We are thrilled to announce the opening of our newest amenity in Beckley Creek Park – the Poetry Trail! Officially open to the public on December 18, we invite visitors to check out this revitalized trail and engage with nature in a way you may not have before.

One of the core pieces of The Parklands’ mission is to connect our visitors to the natural Kentucky landscape in meaningful ways and we are so excited to share this new amenity and experience with our visitors. By repurposing and revitalizing the 0.39-miles of trails branching off the Country Lane Walk in the Humana Grand Allee, we hope to create a space of intentionality to connect with nature in a new way.

With three different nodes, or groupings, of poems interspersed throughout, this trail serves as an opportunity for visitors to pause and fully immerse themselves in the sensory experience nature offers as they read through 15 specially curated poems. Poetry has often been used to deepen the connection between people and nature in a way many do not experience by simply walking amongst it.

Our team worked to gather poems that reflected various sights and experiences readers may see, hear, or feel along the trail throughout the year. As you meander down the path, following one poem to the next, make sure you take time to pore over the poems and use them to engage in your surroundings. This trail was designed not to rush people from one sign to the next but to linger and quieten the spirit. Many times walking of hiking can become about finding the end or the exercise itself, but we hope on this trail that visitors will look around and interpret how the poem before them interacts with what they are seeing, hearing, or feeling – physically or emotionally – in that moment.

We are so excited to launch The Parklands Poetry Trail and look forward to experiencing and exploring nature in a new way together! As a visitor-and-donor supported public park, none of this would have been possible without your support. Because of the generous support of our donors, we can offer world-class amenities such as the poetry trail for free 365 days a year! Thank you for your support.

For more information and maybe a sneak peek or two at the Poetry Trail, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!