Kentucky Rivers Hide Mysterious ‘Blue Holes’

Growing up in western Kentucky, I've heard many tales of the Green River. Many of them were stories about my grandfather's adventures. In his youth, he would disappear for weeks at a time, and he was usually working on some kind of commercial craft on the river.

'Blue Holes' in the Green River

None of those old stories, however, included anything about "blue holes." A more recent one, however, did.

While I enjoy the irony of the Green River having blue holes, they're serious business to adventure seekers. I had a friend who used to be a commercial diver, and he would get jobs on the Green River. He casually mentioned a "blue hole" years ago, but I didn't think to ask him what he was talking about. Now I know.

It's in Hart County where folks go for the blue holes. They're located at Blueway on the Green, which is part of the National Water Trail. The Nolin River also features a blueway.

Where to Find the Green River's 'Blue Holes'

If you are interested in finding blue holes, then you may already know that they are caves deep beneath the water's surface. And since we're talking about Hart County, deep in the heart of cave country, that makes sense.

Hart County Tourism offers a downloadable map illustrating the details about the Green River's Blueway. And just how blue is the Green River Blueway? Take a look.

Lost River Cave

I remember Lost River when it wasn't a commercial enterprise. That cave was much harder to access back then, but it was public property, so we could. But on the boat ride through Lost River Cave, as we know it today, you'll see a "blue hole" which acts as a groundwater window into the 85-mile-long Lost River Karst Basin. That's good cave country talk.

Hart and Warren Counties are here for the adventurer in us all; between Blueways, caves, and Kentucky Down Under, you can't go wrong making it the focus of a weekend road trip.