Lexington Parks - Raven Run Nature Sanctuary

Raven Run Nature Sanctuary (3885 Raven Run Way) 

Location - in the southeast corner of Fayette County, bordering the Kentucky River

Playground? no

Trails? yes (one paved, the rest unpaved)

Other? nature center

To celebrate my birthday, we went to our 50th park in Lexington (since the the Covid lockdown in mid-March). There are still about 30 in the Parks and Rec system, but this was one of the only "big" ones that remained. During the height of the Covid lockdown, you had to register for a two (or so) hour time slot, and it was quite crowded. On a chilly Tuesday in the middle of January, it was quite manageable to maintain our social distance on the trails.  My husband joined us and, since he had been here more often (I think I'd only been here once, for a fieldtrip), he chose the trail that overlooks the Kentucky River.

We were blessed with blue skies! This was a series of bat houses towards the beginning of the trail. Calvin was in charge of the map, so he was busy studying it.

This little guy! I usually bring along the wagon for the parks in Lexington, but these trails aren't exactly wagon-friendly (gravel, roots, stairs). He's quite a trooper and walked for a good portion of the way, but he's. so. slow! Every five steps, he stops to pick up a new rock (leaving behind the old one). One for each hand. Stand up. Walk five steps. Repeat.

This one was a little too big for him to grab, which frustrated him.

And sometimes, we'd pick him up to catch up with the rest of the pack.

My Five Guys

I was definitely glad that Lucas was with us. I could not have attempted that trail with both little boys by myself. It was stressful enough with two adults. Each of us held one of the little boys for the last section.

The overlook! Carter and I hiked the Pinnacles in Berea last fall, which had a more dramatic view than these cliffs, but it was still neat, especially because we were still "technically" in Lexington (since it's an urban-county government).

Snack break! (partly to occupy them from wanting to explore the cliffs)

Brothers all bundled up!

And the timer family picture. :-)

We were chasing daylight by the end and were on the final stretch when we heard the call over the loudspeaker to head to our cars immediately because the park was closed.  Nothing like squeezing out every last drop!

(Note: We have visited 50+ parks in Lexington since the beginning of Covid. These are not meant to be extensive reviews but more a record of our experiences. Eventually I will add hyperlinks to all the blog entries here)