marked trails and walk the trails only during daylight hours.”  I quickly decided that was not a good idea.

During the run I learned that a 6 to 8 mile run or anything less than that should be manageable and enjoyable. Beyond that, your route would be overly repetitive and/or hilly.  If you seek hills to run, you will find them at Carter Caves.

Campground with deer

 My training task for that day was to run 14 miles at around a 9:30 per mile average pace.  If I ran many hills, my time would be slower, so I opted for the following route from my cabin:  cabin area to camp ground area, and to golf course cart path. I looped through these areas several times with only two trips around the golf course.  I don’t recall the exact mileage of the cart path, but it was at least a mile and a quarter and not more than a mile and three quarters – of hills.

For someone seeking a short, easy run within the Park, I suggest running within the cabin loop and to the campground and around the campground.  If you don’t mind hills, add on the descent to the lodge area and the short hill up to the golf course entrance.  Be warned that the hills down toward the lodge and up to the golf course and the course itself are challenging. I stopped in the pro shop to ask if I could run on the cart path.  I was granted permission because no one was on the course.  The course is beautiful and hilly, and a runner should be careful and watch for broken pavement, mud and loose gravel. 

The most remarkable part of this run was the numerous deer along my path.  Groups of deer seemed to claim different areas:  camp ground deer, barn deer, and the golf course deer.  In one view along the golf course, I counted eight or nine does clustered together in a small valley.  They were not afraid of me. Some stood as statues, some ate grass and some sat in the brush.  I observed them running at times, and they observed me running and standing still to watch them.  I stopped to take pictures, but my phone died quickly, and I regret that I did not capture their beauty. I did get to experience it and will not soon forget the hills at Carter Caves.