Bone Lick State Historic Site
Just a short drive south of Cincinnati, OH, is a campground and historic site that is unique to the area. Big Bone Lick State Historic Site in Kentucky is known for the Pleistocene megafauna fossils found in the area. The most well-known include the wooly mammoth and giant sloth. Animales were attracted to the site by the local sulfur spring that would produce alkaline, yet soft earth. The softness of the ground traped more than a few mammoths creating a virtual treasure trove for paleontologists. Big Bone Lick even claims to be the birthplace of paleontology. On the site, you’ll find a handful of attractions that you can’t find at any other state park.
I had initially planned on recording a YouTube video for the site. Unfortunately, I wasn’t happy with the footage I was able to get at the time. So for now, Big Bone Lick Campground will have to live as a blog post. We may try to get back there this year. If we do, I’ll update this blog post.
Big Bone Lick Museum
The Big Bone Lick State Historic Site has an excellent visitor center and a small museum. In addition to the mammoth skull and giant sloth display, you’ll find the walls lined with historic disruption of the area and local Native American history. My kids loved it. It isn’t so big that it ends up boring the kids, and it leads to a fantastic megafauna diorama just out the back doors. Check the video below.
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Megafauna Diorama
The megafauna diorama behind the museum is a starting point to explore local history. It is the start of a path that takes you to the sulfur spring that was the focal point of the area for so long. I’m not going to lie. While the hike was straightforward and pleasant, the sulfur spring at the end wasn’t much to look at. It was kind of just a stinky creek. Don’t be discouraged! The bison are next!
Bison!
One of the most fun attractions at Big Bone Lick is the herd of bison. You HAVE to see them! It is so much fun to watch the kids react to them. The herd is available every day of the year. The day I was there for filming, they were on the move, so I didn’t get the shots I wanted. The twins loved the short, comfortable hike to see them, so it was still well worth it.
Big Bone Lick Campground
Big Bone Lick Campground offers 62 campsites. All the sites, as far as I can tell, provide water and 30 amp service. There is a dump station, but no option for 50 amp if you need it. The short road leading up from the visitor’s center/bison has some sharp curves going up, so big rigs will need a little extra space. Given some of the angles on the entrance roads, the huge RVs that require 50 amp would have some trouble accessing the site anyway. That said, most of their sites claim to be able to handle 30-40 foot rigs. Example campsite:
Additional Information
If you’re interested in other details on Big Bone Lick State Historic Site and Campground, check out:
The BBL Website: https://parks.ky.gov/union/parks/historic/big-bone-lick-state-historic-site
The BBL Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bone_Lick_State_Park
You can reserve a campsite at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site via Reserve America
If you’re not familiar with Reserve America, I did a YouTube video that discusses it. Reserve America is a great site/app. I use it all the time for booking campsites.
Thanks for reading everyone! If you’ve been to this historic site, let me know in the comments below.
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