Loading...
Beckley Creek ParkParklands of Floyds ForksTrail Guides

Trail Guide: The Coppiced Woods Trail at Beckley Creek Park

Coppiced Woods Trail - Beckley Creek Park

Coppiced Woods Trail Details

This week, we kicked off a project to document all of the hiking trails in Louisville’s Parklands of Floyds Fork, an urban trail system consisting of four separate parks connected by Floyds Fork Creek and the Louisville Loop, designed to one day encircle Louisville with a 100+ mile hiking/walking path that will connect other parks within the city. We begin with the Coppiced Woods Trail.

Park at the Coppiced Woods Trail parking lot, but don’t be surprised if there aren’t any spots. The lot only holds a few cars. If it’s full, park across the street at the North Beckley Paddling Access parking lot or at the William F. Miles Lakes lot.

The trail itself is well maintained, with yellow blazes, and rated easy, with little elevation gain over its 1.64 miles. From the parking lot, the trail passes through some small, scrubby cedars as it passes by one of the fishing ponds before entering a stand of more mature trees and passing by another of the fishing ponds.

Coppiced Woods Trail - Parklands of Floyds Fork
Mossy log on the Coppiced Woods Trail

The folks at the Parklands have done a great job with trail routing and construction, with wide trails that make it easy for mountain bikers and hikers to share the trail, and big, creek rock paving stones laid across the stream crossings to minimize the amount of mud that’s stirred up over the course of heavy use.

After the lake, the trail approaches Blue Heron Road before crossing under it just before the one mile mark. Be careful when you get to a trail junction just past the bridge. To stay on the trail, turn right and go back up the hill towards the road and a nice overlook of Floyds Fork. If you want to cut the trail short, head straight at the junction, which goes to the Louisville Loop, turn right and head towards the North Beckley Paddling Access lot, where you’ll re-join the trail.

The overlook offers great views of Floyds Fork in the winter. I’m sure it’s lessened in the summer, when the hardwoods are leafed out. We saw beautiful, mature sycamores along the creek back, with their white, scaly trunks – a great spot for photos and hanging out to enjoy the views.

After the overlook, the trail follows the ridgeline until it drops down to the Louisville Loop, just before the North Beckley Paddling Access lot. From here, the trail makes a hairping turn right and goes up the hill, paralleling the road into the parking lot until it reaches Blue Heron Road and the end of the trail.

The trail signs and maps say the trail is 1.57 miles, but my apps said 1.64. Either way, this is a nice, short hike, great for families, beginners or anyone looking to get out for a short hike. If you don’t mind walking on pavement, you can hook-up with the Louisville Loop and head over to the other section of Beckley Creek Park and hike the trails there and make this a much longer outing.

Be aware that this is a multi-use trail, for hiking and mountain biking. We saw a few bikers on the trail, who called out to us as they approached from behind. They don’t bother us, but on beautiful, dry days, this trail receives a lot of traffic. Caveat emptor!

Watch our video Trail Guide

Getting there – directions from the Gene Snyder Freeway (I-265)

  • Take exit 27 for US-60/Shelbyville Road toward Middletown/Eastwood
  • Turn east on US-60/Shelbyville Road, toward Eastwood
  • Drive approximately 1.5 miles until you see the entrance to the park on your right
  • Turn right on Blue Heron Road and drive 0.5 miles until you see the Coppiced Woods Parking lot on your left.