Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve is located in Powell County,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, USA. It is a 1,257.93 acre nature preserve in Eastern Kentucky.“Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve Hiking Trails.” Eec.Ky.Gov, eec.ky.gov/Nature-Preserves/Locations/Pages/Pilot-Knob.aspx. Retrieved July 1 2021. A outcrop, known as Pilot Knob, is believed to be the place where

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

and his companion John Finley first looked out over the area in 1769.“Pilot Knob Brochure.” Eec.Ky.Gov, eec.ky.gov/Nature-Preserves/Brochures/PilotKnobBrochure_color.pdf. Retrieved July 1 2021. It is owned and managed by the

Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves The Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves is an agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the United States dedicated to the protection of Kentucky's natural heritage. The agency's primary focus is protecting rare and endangered species habitat. It o ...

Geography and nature

Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve initially consisted of 308-acres that were dedicated on September 26, 1985, while an additional 949.93 acres were later added by the Kentucky Land Heritage Conservation Fund, bringing the total to 1,257.93 acres. The highest point of the preserve, Pilot Knob, sits at an elevation of 730 feet (220 m). Pilot knob is also sometimes referred to as "Boone's Overlook". The

Cumberland Plateau The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia. The terms "Alle ...

, the

Knobs region The Knobs Region or ''The Knobs'' is located in the US state of Kentucky. It is a narrow, arc-shaped region consisting of hundreds of isolated hills. The region wraps around the southern and eastern parts of the Bluegrass region in the north cen ...

and the

Bluegrass region The Bluegrass region is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It makes up the central and northern part of the state, roughly bounded by the cities of Frankfort, Paris, Richmond and Stanford. The Bluegrass region is characterized ...

can be seen from this vantage point. Pilot Knob itself is made of Pennsylvanian conglomerate sandstone estimated to be around 280 million years old. Many different types of sediments are embedded into the rock as a result of an ancient stream that used to flow there. Parts of this conglomerate rock were quarried and used for

millstones Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, for grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a convex stationary base known as the ''bedstone'' and ...

. The preserve has an oak-hickory

secondary forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...

and consists of many different forest communities that vary due to elevation, soil inconsistencies and variances in sunlight and moisture levels. The

Blackjack oak ''Quercus marilandica'', the blackjack oak, is a small oak, one of the red oak group ''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae''. It is native to the eastern and central United States. Description ''Quercus marilandica'' is a small deciduous tree growing to ...

and

Virginia pine ''Pinus virginiana'', the Virginia pine, scrub pine, Jersey pine, Possum pine, is a medium-sized tree, often found on poorer soils from Long Island in southern New York south through the Appalachian Mountains to western Tennessee and Alabama. The ...

trees towards the top of the summit are stunted in growth after adapting to being exposed to harsher conditions such as elevated sunlight and winds. The Kentucky Ornithological Society recognizes Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve as an Eastern Kentucky birding location.“Eastern KY Birding Locations.” Kentucky Ornithological Society, birdky.org/eastern-ky-birding-locations.html. Retrieved July1 2021.

History

It is believed that on June 7, 1769,

and John Finley first looked out across what is now the

from the summit of Pilot Knob before setting up camp and preparing to explore the surrounding area. John Finley referred to the view from the outcrop as "the beautiful level of

". John Filson later became Daniel Boone's ghostwriter for his autobiography. He writes that Daniel Boone says about his experience at Pilot Knob, "I had gained the summit of a commanding ridge...beheld the ample plains, the beauteous tracts below." The

Kentucky Historical Society The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) was originally established in 1836 as a private organization. It is an agency of the Kentucky state government that records and preserves important historical documents, buildings, and artifacts of Kentucky's ...

recognizes June 7 as "Boone Day" in honor of this historic moment.“Today in History - June 7.” The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/june-07/#:%7E:text=to%20this%20page-,Daniel%20Boone,7%20as%20%E2%80%9CBoone%20Day.%E2%80%9D. Retrieved July 1 2021.

Recreation

Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve is considered a recreation area for hiking, studying nature, geology and birding. There are two main hiking trails located on the preserve. There is a strenuous ascent to the summit along the 2.4-mile Oscar Geralds, Jr. Trail. There is also 2.0-mile trail that loops around the base of the area, known as Sage Point Trail, that is also considered strenuous. The main dangers of this recreation area are cliffs and venomous snakes that reside there. Camping, rock climbing, mountain biking and bringing pets are not permitted so as to not disturb the nature preserve. The preserve is open for recreation from sunrise to sundown.

References

External links

Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve
Protected areas of Powell County, Kentucky Nature reserves in Kentucky {{PowellCountyKY-geo-stub