Big Bone Lick Naturalist and Recreation Blog

Educational Programming: The naturalist staff at Big Bone Lick take great pride in offering high quality educational and community outreach programs. Among the programs are bison tours, prehistoric living skills, park history, and survival programs. These programs are great for school groups, scout troops, organizations, or any other civic groups. For additional information please contact Todd Young.

Bison Herd
The spring season is a great time to get out and see the Bison herd. Springtime is when new calves are born, generally between late April through the end of May. The bison tend to be active during this time of year and since a lot of the surrounding vegetation is gone this makes bison viewing much easier. Please do not feed or pet the bison, they can be very dangerous. Climbing, jumping, or hanging on the fence is not allowed, please respect the bison area and do not throw litter into the pen.

Trails: There are 4.5 miles of trails at Big Bone Lick
Big Bone Creek Trail: 1 mile loop trail showcasing the salt-sulphur spring, bog diorama and park history.
Bison Trace: .5 mile trail to the bison herd.
Cedar Run Trail: .5 mile looping trail off the gobblers trace trail.
Corralberry Trail: 2 mile trail that goes around the lake and upper portion of the park.
Gobbler’s trace Trail: .5 mile trail from campground to visitor’s center parking lot.

The spring season is a great time to get out and see an abundance of wildlife. Spring flowers are also blooming plus many of the migrating bird species will start returning to the park. Please exercise caution on the trails in the spring due to wet conditions as the trails can remain slick and muddy for several days after each rain.

Plant Spotlight: Blue-eyed Mary Collinsia verna
Each spring at Big Bone Lick State Park many beautiful flowers start blooming. One of my favorites is the Blue-eyed Mary. This small plant has brilliant flowers and creates a striking display this time of year. Normally this plant is found in moist partially shaded bottom lands and is quite common along creek beds.