Weather Policy: For the safety and enjoyment of our visitors, all programs are subject to cancellation due to inclement weather, including rain, wind, and severe weather warnings and advisories.
Exploration
Hike: Wildflower Hikes
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesJoin us for a wildflower hike during peak wildflower season. We will be offering two separate hikes to view wildflowers throughout the sanctuary. One hike will take our best wildflower trail and visit Elk Lick Creek. The other hike will head to Elk Lick Falls and Elk Lick Creek.
Hike: Wildflower Hike to Elk Lick Creek
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesThis hike will feature our best wildflower trail during peak wildflower season.
Hike: Wildflower Hikes
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesPeak wildflower season will continue for these hikes. We will be offering two separate hikes to view wildflowers throughout the sanctuary. One hike will take our best wildflower trail and visit Elk Lick Creek. The other hike will head to Elk Lick Falls and Elk Lick Creek. We hope to see dwarf larkspur, wood poppies, and more.
Hikes: Magic Hour Wildflower Hikes
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff. We will be offering two separate hikes to view wildflowers throughout the sanctuary as the early evening sunlight shines through the trees. One hike will feature Elk Lick Falls and the other hike will feature the Kentucky River.
Hike: Wildflower Hikes
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesJoin us for a hike to see and enjoy Floracliff's wildflowers during their peak. We will be offering two separate hikes to view wildflowers throughout the sanctuary. One hike will take our best wildflower trail and visit Elk Lick Creek. The other hike will head to Elk Lick Falls and Elk Lick Creek. We hope to see bishop's cap, shooting star, Jacob's ladder and more.
City Nature Challenge 2021: Lexington
Floracliff is thrilled to bring the City Nature Challenge 2021 to Lexington. The City Nature Challenge is a global community science event that mobilizes urban residents and visitors to observe, document, and celebrate the wild plants, animals, and fungi in and around urban areas. This focused and collective effort increases our awareness and understanding of urban biodiversity around the world.
City Nature Challenge: Nighttime Exploration
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesCalling all community scientists! This program will focus on exploring Floracliff's ponds and forest edges after dark for the City Nature Challenge. We’ll focus on discovering and documenting frogs, moths, and more. Each registered party must have at least one member who has, or can create, an iNaturalist account in advance of the program. Be prepared to photograph your findings and upload them to iNaturalist either during the program or by May 3rd.
City Nature Challenge: Creek Exploration
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesCalling all community scientists! This program will focus on exploring a section of one of our creeks to discover and document aquatic life for the City Nature Challenge. Each registered party must have at least one member who has, or can create, an iNaturalist account in advance of the program. Be prepared to photograph your findings and upload them to iNaturalist either during the program or by May 3rd.
City Nature Challenge: Field and Forest Exploration
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesCalling all community scientists! This program will focus on exploring an area of Floracliff known as Bird Hill for the City Nature Challenge. We'll focus on discovering and documenting birds, trees, wildflowers, butterflies, bees and more. Each registered party must have at least one member who has, or can create, an iNaturalist account in advance of the program. Be prepared to photograph your findings and upload them to iNaturalist either during the program or by May 3rd.
Hike: Global Big Day Bird Hikes
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesPut on your Community Scientist hat and join us in finding, counting and identifying birds at Floracliff.
Hike: Creative Reflections at Elk Lick Creek
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnjoy a full hour immersed in the sights and sounds of Elk Lick Creek to write, create, meditate, or just enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. This program offers the opportunity to slow down, connect to nature, and disconnect from electronic devices. At the end of the hike, participants will have a chance to share as much or as little as they like.
Nighttime Exploration
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesThis program will focus on exploring Floracliff’s ponds and forest edges after dark. We will visit the ponds near the nature center to inspect the frog activity and will have UV lights and sheets set-up to attract moths and other insects.
Magic Hour Hike to Elk Lick Falls
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This hike will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky's oldest trees.
Elk Lick Creek Walk
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesElk Lick Creek flows through the heart of Floracliff and provides habitat for a diversity of amphibians, reptiles, insects, fish, and more. Join Floracliff Naturalists on this trek along a scenic 1/2-mile section of of the creek to explore the biodiversity and take in the beauty of the area.
Golden Hour Hike to Elk Lick Falls
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
Golden Hour Hike to the Kentucky River
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will head down to the Kentucky River floodplain, where setting sun lights up the palisades.
Butterflies and Wildflowers of Late Summer
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesPreserve Director Beverly James will lead this hike highlighting identification and natural history of butterflies as well as the wildflowers and hostplants they depend on. We'll spend some time in the pollinator field by the nature center before heading into the forest to look for woodland butterflies and flowers.
