Crutcher Nature Preserve

Blue-eyed Marys and May apples © The Nature Conservancy

Why You Should Visit
The Palisades region harbors the largest concentration of rare plant species with the Bluegrass Region. They are concentrated in some of the more unusual habitats of the Palisades -- the rocky riverbanks and the cliff top sites.

Location
Garrard and Jessamine Counties

Size
160 acres

Conditions
Crutcher Nature Preserve is open every day from sunrise to sunset. Visitors may enjoy low impact activities that include hiking, photography, and bird watching. Camping, biking, horses, pets (leashed or unleashed), and off-road vehicles are strictly prohibited. In order to protect the unique habitat of the preserve, we ask that visitors stay on the trail at all times.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
For more information on visiting this and other Nature Conservancy sites in Kentucky, see our Preserve Visitation Guidelines page.

Directions

• Travel south on Nicholasville Road (U.S. 27) from Lexington
• Proceed 19.2 miles from the intersection of Nicholasville Road and New Circle Road
• Turn right onto KY 1845 after crossing over the Kentucky River
• Travel on KY 1845 for 3.4 miles to Camp Dick Fire Station
• Turn left and travel 0.2 miles
• Turn right onto High Bridge Road
• Go 2.0 miles and turn right onto Bowman's Road at the large High Bridge Estates sign. Please use caution on this narrow road.
• Travel 1.5 miles to the Sally Brown Nature Preserve parking lot.
• Follow the Sally Brown trail from the parking lot to the kiosk and the Crutcher trail will be to the right off the main trail.

What to See: Plants
Kentucky viburnum (Viburnum molle) and purple melic grass (Melica sp.) are two of the rare plants found on this preserve. As typical of the Palisades region, wildflowers are abundant, including:

• trilliums
• Virginia bluebells
• blue-eyed Mary's
• fringed phacelia

Blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata), chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii), and sugar maple (Acer sacharum) are abundant on the steep limestone slopes, along with less common trees like Rock elm (Ulmus thomasi), yellow-wood (Cladrastis lutea) and yellow buckeye (Aesculus octandra).

Also of interest are sites on old sandy river terraces and bluff-top ridges which have more acid or infertile soils than are typical for the Inner Bluegrass Region. Here you can find beech (Fagus), tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), and oak/hickory (Quercus/Carya) forest types similar to those in Appalachian Kentucky.

What to See: Animals
The Palisades are home to at least 25 mammal species and 35 reptile species. Two endangered bats -- the Gray bat (Myotis grisescens) and Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) -- utilize this habitat. Bats require forested corridors that serve as a source of insects. The bats feed on these insects over streams and along forest edges.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
The steep cliff lines surrounding the Kentucky River also harbor the largest concentration of forest within the Inner Bluegrass, a largely agricultural or suburban region.

This preserve is a significant addition because it connects with the southern portion of the Sally Brown Nature Preserve to establish a corridor of protection along several miles of the Kentucky River Gorge. The Crutcher Nature Preserve was made possible by the creative vision and generous contributions of Dr. and Mrs. Richard Crutcher.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
This property has a new hiking trail approximately 1 mile long, which presents great views of the Kentucky River Gorge.