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    Home » Travel » Outdoor Adventure » Kentucky

    Welch Mountain (Berea, Kentucky)

    Published: Oct 18, 2020 · Modified: Oct 24, 2023 · Leave a Comment

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Looking for hiking trails near Lexington, Kentucky? Check out the Brushy Fork trails on Welch Mountain in downtown Berea, Kentucky.

    Metal Bridge Near Trailhead.
    Metal Bridge Near Trailhead

    I'm pretty sure that fall hiking is the best hiking.

    Or at least, it is in the southern United States. In the fall, the thick humidity that blanketed the region all summer finally begins to lift, and we can all breathe again.

    This past weekend, the weather was exceptionally gorgeous, and we just had to go for a hike.

    Unfortunately, the rest of Kentucky also decided to go for a hike, and everyone converged at my favorite hiking trails (The Pinnacles) in Berea, Kentucky.

    We'd planned on hiking out to Robe and Basin mountains, and then maybe checking out the views from either East Pinnacle or West Pinnacle.

    But plans change. Or at least they do in 2020.

    Instead, after a few minutes of furious trail Googling, we ended up at Welch Mountain in downtown Berea. And guys, it was a lovely uncrowded hike.

    Welch Mountain is a small mountain in the Brushy Fork area of Berea. The Brushy Fork trails all interconnect and form a loop with lots of hiking options, overlooks of the city, and lots of wildflowers.

    Looking for more Kentucky hikes? Check out Raven Run and Natural Bridge near Lexington, Bernheim Forest near Louisville, and the Three Bridges and 4Cs trails at Carter Caves.

    Getting to Welch Mountain

    The parking lot for Welch Mountain is a small gravel lot located at 179-407 Scaffold Cane Rd, Berea, KY 40403.

    Since the trailhead is downtown, you could likely find another nearby parking spot and walk to the trailhead if needed.

    There are no signs in the parking lot indicating that it's for the trailhead, and there are no signs along the path from the lot to the trailhead. But it's pretty easy to find.

    From the parking lot, turn left and head down the path. The path will wind around, passing a field, and eventually there will be a spot to turn left.

    Path From the Parking Lot.
    Path From the Parking Lot
    Turn Left Towards the Trailhead.
    Turn Left Towards the Trailhead

    Continue following the path until you reach a large metal bridge.

    Cross the bridge and you've arrived at the trailhead.

    Metal Bridge Near Trailhead.
    Metal Bridge Near Trailhead

    Are the Trails on Welch Mountain Difficult?

    It depends on which trails you take.

    The trails to the overlook viewpoints are more difficult than the trails below the overlooks.

    The yellow trail is the most difficult trail in the loop and includes a small rock scramble. However, the majority of the trails aren't incredibly difficult and would probably be great for trail running.

    Check the trail map for difficulty ratings for the section of trails you plan to hike.

    We intended to do the outer trail loop, a moderately difficult four-mile hike with an elevation change of about 715 feet.

    Instead, we got lost and hiked for about six miles. Oops. More on that later.

    Staying Found on Welch Mountain

    These trails are not very well-marked, but they are kind of marked. Yeah – sort of.

    Before you go, here's what you should know.

    As you hike, you'll see posts with trail markers at trail junctions. You'll also see lots and lots of unmarked trail junctions.

    Blue Trail Marker + Unmarked Trail on Welch Mountain.
    Blue Trail Marker

    For the most part, if you follow the trail marker signs and ignore any unmarked trail spurs, you should be fine.

    That said, we're usually pretty decent at finding our way on trails, and we got majorly lost on this trail system.

    I recommend taking a photo of the trail map at the trailhead (or take a screenshot of the map below) and using it to guide your path. I also recommend using the map feature on AllTrails to find your way back if you do get lost.

    Trail Map for Welch Mountain.

    However, if you do get lost, don't panic.

    We really enjoyed the unmarked trail we accidentally hiked, and finding the trail again is easy since you should have cell phone service.

    Hiking Welch Mountain

    When you're facing the trailhead, the trail is on your right.

    Turn right and start walking.

    You'll come to an unmarked junction almost immediately. Stay left.

    Stay Left at the First Junction.
    Stay Left at the First Junction

    At this point, you can follow trail markers to guide your own path.

    We opted to stay to the right in an attempt to hike the entire outer loop.

    The trails were in good shape and (at first) easy to follow.

    Blue Trail Marker.
    Blue Trail Marker
    Welch Mountain Trails.

    The Yellow Trail

    When we reached the yellow trail, the hike got steeper.

    And steeper.

    Yellow Trail at Welch Mountain.
    Yellow Trail at Welch Mountain
    Yellow Trail Getting Steeper.
    Yellow Trail Getting Steeper

    The yellow trail includes this small rock scramble (pictured below).

    It was a fun (and fairly easy) climb.

    The Rock Scramble on Welch Mountain.
    The Rock Scramble

    Just past the rock scramble is the Welch Mountain Overlook.

    It was a pretty overlook of the town of Berea. It's possible the view would be partially obstructed by leaves in the spring and summer.

    Welch Mountain Overlook.
    Welch Mountain Overlook
    Trail Past Welch Mountain Overlook.
    Trail Past Welch Mountain Overlook

    We kept hiking past the outlook, heading towards the green trail.

    This section of the yellow trail was easy and relatively flat.

    The Yellow Path at Welch Mountain.
    The Yellow Path at Welch Mountain
    The Yellow Path at Welch Mountain.
    The Yellow Path at Welch Mountain

    As always, I stopped to enjoy the wildflowers along the way.

    Flowers Along the Path on Welch Mountain.
    Flowers Along the Path
    Wildflowers Along the Path on Welch Mountain.
    Wildflowers Along the Path

    We passed through a green tunnel of trees bending over the trail, and then arrived at the next trail junction.

    Green Tunnel on the Yellow Path.
    Green Tunnel on the Yellow Path

    This is where we got lost.

    We thought that the yellow trail marker (pictured below) was the junction with the green trail, and we went right.

    We were wrong. The marker actually indicated which direction we should go to continue on the yellow trail. When we turned right, we started walking on an unmarked trail that wasn't part of the official Welch Mountain trail system.

    Trail Junction Where We Got Lost.
    Trail Junction Where We Got Lost

    The Unmarked Trail

    But guys, it was a happy mistake.

    This unmarked trail was gorgeous, wide, easy to follow, and was my favorite section of the trail!

    The Unmarked Trail.
    The Unmarked Trail
    The Unmarked Trail.
    The Unmarked Trail
    The Unmarked Trail.
    The Unmarked Trail

    Eventually, we realized we'd made a wrong turn. We turned around and hiked (a long way) back to the yellow trail marker.

    From this point, we cut down the middle of the trail system and headed back towards our car.

    Green Trail.
    Green Trail

    We loved our hike on Welch Mountain (even though we got lost!) and will definitely be back to explore more of the trails!

    There's a lot to do in central Kentucky! If you're visiting in early summer, check out Woodstock Lavender Company near Somerset.

    Path Back to the Trailhead.
    Path Back to the Trailhead

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    About Sarah Trenalone

    Sarah is the primary creator at Champagne Tastes. She's a photographer, food writer and traveler, and is certified in Backcountry Kitchen and Backcountry Navigation from the Colorado Outward Bound School and Identifying Wild Plants from Backpacker.

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