Tree Week Golden Hour Hike to Elk Lick Falls
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This hike will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
Tree-lationships Hike
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesTrees have intricate relationships with their environment as well as other living plants, animals, and fungi. This hike will highlight the various relationships and benefits trees provide, from hostplants and nest sites to stream health and human health. Join us on a hike through the forest to Elk Lick Creek to learn about these connections and deepen your own relationship with trees.
Golden Hour Hike to the Kentucky River
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will head down to the Kentucky River floodplain, where setting sun lights up the palisades.
Fall Long Hike
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesOur "long hikes" provide a great opportunity to see a lot of Floracliff in one day. In late fall, most of the leaves have fallen, making way for scenic views of the Elk Lick Valley. This hike will cover about 5 miles and will feature Trail’s End, the Kentucky River, Elk Lick Falls, and Elk Lick Creek.
Thanksgiving Eve Long Hike
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesOur "long hikes" provide a great opportunity to see a lot of Floracliff in one day. In late fall, most of the leaves have fallen, making way for scenic views of the Elk Lick Valley. This hike will cover about 5 miles and will feature Trail’s End, the Kentucky River, Elk Lick Falls, and Elk Lick Creek.
Golden Hour Hike to Elk Lick Falls
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
Wildflower Hike w/ Beverly James
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesJoin us for an early spring wildflower hike to see the first blooms of the season. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.
Wildflower Long Hike
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesExperience Floracliff in full bloom! Join us for a rare opportunity to view the abundance of spring ephemeral wildflowers on display throughout the sanctuary. We’ll cross Elk Lick Creek to see what’s blooming along the rich north-facing slopes and trek to the Trail’s End floodplain to bask in the bountiful wildflowers alongside the Palisades cliffs. Throughout the hike, we’ll stop to highlight some of our favorite wildflowers.
Golden Hour Hike to Elk Lick Falls
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
City Nature Challenge 2022: Lexington
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary, Lexington Parks & Recreation, and NABA-Central Kentucky are thrilled to be co-hosting the City Nature Challenge 2022 for Lexington. This year, we are competing with Louisville Metro and Madison County to observe the most species, recruit the most participants, and contribute the most observations during the 4-day challenge. Join the challenge to help us document Kentucky's biodiversity!
City Nature Challenge: Creek Exploration w/ Mike Compton
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesCalling all community scientists! This program will focus on exploring a section of one of our creeks to discover and document aquatic life for the City Nature Challenge.
Golden Hour Hike to Elk Lick Falls
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
Elk Lick Creek Walk
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesElk Lick Creek flows through the heart of Floracliff and provides habitat for a diversity of amphibians, reptiles, insects, fish, and more. Join Floracliff Naturalists on this trek along a scenic 1/2-mile section of of the creek to explore the biodiversity and take in the beauty of the area.
Golden Hour Hike to Elk Lick Falls
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
Nature at Night: Moths and More
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesFloracliff has a diversity of moths that come in many different sizes and colors. These insects play an important role in the ecosystem, having intricate relationships with our native plants, birds, and bats. Join us for this program to kick off National Moth Week, when we will have a few light stations set up with sheets to get a close-up look at our moths and other nocturnal insects. Bring a flashlight!
Elk Lick Creek Walk
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesElk Lick Creek flows through the heart of Floracliff and provides habitat for a diversity of amphibians, reptiles, insects, fish, and more. Join Floracliff Naturalists on this trek along a scenic 1/2-mile section of of the creek to explore the biodiversity and take in the beauty of the area.
Hike Leaders: Dan Patrick and Mark Wells
Golden Hour Hike to Elk Lick Falls
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
iNaturalist in Action: A hands-on training
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesJoin us for this hands-on demonstration using iNaturalist along the trails of Floracliff. We’ll spend some time exploring biodiversity, and we will cover the benefits of nature observations, basics of the app, and effective photos for species identification.
Golden Hour Hike to Elk Lick Falls
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
Tree Week Golden Hour Hike to Elk Lick Falls
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees. We are offering this free hike in celebration of Tree Week. Hike Leader: Terri Koontz, Floracliff Volunteer Hike distances: 1.5 miles; […]
Golden Hour Hike to the Kentucky River
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This hike will head down to the Kentucky River floodplain, where setting sun lights up the palisades.
Fall Long Hike
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesOur “long hikes” provide a great opportunity to see a lot of Floracliff in one day. In late fall, most of the leaves have fallen, making way for scenic views of the Elk Lick Valley. This hike will cover about 5 miles and will feature Trail’s End, the Kentucky River, Elk Lick Falls, and Elk Lick Creek.
Thanksgiving Eve Long Hike
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY, United StatesOur “long hikes” provide a great opportunity to see a lot of Floracliff in one day. In late fall, most of the leaves have fallen, making way for scenic views of the Elk Lick Valley. This hike will cover about 5 miles and will feature Trail’s End, the Kentucky River, Elk Lick Falls, and Elk Lick Creek.
