Jefferson Memorial Forest

Like. Good forest. Largest municipal urban forest in ‘murica. Hiking trails. Good hiking trails. Place to fish. Go Ape nearby. Good for picnics. Walking dogs. Exercise. Etc.
I don’t know what else there is. Didn’t see anything else. Maybe there are other things. I would explore if I were you. Visit. Enjoy. Walk around. Drive through. Very pretty.

It’s a great recreational park with a nice lake, tons of trails, small playground, 3 – 4 pavilions and restrooms! Get for fishing, feedinf ducks, hiking, playing and spending the day! It’s just a few miles from the Gene Synder Freeway and the park visitors cnt is right across the st from the park! There is a Circle K store about a half of a mile or so up the street! Plus Walmart is about 2 – 3 miles away so you can get everything you want/​need on the way to the park or just a few minutes away if you need to pick up something you forgot for ur picnic! The reviewer Abby who said she found ticks on her dog from the woods/forest…well yeah it’s the wood’s where ticks live and they live in the grass right in the open! Wear some off/​bug spray and check ur self when you leave and you should be fine! If ur not I will always thought you should have been!!!

Lovely hiking trails, which are very well marked. Which is not something that is common in other parks.
I enjoyed my hike here. It was beautiful and a great way to spend the day.

Just an absolutely incredible park. Stunning views. Such a nice trail running area. Well maintained single track and horse width trails make for good technical training as well as good hard running. Lots of vertical feet here. It is very hilly. Tons of fun, beautiful. On another note, did someone really give this place bad reviews because they got ticks?

Update: we found 16 total ticks on our dog. She is on regular tick/​flea medicine and this is an OUTDOORS dog who we take camping, etc. often. This forest is gross. We’re never going back.
It only gets one star because you can’t give zero.

This is a bit of wilderness within a few minutes of the interstate and less than 30 to downtown. Wide variety of trails from short and easy, to moderate, to steep hills and serious hiking. Fishing lake that pretty clean and has parking around it. A visitors center with maps and restrooms and fishing licenses during business hours.
Hills. Serious hills on most trails. Great workout just bring water and take a buddy along. No real scenic views but you can feel miles and miles away from the city at a park close enough to get to after work in the evening or for an easy half-​day trip.
There is a campground, the park’s website has the costs and available sites.
Some trails aren’t accessed from the main area around the visitor’s center/​lake and can be harder to find the trailheads for first-​time visitors. After major storms or in the fall when the leaves come down thickly there are some trails that can be hard to follow if you aren’t very familiar with them. Better signage overall would be an improvement.
This is a FOREST. There may be snakes, ticks, deer, ticks, mosquitoes, poison ivy, stinging nettles, etc. All that stuff that occurs naturally in well, nature. It isn’t a paved walking path, groomed landscape city park and that’s part of what makes it such a nice park.

Totally agree with Tom C., re. Great park and great find close to Louisville. 3 ½ stars – the extra ½ is for being so accessible from the city. Pretty and peaceful walk through the woods. Views aren’t as wow-​factor as red river gorge area, but it’s a wonderful place to get away from the crowds and just take a «natural» walk. Unlike Bernheim, it’s free. It reminded me a bit of the hike we did at Audubon, but without the long drive. We hiked the Host Ridge Trail down to the small lake (starts in back of the visitor’s center and is approximately 1.5 mi each way). The trail is rated moderate, but we would call it more like an easy/​moderate – and more on the easy side: there was some gradual elevation gain, but my husband carried a toddler on his back, and I carried a baby on my back, and we were not having a difficult time. Well maintained trail, not crowded. Although we prefer the gorge area, I think this will be our more frequented hiking spot how that we’ve finally discovered it

Jefferson Memorial Forest is a hidden gem in the Louisville area. It is in the Fairdale suburb of Louisville and about the only reason to go to that part of town. Situated on over 6200 acres in Jefferson and Bullitt counties, the forest offers a wide range of activites.
There are over 35 miles of hiking trails ranging from strenuous to flat paved trails. A 5 acre lake stocked with trout, bluegill, and catfish. A bird blind that can be used to birdwatch. And, of course, camping sited for tents with latrines and water available nearby.
Me and Mister headed out one Saturday last fall for the Mayor’s Hike at the forest. They had music, concessions, and different activities for all ages. We hiked a bit, and went to check out the 50′ tower climb. He wanted to do it, Dad like to stay on terra firma. There was a bit of a wait, signing of the release forms and three choices of climbing challenge of varying degrees of difficulty. Dad was relieved when Mister chose the easiest route. The little monkey make quick work of the climb and considered a more challenging route but the wait was too long so we hit the trails again.
After walking about 1.5 miles, passing a wedding party, we came to the lake where they were offering canoe and kayak rides, so we boarded a canoe for a trip around the lake.
Mister had his fill of outdoor adventure as we walked back to the festival site so we grabbed a hot dog and grilled sausage and headed to the car. It is great to live in a town where you can hit an Olmsted park like Cherokee Park in the city or drive 30 minutes and be in a grand forest like Jefferson Memorial or Bernheim. We will be back again and again!