Tom Dorman State Nature Preserve, Nature preserve along Kentucky River Palisades, Kentucky.
Tom Dorman State Nature Preserve is a nature reserve along the Kentucky River with steep limestone cliffs, spreading across two counties. The rock walls rise significantly above the water and form the main feature that visitors notice when exploring the area.
The site was protected in 1996 and received its current name a few years later to honor a local person. The river gorge had been important to the area long before formal protection began.
Visitors come to experience the natural features shaped by the Kentucky River and to walk on paths that have been part of the area's history. The trails connect people with the landscape in ways that locals have valued for a long time.
In the Garrard County section, visitors can explore during daylight hours with parking available for a handful of vehicles. The two-mile loop trail is easy to walk and passes through different parts of the preserve.
The preserve is home to plant species found nowhere else on Earth, thriving only in this particular environment. These rare plants depend on the stable conditions created by the limestone cliffs and the river below.
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