Backpackers and other outdoor enthusiasts find Southeastern Kentucky to be a premier destination for hiking and camping. With miles of marked, maintained trails, it's a great place to hit the road for casual walks, day hikes or wilderness backpacking adventures. The Daniel Boone National Forest, established in 1937, covers more than 694,985 acres, including portions of 21 counties, and embodies the legendary scenic beauty of eastern Kentucky, with hiking trails leading through some of the most gorgeous scenery in the state.

Cumberland Falls is a hiker’s paradise, with 17 miles of hiking trails that wind through the park to scenic areas. The Moonbow Trail connects with many backpacking trails in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Whether you stay in the Historical DuPont Lodge, a rustic but comfortable 1 or 2 bedroom cottage, or choose to rough it in your own tent, you are at nature's doorstep when you awaken, beginning your hiking adventure right at your front door.

Travel the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail, a 269-mile multiple-use recreation trail that traverses the length of the Daniel Boone National Forest. The trail is named in honor of Daniel Boone. Sheltowee (meaning Big Turtle) was the name given Boone when he was adopted into the Shawnee tribe as the son of the great war-chief Blackfish.

Trails meander along high, narrow ridges and cliffs and into deep gorges along small clear streams and whitewater rivers. These diverse landforms give rise to a great variety of trees, wildflowers, birds and animals, including threatened and endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, Virginia big-eared bat, freshwater mussels, running buffalo clover and white-haired goldenrod. With thousands of miles of trails to choose from, everyone – from the casual stroller to the serious backpacker – can find a perfect trail in Kentucky.

If you like to move a little faster, the Daniel Boone National Forest is also the place for OHVs (Off Highway Vehicles.) Each of the five segments of the forest — the Morehead, London, Red Bird, Somerset, and Stearns districts — offers trails for OHVs, ranging in difficulty from beginner and intermediate rugged and advanced.

Whatever your interest in wild things and wide open spaces, Kentucky public wildlife areas and nature preserves provide plenty of chances to enjoy the outdoors and glimpse a multitude of critters in stunning surroundings. Bird and wildlife watching come natural in the Highlands and Waterways Region. You can set out on a woodland trek or relax aboard a houseboat or on a state park bench and be amazed at the variety of species around you. Get up early in the morning to see an elk herd or sit in the dining room at a state resort park and use a printed guide available from the state park to enjoy the birds and wildlife right outside your window.

In the Highlands and Waterways Region of Kentucky, you will be enchanted by the abundance of sheer natural beauty that's on display year round. The region is a haven for those in search of outdoor activities and relaxing natural surroundings that appeal to all the senses. Feel the gentle mist of a cascading waterfall cool your face. See the sunlight dancing on a crystal stream. Smell a myriad of wildflowers blanketing a hilltop. Hear the song of birds as they celebrate another day. Taste the clear mountain air. And you'll know why folks return time and again to this region that speaks to the soul with its winning combination of outdoor recreation and scenic beauty.