E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park

E.P., as it is often called, is an excellent park for nature walks. It is a 550 plus acre park that has many trails. Most of the trails are easy terrain, and a great deal of them are in or near wooded areas. It seems like every time I visit I find a new area that I hadn't seen before. I like being able to go up there and take a long trail, or a short one, if I only have a few minutes.

I wanted to share an interesting tidbit that I just learned about E.P. It is named for the late Erbon Powers “Tom” Sawyer, a former Jefferson County Judge executive, who also happens to be the father of Diane Sawyer, a popular news anchor on ABC. I have to admit this was news to me. I knew Diane was from Louisville, but had never put the two together.

Spring is always one of my favorite times of the year. We finally get some warmth, all of the wildlife gets more active and the trees are in full bloom! E.P. really knows how to showcase it!

Crabapple Tree Blooms

White Dogwood Tree Blooms

E.P. is a wonderful place to go birding. The many trees and bushes along the trails provide a shelter for a wide variety of birds. There are also bird boxes scattered throughout the park, providing homes for Bluebirds and Swallows.

American Goldfinch

Field Sparrow

During my last visit to E.P., my husband and I happened upon a snake twisted up on a branch. I have to say that snakes aren't my favorite animals, but it was kind of exciting. We have been running into snakes a lot lately.

E.P. has quite a few vantage points to capture sunsets. Sometimes, it's difficult to get a good sunset picture in the city, with so many buildings and houses. So it is nice to have a place to quickly go when I want to capture a sunset.

E.P. is actually a good place for a wide variety of things to do. They have an area for flying remote controlled airplanes, soccer, tennis, picnicking, archery, and in the summer you can even visit their pool. As a matter of fact, they have one of the premier tracks for BMX racing, and are host to a competition every year over the Labor Day weekend.

The next time you happen to be in the area, drop on by!

Posted in: E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park